Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is the book I chose for the 2.07 assignment. It was written it 1813 by Jane Austen. It remains a literary classic and one of the greatest European romance novels of all time. I read the first five chapters.
Summary
The story is set in England, during the 1800's. It centers around a couple and their five daughters, and the book starts with the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet is telling Mr. Bennet about a man who's last name is Bingley. Mrs. Bennet is planning to get her daughters married to Mr. Bingley . One of the central themes of the book is marriage. Next, Mr. Bennet goes to pay a visit to Mr. Bingley, and doesn't notify his family until that evening. There is a ball in two weeks, and during those two weeks the daughters try to get Mr. Bennet to share information about Mr. Bingley, but to no avail. During the ball, Mr. Bingley brings his friend Mr. Darcy to the party. It is established that Mr. Darcy is proud, haughty, and quite disagreeable. Mr. Bingley dances twice with the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane. This is important to the narrative because this increases Jane's chances of getting married. Mr. Bingley tries to have Mr. Darcy dance with Elizabeth, the second-oldest Bennet daughter, but Mr. Darcy declines. Jane and Elizabeth discuss the ball back at their home, the Loungbourn estate, where all the Bennets live.
Personal Thoughts
The first five chapters of Pride and Prejudice were quite intriguing, but too short for my taste. The chapters together were 43 pages. The dialogue is fast-paced and had hitting, but the back and forth style of the dialogue left me confused as to who was speaking. For an example:
“I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment.”
“Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not “help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other woman in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.”
“Dear Lizzy!”
“Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life.”
“I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think.”
“I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone. And so you like this man's sisters, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.”
“Certainly not—at first. But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them. Miss Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her.”
It's difficult to tell who is saying what. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, isn't established as the protagonist until a few chapters later. The plot crawls along at a snail's pace, albeit easy to understand. I would use an outline view if I were to take notes on Pride and Prejudice, to group the events as they happen in relations to the central themes. Overall, I quite liked it, and I can say in confidence that it is better than most other romance novels.
Personal Thoughts
The first five chapters of Pride and Prejudice were quite intriguing, but too short for my taste. The chapters together were 43 pages. The dialogue is fast-paced and had hitting, but the back and forth style of the dialogue left me confused as to who was speaking. For an example:
“I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment.”
“Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not “help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other woman in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.”
“Dear Lizzy!”
“Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life.”
“I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think.”
“I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone. And so you like this man's sisters, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.”
“Certainly not—at first. But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them. Miss Bingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her.”
It's difficult to tell who is saying what. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, isn't established as the protagonist until a few chapters later. The plot crawls along at a snail's pace, albeit easy to understand. I would use an outline view if I were to take notes on Pride and Prejudice, to group the events as they happen in relations to the central themes. Overall, I quite liked it, and I can say in confidence that it is better than most other romance novels.
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