Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Review by Bethany Cho, 10

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No matter how far you try to distance yourself from the classics, there is no doubt that you have been affected in some way by Jane Austen and her impact on the world. If you read any genre of books, you’ve most likely read a book from an independent female perspective (and if not, I’m very sorry for you, but then I also ask, why are you a part of this club?) which was largely revolutionized by Austen’s social commentaries on women and marriage. Without Austen’s works, we might not have movies like Clueless or Bridget Jones’ Diary, and we certainly wouldn’t have any of the several film and play adaptations for Pride and Prejudice (and Zombies, if that’s your style), Emma, not to mention our fall play of yesteryear but Sense and Sensibility, Love and Friendship, and several other films about and relating to Austen’s life and her books. This summer, in an effort to feel some sort of normalcy, I revisited an old favorite of mine, Pride and Prejudice. It was even better than I had remembered, and I really enjoyed it. If you don’t know the story, it’s about a young woman named Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters Jane, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Elizabeth and Jane being at the prime of marriageable age, are urged by their mother, Mrs. Bennet, to attend a ball held by their new neighbors at Netherfield Park, the Bingleys. Jane immediately connects with Mr. Bingley- they dance and talk all night; but Lizzy isn’t quite as lucky. Instead, she overhears Mr. Darcy, Bingley’s closest friend, insult her, stating that she’s “not nearly handsome enough” to tempt him. Rather than love at first sight, one could call it “loathe” at first sight (see what I did there?). Lizzy sees only his confident air and quiet judgments while Darcy only sees her low stature and her rather rowdy family. The two can’t even stand the sight of each other, and everyone knows it. At least, that’s what everyone thought. Through a series of untimely circumstances and coincidences, they develop an understanding of their actions and demeanor and ultimately, discover their own love for each other. Truly, it’s probably one of the first slow burn, enemies-to-lovers novels ever.

The writing style is a little bit to get accustomed to since it is in 19th century English, but once you get used to it, you truly see how eloquent and clever her writing is; it’s not really a light read. I love the characters, and as for the characters I hate, I love how well they were written. My favorite parts were whenever Lizzy would through a clever quip whether at her mother or her sister. Her astuteness and independence was so admirable. She never stooped so low as to lash out at anyone, but rather, she was impertinent in a way that one could call well-bred. As a true product of my generation, I was definitely bored at certain points, but I truly did enjoy the overall story. I often wonder what it would be like to someone who has yet to experience the plot twists (if you decide to read it for the first time, let me know!).

Lizzy’s relationships with the people around her and especially Darcy are depicted in a way that truly embodies human nature. Her own initial hatred was out of her first impressions separate grievances and misunderstandings (which truly seems to be the downfall of all humans) while Darcy’s were out of his own sense of self-preservation and unwillingness to further investigate his claims. What forms even more organically in their relationship is their love for each other with Lizzy’s being out of gratitude and enamor for Darcy’s magnanimity and Darcy’s being out of feeling understood and at home. If people are just reflections of the people around them, one can truly see it in this relationship. They push each other to grow out of their vices and teach each other what it means to have empathy. 

If you enjoy a good romance, and love to see phenomenal character development, you’ll enjoy this book. These are complemented with Elizabeth’s witty banter as the independent female protagonist, and Darcy’s own share of sass as well as the Bennet family’s antics. The book puts the evolution of relationships and even the underlying psyche that sometimes we, ourselves, can’t understand, under a microscope lens in an engaging way. Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful social commentary on what it means to be empathetic and kind, and most of all, what independence and strength looks like in a domestic setting.