I actually liked this book, which for me is a shocker. I for one, do not read romantic books, much less like them. However, for some reason, I liked this novel.
At the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, it was a little boring, I knew the storyline before reading the book because I had friends who were obsessed with it. So I knew the basic story line: there are this amazing, sarcastic women named Elizabeth who starts off hating a guy named Mr. Darcy and then things happen, sparks fly, they fall in love and then BAM they get married.
But when I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time, I realized that what I thought I knew from what heard from others about this book was not entirely correct. This novel was much more than just a novel, it was a strategically crafted masterpiece where men at the time were fooled and where women smirked at the feminist undertone. And when we went over the book in class and had those small group discussions I realized my love for Elizabeth Bennet’s conversations.
Elizabeth Bennett, in general, was a woman of small talk, however, whenever she would speak you better listen because you had to hear every word to fully understand what she was saying. And I won’t say she is perfect because if you want perfect you are talking about Hermione Granger, but that’s asides from the point. Elizabeth had flaws, she had significant pride and among other things was stubborn. However, she embraced these flaws, took each of them as they were, and showed them proudly to the world saying ‘yes, I have flaws and yes, I am human’. I think this is why I like her so much, because Elizabeth is confident on who she is, and it did not matter who you are, she will be blunt about it.
Another reason I liked this novel is from the Feminist undertone of this novel. When I searched this novel up on the internet, it said it’s presumed by many to be a novel of manners, and to some today, it still is. As discussed in class, much of the men at the time when it was published, saw this book as a novel to teach women how they should behave; because it was their role in life to get married and have children. Which all was showcased through Mrs. Bennett and Lady Catherine, which I might add did not seem at the least bit likable.
The last thing that I would want to talk about is what I did not like about this novel. It for me was too long, we did get to see the character development of both Elizabeth and Darcy in detail, but I felt as though the novel took a long time to actually start. Maybe that’s just me, who knows! Also, another thing would be, I can’t help but feel bad for Mary, whenever she would say anything I just automatically marked it as not significant, I just cruised over whatever she was saying. It was not intentional, but she just didn’t seem as important in the novel that I kind of forgot about her.
I liked this novel, and am I hoping to read more novels like this one. I can now see the depth of this novel as well fully appreciate it. Thanks for reading have a wonderful day!!
Dearest Enameka,
I chose to comment on your blog because I completely understand how you feel! I also misjudged Pride and Prejudice at first because of the romance – one of the genres I tend to despise because of how forced it feels in some novels (plus, I’m both a cynic and an idealist. Its the perfect paradoxical combination if you want to be let down constantly by everyone and everything – particularly by bad romances).
After having read this book again this year, I have fallen in love (see what I did there? Love!) with it once more, and this blog only increased my level of adoration for Pride and Prejudice. Your voice comes through beautifully in this blog – it feels like an open conversation with a friend, which is why I found it so relatable. The “point” was communicated clearly, and because such is the case, I would say that this post was a brilliant success. Well done!
The only thing I would edit is a a slight grammatical error in the second paragraph – the “are” should be “is” so that the sentence reads as “there is this amazing, sarcastic women named Elizabeth…”. Of course, this is just nitpicking. Overall, it didn’t truly disrupt the flow of the piece.
Simply put, I loved your writing, and I loved this blog. Thank you for this! I look forward to reading your writing in the future!
Yours truly,
Tarannum
Enameka,
I honestly have to say that the two of us share a lot of similar opinions when it comes to literature (I mean, the titles of our blog pieces are rather similar too). I’ll have to say that when I first read Pride and Prejudice, I was a little hesitant too, especially with it being a romance novel, but I too found myself actually enjoying it.
Although you used a casual tone for this piece, I found that it didn’t sound badly written, and instead held an almost conversational tone. I liked that you discussed each part of the novel, including the parts that you disliked. You also didn’t just address the plot, you acknowledged some of the undertones in the book. This made your review/response have a well-rounded feeling to it and showed that you had a good understanding of all of the elements in the novel.
One thing I would offer for you to improve on is the conclusion, although I did like the casual tone you maintained, but adding in the “have a wonderful day” at the end of the review felt a little too casual for my taste. However, this didn’t take away from the piece overall.
I look forward to seeing more from you!
– Genevieve
P.S. I also did wonder quite a bit about Mary’s character as well, as she seemed to be very overlooked. However, I did a bit of research on her and it turns out that she did end up getting married after the book finished, according to Jane Austen.
You also mentioned that you would like to read novels similar to this one, and I would personally recommend Sense and Sensibility, which is also written by Jane Austen.
Dear Enameka,
Like you, I also had a negative first impression of Pride and Prejudice, just because it was from the romantic genre. Everything that you mentioned in your blog, from the pros to cons, was completely relatable for me. I too was not able to fully appreciate the beauty of the novel when I read it the first time; only after many hours of re-reading was I able to grasp the true meaning of the book. I also liked how you mentioned the Feminist undertone of the novel, because it showed that you understood the novel and successfully incorporated it into your writing.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this blog. I look forward to reading more of your work!
Sincerely,
Maheen
Enameka,
I understand your distaste towards romance novels but I am so glad your opinion was shifted because if this book!
I agree completely with your description of Elizabeth and her acceptance of her own flaws. I believe this is also a factor of why people who are not typically attracted to romance novels would enjoy this one. It depicts a strong female charcter who does not let her attraction immeadiately take over any sense of logic. Not only does it show her as independant, but as witty and clever. I too, find these sorts of characters hard to come by and appreciate it greatly when I do.
Harmehar