A perfect example of a romantic comedy, Pride and Prejudice was penned by this great story teller called Jane Austen during the years 1795 and 1799. It was first published in the year 1813 under the title ’’First Impressions’’ and was in the form of an exchange of letters. Pride and Prejudice is considered to be the finest work of the novelist’s life.
The novel begins with the classic statement that became popular over the years, ’’It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife’’. The novel begins with Mrs. Bennet (A mother of five daughters) exasperating her husband Mr. Bennet regarding the marriage of their daughters.
The novel focuses on the model of courtship romance in the context of social changes that overtook England following the French Revolution. The heroine of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, is portrayed as an intelligent, independent, head-strong and a witty woman with a lot of humour in her who sweeps the hero - a filthy rich, proud and arrogant Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy off his feet in due course of time. Both the hero and the heroine are proud in nature, as well as prejudiced towards each other, only to fall madly in love with each other as the novel progresses.
The story is a reader’s fantasy that comes alive in the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy. The novel not only emphasizes on the love-aspect of that period, but also on the social and economic disparities in England.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a part of contemporary/modern English Literature, still the favourite of readers worldwide. The heroine is a woman with a strong head on her shoulders who makes the man she despises the most, fall in love with her. She realises that her prejudiced heart was being a hindrance in meeting the love of her life. Also, Mr. Darcy realises that his pride and the feeling of social superiority over Elizabeth didn’t let him see what a beautiful and intelligent woman Elizabeth actually was. It is their journey from hatred to love, that makes this piece of Literature a very interested and special experience.
A love story full of fantasies coming alive, beautifully penned by the queen of romantic comedies herself - that’s Pride and Prejudice. ’’A Must Read!’’