"A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read." - Mark Twain
When we begin reading any book, there is always a skeptical start. We are suddenly thrown into an ocean of new characters, new cities/countries, new styles and new ways of people handling varied situations. Moreover, we do not know the author’s writing style. When we start on classics, the confusion and disinterest is even more as we have a sudden gush of numerous characters. We are immediately exposed to period details of minimal or no relevance to today’s world, obsolete manners of people of that era passing leisure time which essentially include reading books aloud to the family, playing the piano or attending ball dances not to forget the tidings woven in flowery, archaic language. This is exactly what happened when I started off with Pride and Prejudice. How tedious the language seemed! However, tons of people had ranked it as one of their best reads and had overwhelmingly voted for it in ‘100 books to read in your lifetime’ kind of lists! So I had to read this one.
Jane Austen- This romantic fiction authoress’ peak years of writing were from 1811 to 1817 when she wrote Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. These three stand to be her best loved works till date. She had very few appreciators in her lifetime. Her books touched peaks of popularity only many years after her death and her works are a critical part of the academic study in the literary world even today. Her books have also been adapted by numerous dramatists.
Story- Location- Meryton, England.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have 5 pretty daughters, each of them with varied levels of maturity, intellect and patience. The story starts with the much talkative and impulsive Mrs. Bennet blabbering on getting her daughters married as soon as possible, so that their estate would have male heirs. Mr. Bennet, is a peculiar character who enjoys sarcasm and taunting people around him (especially his wife). He has lost all regard and affection for his wife many years back. However, he thoroughly enjoys the entertainment brought to him by her crass nature and immaturity!
A new neighbor, wealthy and powerful Mr. Bingley, arrives with his sisters and intimate friend Mr. Darcy. The suave Mr. Bingley seems to be the most eligible bachelor in town and Mrs. Bennet tries all sorts of ridiculous tantrums to woo him for her eldest daughter Jane. Jane is portrayed as a sensitive and mature young lady. Jane’s younger sister Elizabeth is the protagonist in the book. She is blunt, emotional and erudite. She shares a close bonding with Jane more than with anyone else in the family. The very handsome and rich Mr. Darcy, ever since his entry at Mr. Bingley’s home, instantly becomes a victim of contempt from people around him(including the Bennet family) because of his impudence and arrogance.
In due course, Jane and Mr. Bingley share affection for each other, however he abruptly moves away from their neighborhood, his return being least probable. Elizabeth is pained by the grief Jane needs to undergo after this shock. She comes to know that Mr. Darcy is the master-mind to separate the two lovers and she hates Mr. Darcy even more. Meanwhile, the most frolicsome and ill mannered girl of the sisters Lydia elopes with Mr. Wickham(a militia officer) which results in a huge insult of the family. They sadly fall prey to the gossipmongers of the town and their friendly contacts with the neighborhood now become strained. In due course, Mr. Darcy falls for Elizabeth. He seems to be full of pride and will never stoop low to declare his love. On the other hand, we have Elizabeth, blinded by prejudice against his stubborn attitude. In spite of not-so-esteemed family connections, will Mr. Darcy attempt to marry Elizabeth?
What follows is a series of misunderstandings, clarifications, and eventually happy endings. Will Mr. Bingley ever return or will Jane surrender to her solitude happily? Will Elizabeth shun her prejudice against Mr. Darcy and marry him?
My Opinion- There is almost no suspense in this story, it is more of a literary read. The story gets interesting only after Pg. 140 or so, so readers require immense patience till then! The way little occurrences have been portrayed, simple words are used here like gems. It is a narrative where emotions, feelings, mental agonies are described with minutest detail. For instance, we have this sentence: She(Elizabeth) read (the letter from Mr. Darcy) with an eagerness which hardly left her power of comprehension, and from impatience of knowing what the next sentence might bring, was incapable of attending to the sense of the one before her eyes. Don’t we also read that new offer letter, promotion letter or email from a loved one in precisely this way? Perhaps we never thought of putting such a mundane thing so beautifully in words. Quotes used in the book convey some message along with a mild touch of humour, for instance- "Angry people are not always wise.", "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." , "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?"
The language is simple, so readers would not require a dictionary around. This book has a text summary at the end where all important happenings of this story are given in chronological order. In case the reader gets bored, this text summary can be referred to see what the next importance occurrence would be and accordingly a few pages can be skimmed! This was just what I required since the tale was really slow at places. For people who would not have time to read the book a ‘sugar-cane-minus-the-juice’ kind of précis is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice.
The book is special for its captivating and intricate definition of characters and their minds, about their egos and lack of empathy, about their Pride and Prejudice.
Happy reading! :)