Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s name among the leading novelists of England will always be taken with dignity, affection and awe. She has been instrumental in shaping the dimension called English novel. With Austen, the English entered into the habit of reading prose fiction. Today, I will be reviewing Jane Austen’s very popular novel – Pride and Prejudice. Limited, contracting, shrinking, domestic, homely, light, non-serious and so on… so forth… many critical phrases and adjectives have been ascribed to this novel (and many others by her) by critics and thinkers active and have been active in literature. However, there is something about this novel that has kept it alive for centuries. What’s that? Is Pride and Prejudice really that limited as claimed by critics? Let’s see.

Elizabeth and Darcy – the two characters who have become immortals, appear in this novel as the central figures around whom the entire plot is weaved. Other than that, major and minor, there are many characters in the novel who represent the romantic era social conditions, lifestyle and thinking. Who can forget the ironic opening – a man needing a wife! Well, the novel is truly archaic for the readers who might begin reading it today. However, the almost epic build-up around this ‘great’ work of literature comes pressing upon the modern readers and they begin in awe already. So, there is a hype; we cannot deny that. Once we extract that hype and build-up away, the novel is certainly not that great as ‘great’ it seems while scholars are discussing it.

A many denying to dance; a woman denying the courtship attempts; the man realising his mistakes and the woman doing the same and ultimately deciding to accept the mutual love. In short, this is all that you will find in the novel Pride and Prejudice. The concept of that era, the personal experiences of Jane and her will to make something happen, come together and form the caricature of this novel in a grand way. One thing that stands out is the language used by the novelist. It is written in a standard language and the narrative comes up very nicely. It is enough to lure the readers and keep them engaged.

To conclude my remarks, Pride and Prejudice is about courtship, social compulsions and love. It deals with nothing else. Because it’s entertaining to a very great extent and just because ‘they’ say it’s amazing, the novel is amazing. You can read it to find yourself bored if you are a young and a reader of modern fiction. Otherwise, if you want to boast among your friends that you love reading the classic, you can endure the length to find yourself mildly entertained and having the guts to say you read one of Austen’s!

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review by Ravi for Book Reviews Lab