So, I thought it might be fun to start a series of blog posts about some of my favorite novels... First up: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
This is the story of the Bennets, primarily eldest daughters Jane and Elizabeth. There are 5 daughters total, as well as the parents, but Jane and Elizabeth are the focal pieces of the tale. The story itself revolves around the sisters and their prospective grooms, as these men enter and leave their little circle of influence. There's Darcy, of course, and his good friend Bingley, and his "arch-nemesis" (if there can be such a thing, in a book of this type) Wickham. We also have Bingley's sisters, the "ugly stepsisters," if you will (although there's no indication of a "step" relationship at all) and Darcy's younger sister, whom we actually like.
This book is, at heart, a period romance dealing with the landed gentry, and those hanger's on that they attract. You can actually find many comprehensive summaries of the story elsewhere, and a summary is not the purpose of this posting. Rather, I want to talk about why this is the first of my favorite novels.
I actually love all of Austen's work, some more than others (Northanger Abbey is okay...) But Pride and Prejudice holds a special place in my heart. I admit, it was the first Austen book I ever picked up, so that's part of it--it was my intro to Austen, and indeed, to that time period of British history. I was maybe 12 or 13 when I first read it, and from then on, it was a love affair of epic proportions.
And then, in 1995, A&E made their version of the film. At roughly 6 hours long, and including MASSIVE quantities of the text, it is BY FAR the best production ever made (that image up there is from that production...) No offense to any Kiera Knightley fans out there (hey, she's good, don't get me wrong) but the production she starred in in 2005 is a travesty of film making. Darcy is NOT a tragic hero. that's all I'm sayin'...
So, back to why... I'm gonna have to say, it's Lizzie Bennett. From a literary standpoint, she is a robust, full-fledged character. She has her good points and bad, she's a very relatable character. And she is designed for us to like her! That's very important! Take, for example, her best friend, Charlotte Lucas. She's a nice enough person, and she's certainly not as developed a character as Elizabeth or Jane, but she's not relatable. Very few of us, really, can relate to a woman who marries a truly dreadful man (check him out--Mr. Collins, the parson, and heir to the Bennett family estate) merely to secure her own future. Now, yes, of course, the argument could be made that in that time period, he was really her only option, and that's not incorrect! Charlotte Lucas is presented to us as an older character than Lizzie (Lizzie is barely 21, while Charlotte Lucas is probably 25 or 26. Even Jane, Lizzie's older sister, is only about 22 or 23...) As such, Charlotte is rapidly running out of prospects, and can't necessarily count on her family's support as she gets older (not because they wouldn't want to care for her, but because often there was no provision made for a spinster's care) But we still, in modern society, don't like the idea of a woman marrying for, basically, money. But in Austen's time, it was done regularly.
Lizzie, though, with all her faults and foibles (she judges Darcy very quickly... hence the "prejudice" part of the title. Of course, Darcy himself is the "Pride" part of the title, and he isn't a terribly likable character in the beginning...) is human. She's a real woman that we can relate to and I, for one, would love to hang out with!
So there you have it, in a very rambly fashion... I would like to mention four more productions before I sign off. First, Bridget Jones' Diary. Yes, I know what you're thinkin'. But really, BDJ is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice! Complete with Darcy! As he should be! (Yeah, Colin Firth IS Darcy...) Second, Becoming Jane. FANTASTIC story! Not so much Pride and Prejudice, but you can see the genesis of P&P in it. Third, there's a fun little spin off called Lost in Austen. It's a whole time-travelly-switching-places kind of deal, but it's cute! And fourth, finally, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I have the book, but I haven't yet had a chance to read the book. But it sounds like loads of fun. I mean, seriously, zombies? AWESOME!!!! (okay, maybe later I'll do a fave movie post. That's another common question...) And the movie is coming out in 2013, per IMDB!!
Alright! I'm done! Now, go read something!
Prof. Wilson
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