Rating:  Summary: Probably Austen's Most Memorable Work Review: Jane Austen's stories have endured for years, and this one is probably her most famous work. It is a story about an empty-headed mother and her search for proper husbands for her five daughters. The book is a prime example of the manners and morals of the gentry in a small English village in the early nineteenth century. Ms. Austen does such a good job of displaying these strictures and morals in her novels, that to us in the present day it appears to be an entirely repressive era (which it actually was). The plot and the characterizations in this book are wonderful as in all Ms. Austen's works, and it tells a dazzling story. It is a charming and wonderfully warm tale that I never tire of reading.
Rating:  Summary: That girl's got moxie! Review: Meet the Bennet sisters: demure Jane, witty Elizabeth, bookish Mary, impressionable Kitty, and lusty Lydia. It's the usual story: they don't have much in the way of dowries but need to marry upstanding English gentlemen...Elizabeth Bennet quickly emerges as the heroine with her wry sense of humor and take-no-prisoners attitude to social life. She puts all twentieth century heroines to shame when she tells off Mr. Darcy (while maintaining perfect decorum). Unusual twists and turns spark up the "marriage plot" of the book. There are some great villains, too.
Rating:  Summary: classic Review: My favorite chapter in the novel Pride and Prejudice is chapter 16 of volume III (or chapter 58) because Elizabeth finally accepts Darcy's marriage proposal. It amazed me how she was still able to say yes after she was insulted in every way possible especially after disliking him so much in the beginning of the novel. This book is appropriate for anyone who is able to appreciate well-written literature. Anyone would enjoy reading this book, from teenagers to adults. One literary device I appreciated was epigram, which is a brief, clever, and usually memorable statement. An example of this would be "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in wants of a wife" which is found on the first page of the novel. The entire novel was based on this quote. Mrs. Bennet wanted to get all five of her daughters married before her husband died. I liked the novel. I found Elizabeth's romance with Darcy intriguing. It was interesting how in the beginning she rejected his proposal and disliked him, and at the end she marries him.
Rating:  Summary: 10 Stars! Review: Pride and Prejudice is by far my favorite novel. I read it for the first time in 10th grade and have read it 4 times since. Every time I get something new out of it and the story never loses its charm!
Austen is an undeniably talented author and Pride and Prejudice is arguably her best work. All of the characters are wonderfully developed and full of life. The plot seems to have a mind of its own, twisting here and there. Unlike some books were the plot doesn't seem to fit together in the end, Austen has worked out every detail.
I also think this book is wonderful for the social commentary that it provides. Again, some novels I have read do not do so well with balancing social commentary and plot/character development. This is not so with Pride and Prejudice. This book is a true gem. Witty, fun, shocking, scandalous, romantic, and entertaining!
Rating:  Summary: Jane Austen's greatest literary creation: Elizabeth Bennet Review: The Bennet family has five unmarried daughters and when Charles Bingley, a rich bachelor, arrives at nearby Netherfield, Mrs. Bennet sets her sights on him as a prize catch. At a ball at Meryton everyone agrees they like the openhearted Mr. Bingley, who has developed an affection for the Bennet's oldest daughter, Jane, but they find his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy to be an arrogant and disdainful fellow. For their part, Mr. Darcy and Bingley's sisters are repelled by the Bennet's lower status and the embarrassing Mrs. Bennet. At the ball, Elizabeth Bennet, the second oldest daughter, overhears Darcy the man say she is not handsome enough to prove a temptation to him. However, when Jane becomes ill on a visit to Netherfield, Lizzy arrives to nurse her sister. Mr. Darcy is impressed with her lively mind, but cannot see himself falling in love with someone from a poorer family. The Bennet's estate at Longbourn is entailed to Mr. Collins, a clergyman who is Mr. Bennet's nearest male relative. In search of a bride, Collins arrives to consider the Bennet daughters while prattling on about his patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Meanwhile, Elizabeth becomes infatuated with George Wickham, a handsome and charming militia officer, who has apparently suffered great personal wrong at the hands of Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth now considers Darcy to be not only proud, but cruel, and she is only to happy to have her own prejudice against him confirmed by Wickham. Bingley is removed to London, where his sisters and Darcy can keep him away from a heartbroken Jane and when Elizabeth refuses Mr. Collins's proposal of marriage, he is accepted by Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend, who sees it as a calculated move of social advancement. Even more shocking, Elizabeth receives a second proposal from Mr. Darcy, who speaks disdainfully of her family and ruefully admits he has been unable to conquer his imprudent affection for her. Of course, Elizabeth rejects this insulting proposal as well. But then she begins to learns things that call Wickham's character into serious question, and have her rethinking her low opinion of Mr. Darcy. "Pride and Prejudice" is probably the most popular of Jane Austen's novels, with its emphasis on character and her comic look at the human condition where considerations of class are ultimately no match for true love and a temperant meeting of similar minds. Certainly we can point to more important novels in the history of Western Literature, but we would be hard pressed to find as important a novelist as Jane Austen, with her rejection of the tenets of Romanticism. Whereas the romantics celebrated the power of emotions, Austen's work embodies a strong belief in rational thinking, which finds no better embodiment than in the character of Elizabeth Bennet. The selection of this as the one Jane Austen novel to read if for some silly reason you decide only to read one in your entire life would be justified on that character more than the plot line.
Rating:  Summary: More and more cultured!! My third Austen book!! =^-^= Review: This is my mom's favorite book, which I have finally read this year after long years of her trying to get me to read it. Since I had to read Sense and Sensibility for my college course, I went on to reading all of Austen's novels. I am currently on my last one; Persuasions. Pride and Prejudice is the most popular of Austen's novel, I think, and for good reason. The characters are funny and interesting, the plot is original, and the social satire of England in Austen's time is hugely enjoyable. Elizabeth Bennet, Austen's own favorite character, is a headstrong, affectionate girl who represents the `prejudice' of the title. And Fitzwilliam Darcy (aka Mr. Darcy, but I like his name O_O) is the `pride' and is filthy rich, arrogant and rude. It goes without saying that I fell in love with him at first sight (or first mention of him in the story). Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightly and that hero from Northanger Abbey are the cutest heroes of all Austen's novels!!! (=^-^=) <Purrrrr)
Anyhoo, enough drooling. (Mentally slaps face-get your act together--!!)
The characters of the novel, though the most colorful and animated, are also the least believable. They are larger than life, great for the story, but I don't see them as flesh and blood people. Mrs.Bennet, with her obsession for marrying her daughters is perfectly understandable, but her happiness even when one girl elopes with a good-for-nothing, and the way she won't understand her husband's complete disapproval is just mind-boggling. The stupid characters are soooo stupid, Elizabeth's father- even though he is very likeable- is actually a pretty bad father concerning his duties towards his daughters and fear for their welfare, though all that changes near the end.
In any case, I loved the book, it was funny and highly enjoyable. I'm glad I read it. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a classic, and even those who are not. If you don't mind quaint-sounding passages and writing that is sometimes a bit confusing, try out Jane Austen. Once you get the hang of the language you can really enjoy this great book!! Buy it now!
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