Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Publisher: Top Five Books (2014)

375 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $0.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

The arrival of a wealthy, young, single man and his friends into the neighborhood brings great excitement and anticipation for all, including the Bennets who have five daughters in need of husbands, but misplaced judgements, inaccurate information and a healthy dose of pride complicate Mrs. Bennet’s efforts to get her daughters married off.

My Thoughts:

Written with a witty, perceptive view of people and their interactions with others, especially between family and friends, Jane Austen weaves a great romance, while poking fun at society in general and, in her own quiet way, challenging the ideals of her time. This story is told largely through narration, a few letters, and only gives way to dialogue when there is something important to say. I found the preference for narration refreshing, the short chapters bite-sized, and enjoyed the all-inclusive viewpoint of being able to see the story from many characters point-of-view, here and there, in the course of the story, though for the most part it centered on Elizabeth’s point-of-view. A great story about the many ways in which first impressions are not always right, and the mixed blessings afforded by a close association with one’s family and residence in a small community.

Edition Notes:

This Top Five Classics Illustrated Edition is the best ebook version of Pride and Prejudice that I’ve found. It is organized for optimum maneuverability, boasts of adhering closely to the original 1813 text, is very readable, and includes 36 illustrations by the Brock brothers combining the illustrations from their 1898 and 1907 editions. For a standalone copy, this is it, but if you are looking for an ebook collection of Jane Austen’s novels, I’d recommend The Complete Illustrated Novels of Jane Austen by MobileReference.

Cover Art Favorites:

Quotes:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 1

“Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 5

“If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be but poor consolation to believe the world equally in the dark.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“We can all begin freely—a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

“If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 7

“He has always something to say to everybody.—That is my idea of good breeding; and those persons who fancy themselves very important and never open their mouths, quite mistake the matter.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 9

“I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 9

“‘Nothing is more deceitful,’ said Darcy, ‘than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.’” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 10

“‘Nay,’ cried Bingley, ‘this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning.’” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 10

“—pride—where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 11 

“—though he belonged to one of the universities, he had merely kept the necessary terms, without forming at it any useful acquaintance.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 15

“‘I dare say you will find him very agreeable—Heaven forbid! That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil.’” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 18

“—resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to lose somewhat of its value in our estimation.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 20

“It is very often nothing but our own vanity that deceives us. Women fancy admiration means more than it does.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 24

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 27

“—not a day went by without a solitary walk, in which she might indulge in all the delight of unpleasant recollections.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 37

“There is but such a quantity of merit between them; just enough to make one good sort of man; and of late it has been shifting about pretty much—One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 40

“Upon the whole, therefore, she found, what has been sometimes found before, that an event to which she had looked forward with impatient desire did not, in taking place, bring all the satisfaction she had promised herself.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 42

“—never had she so honestly felt that she could have loved him, as now, when all love must be vain.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 46

“—there is nothing so bad as parting with one’s friends. One seems so forlorn without them.” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53

“For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?” -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 57

Movie Adaptations:

Pride and Prejudice (TV Mini-Series 1995)

Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker

My Rating: 5 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

This mini-series comes very close to following the book exactly. There are a few changes in wording with some of the dialogue and some rearranging of the timeline of the story, but overall it is a very faithful adaption with excellent acting. A classic production of a classic work, and a must-see for anyone looking to see a movie adaption of this story.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike

Movie Rating: PG

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

While this adaption stays close to the spirit of the book, it is fast-paced and a bit like an abridged version compared to the 1995 mini-series, and there are a few invented scenes. This version is visually luscious, but I didn’t care for a few of the casting choices, and the way in which some of the characters were portrayed I didn’t feel matched the representation in the book (in this adaption Bingley was a bit more of an air-head, Darcy more subdued, Jane more self-assured, and Mr. Collins more sympathy-inspiring). While different, this version is enjoyable in its own way, and well worth seeing, particularly if you are short on time and can’t spare the time for the mini-series.