Pride and Prejudice

Welcome back to my blog!

The first book I want to share with you guys is one of my personal favourites.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, published in 1813, is known all around the world as a literature classic and is probably one of Jane Austen's most notable pieces of work. Pride and Prejudice follows the protagonist of Elizabeth Bennet as she navigates her large family of 4 sisters, all entered in society, an eager mother desperate for her daughters to find husbands and their father hoping for their happiness. We are then introduced to both Charles Bingley and his best friend Mr Darcy, who have just arrived in the book's setting of Hertfordshire. The book explores the personal development of Elizabeth Bennet and her relationship with Mr Darcy. We see the trials and tribulations as the Bennet sisters start to fall in love, but are cast aside due to their family's social class compared to those around them, but Elizabeth strives to stand by her sister, Jane, to make sure she ends up with the man she is in love with, Charles Bingley, even if it means putting her own feelings for Darcy to the side.

This was my first classic book and to say I was pulled in from the beginning would be an understatement. Starting off strong I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book is your quintessential enemies to lovers love story, full of ups and downs and the perfect ending for a hopeless romantic.

Jane Austen truly has a way of creating some of the most beautiful love stories of this era and her style of writing allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the book. Austen adds such subtly into her work in order to enhance our love for the character and their development, for example, when we see the slightest bit of emotion in Darcy when Elizabeth shows rejection. This little change in Darcy's character lets us as the reader begin to see a different side of him and how he begins to actually show his true emotions, but in quite an understated way.

This book has been adapted into both a television show and a movie. First, the 1995 BBC period drama of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Most people who have read the book would agree that this adaptation is the most accurate to the book compared to the 2005 movie adaptation starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfayden. The BBC version of Pride and Prejudice portrays Mr Darcy more accurately than the 2005 movie, displaying him as a more socially awkward and blunt character, whereas Matthew Macfayden radiates an almost heartthrob persona, which was probably not Austen's intentions. The 2005 adaptation allows its viewers to feel this almost magical and romantic love story, however, relevant to the book, the 1995 series allows you to understand the slow burn of emotions in the build up of Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship. Lastly, the 1995 adaptation allows you to truly appreciate Austen's writing as the dialogue is more traditional than the later adaptation.

Stay tuned for the next book!

Pippa