My Feelings on Pride and Prejudice

 

Initially, I was very hesitant on reading Pride and Prejudice. I was certain that I would not enjoy it, simply because I did not usually read books of the romantic genre. However, after spending a considerable amount of time reading and analyzing the novel, it is safe to say that my opinion of the book has changed quite a bit. And although there were certain things that I did not particularly enjoy, the pros of the novel definitely outweighed the cons in the end.

Let’s start with Elizabeth Bennet. From the very start, she caught my attention as a stubborn and sharp tongued woman. The fact that she was so different, in the sense that she consistently refused to conform to society’s rules and regulations, caused me to admire the strength of her character, even when others told her to act like the other women her age. Rather than act the way society expected females to in public, Elizabeth defied all expectations and adamantly continued to follow whatever her heart told her; this was prominently displayed when she continued to look for a love marriage even after hearing about the entail, which would leave her penniless and without a home once Mr. Bennet died, unless she found a wealthy husband to support her.

Jane Austen’s unique writing style was another reason why I grew to love this novel. The way in which she satirized the social stratification of the genders served to emphasize her point, that a person’s social standing did not necessarily determine the compatibility of their marriage, as displayed by the vast difference between Elizabeth and Darcy’s social status. This added humour, which helped me get through the book. I also admired the complexity of the characters, especially regarding Elizabeth and Darcy. Their story did not start with love at first sight; to the contrary, they despised each other from the very beginning, despite gradually falling in love with each other over the course of the story. This felt refreshing for me, because I had seen far too many love stories where the protagonist found love at first sight.

However, as much as I enjoyed this novel, there were certain things that made the book harder to get through and actually finish. For one, I felt that the first part of the novel was dull and uninteresting; I had to force myself to continue reading through the first few chapters, and even then it took a bit long for us to see Elizabeth and Darcy’s character development. Something else that bothered me was the constant barrage of names that Jane Austen always seemed to keep delivering throughout the course of the story; I kept mixing up the names of different places and always seemed to forget who was related to who (I don’t know if anyone else felt the same way). For me, this hindered the flow of the novel, as I spent far too many times going back and searching the name for something. Aside from these minor complaints, however, I really enjoyed reading Pride and Prejudice. 

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3 thoughts on “My Feelings on Pride and Prejudice

  1. Dear Maheen,

    Thank you for writing your thoughts on Pride and Prejudice! It has been a while since I read it for the first time myself, and I appreciated your hesitancy! It certainly isn’t a book easy to get into – I didn’t finish it the first time I read it in middle school. 🙂

    I loved hearing your thoughts and opinions on this novel. I agree with your perception of Elizabeth Bennett – she is a very “… stubborn and sharp tongued woman.” Not only is she a great role model (for everyone), but she is an interesting character to follow along a journey.

    When you said that there were things that made this novel harder to get through – I completely understand. It took me many months of putting the book down and picking it up again. One grow for next time is to perhaps write more – I would love to hear more of your wonderful thoughts and opinions!

    Thank you for the amazing read!

    Carmen 🙂

  2. Hey Maheen,

    Great piece, I love how you are so clear and articulate about the points you like and dislike about Pride and Prejudice. You have an interesting “strategic” way of writing, in which you hit all your targets concisely and do not waste time adding extra fluff, which is a great quality for a write to have. I could also hear your authentic voice in this piece since you were so honest to your own opinions and perspectives, which is undoubtedly commendable.

    In terms of what you can work on, I’d offer that perhaps you could get more depth into your writing by asking yourself “why.” Why is there something appealing about a character like Elizabeth that goes against status quo? How does this satire affect you as a reader and your perspectives on ideas like marriage? By doing so you will further develop not only your understanding about the book, but your worldview in general.

    Also I’d have to agree that the names can be confusing the first time you read the novel, that being said a good tip can be to make a little character map for yourself. That way you can continuously refer to it throughout you reading.

    Overall well done, I look forward to reading more of your work.

    Sincerely,
    Malika

  3. Dear Maheen,

    I also was a bit hesitant when I first read the book. I literally thought before I read it, that this book would be sappy and be full of cliches. However, when I read it I was intrigued with the main character, Elizabeth Bennett.

    Elizabeth was a fascinating character to follow throughout the book. I especially loved her sarcastic remarks and need for independence. As a female growing up in a family where tradition and cultures play a large role in the way I act, it was inspiring, to say the least. The way she did not conform to the way society wanted her to act.

    As for the problem with the names, I agree with Malika when she brings the idea of a character map to the table. And with each character I always put famous quotes associated with that character so I can memorize the quotes along the way as well.

    I hope to read more of your work in the future (I love your writing style).

    Sincerely,
    Enameka

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