A review by brittany_tellefsen
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
3.0
Rating: 3.5/5
I finally did it! It took me three weeks to read this small book, but as it was written in the early 19th century, the writing was quite dense and flowery and I could not sit with it for long periods, but I did it and I am glad that I did.
I feel rather unqualified to review Pride and Prejudice not only because it is a revered classic which makes reviewing intimidating, but I would be writing a reiew from a modern perspective, one born from living 200 years beyond when this was written. However, I do have some thoughts that I would like to share.
For its time, I can understand why this was such a beloved contemporary and I can see this being a wonderful read for young ladies of the era. From her writing you can tell of Austen's intelligence and humor as she wrote interesting characters and created some very witty banter among them, particularly with regard to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is smart, articulate, stubborn, and outspoken. Darcy seems to be rather strodgy, arrogant, and condescending. With those two we seem to find one of the original slow-burn, "hate-to-love" or "opposites attract" tropes which are now so prevalent in YA literature.
Though I am sure Pride and Prejudice needs no summation, the entire book essentially revolves around the Bennett family, which includes Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and their five female daughters. Ultimately, the book is centered on the quest to find each of the daughter's a suitable husband. Now here comes the hindrance of my modern perspective. This book, in my opinion, had a distinct lack of plot or rather, the plot seems rather frivolous from today's vantage point. A book purely devoted to obtaining the most beneficial, handsome, and advantageous men for young women? While I do recognize the importance of such connections during this time, I found the fact that this was ultimately the entirety of story a bit dull.
Having said that, once I was able to find a flow with the reading, adapting to the languange and pushing through the first several chapters I ended up becoming quite attached to Elizabeth and Jan and ended up enjoying it overall. I find that this will leave a lasting impression and would not object to reading more of Austen's work in the future.
I finally did it! It took me three weeks to read this small book, but as it was written in the early 19th century, the writing was quite dense and flowery and I could not sit with it for long periods, but I did it and I am glad that I did.
I feel rather unqualified to review Pride and Prejudice not only because it is a revered classic which makes reviewing intimidating, but I would be writing a reiew from a modern perspective, one born from living 200 years beyond when this was written. However, I do have some thoughts that I would like to share.
For its time, I can understand why this was such a beloved contemporary and I can see this being a wonderful read for young ladies of the era. From her writing you can tell of Austen's intelligence and humor as she wrote interesting characters and created some very witty banter among them, particularly with regard to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is smart, articulate, stubborn, and outspoken. Darcy seems to be rather strodgy, arrogant, and condescending. With those two we seem to find one of the original slow-burn, "hate-to-love" or "opposites attract" tropes which are now so prevalent in YA literature.
Though I am sure Pride and Prejudice needs no summation, the entire book essentially revolves around the Bennett family, which includes Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and their five female daughters. Ultimately, the book is centered on the quest to find each of the daughter's a suitable husband. Now here comes the hindrance of my modern perspective. This book, in my opinion, had a distinct lack of plot or rather, the plot seems rather frivolous from today's vantage point. A book purely devoted to obtaining the most beneficial, handsome, and advantageous men for young women? While I do recognize the importance of such connections during this time, I found the fact that this was ultimately the entirety of story a bit dull.
Having said that, once I was able to find a flow with the reading, adapting to the languange and pushing through the first several chapters I ended up becoming quite attached to Elizabeth and Jan and ended up enjoying it overall. I find that this will leave a lasting impression and would not object to reading more of Austen's work in the future.