Pride and Prejudice: A Book & Movie Review

I absolutely love this movie!  Unfortunately, it has been awhile since I’ve seen it.  But, the other day I noticed it on my TV and immediately set it up to record.  But before I watched it (for the millionth time), I wanted to read the book first!  I got this book in my April Book Haul (and then in my July Book Haul – which I explain), and I finally was able to pick it up and read it!  Now since this is a classic, I really like to take my time reading, but I did really enjoy the story, especially because of the time period!

Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Genre: Classic, Romance

Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics

Publication Date: Originally published in 1813

Pages: 392

Out in Paperback?: Yes; May 14, 2004

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

Goodreads Summary:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the "most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author's works," and Eudora Welty in the twntieth century described it as "irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be."

Characters:

Because of the time period, I love to see Elizabeth’s independence!  It is so nice to see a strong, independent female main character, especially during a time when men seem to be in charge of everything (land, money, etc.).  It is also fun to watch the characters of Mrs. Bennet, a mother of 5 daughters, as she desperately wants to get all of her children married.  She really shows the time period well, as do the 2 youngest daughters, Catherine and Lydia, who are constantly looking for men to marry.  Mr. Bennet is also really fun to watch; I feel like he has a special relationship with Elizabeth, such as when he tells her that if she marries Mr. Collins he won’t talk to her (the complete opposite of how Mrs. Bennet feels).  Mr. Collins, to be honest, really cracked me up throughout the novel.  He just seemed so oblivious to the reality of what was going on around him, especially when talking with Elizabeth.  Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy really seemed genuinely sweet and kind to the Bennet women, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love Mr. Darcy?

Plot:

I was surprised by how quickly the plot moved along in the first third of the book (this version is broken up into 3 different volumes).  The first volume really flew by, and the plot moved quickly throughout it, introducing the characters, the setting, and the beginning of the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.  As for the 2^nd volume, I felt that this moved a bit slower and took me longer to get through.  Now, it has been a while since I have seen the movie, but I really didn’t remember seeing much of what happened in volume 2 in the movie.  Anyway, it was still interesting, but it moved at a slower pace.  However, volume 3 picked the pace back up again and more action occurred that sucked me in to the story.  There was tension between some of the characters as well as learning more about the background of many of the characters that was interesting.  I also really enjoyed the ending; I thought it wrapped up perfectly!

Writing Style:

As for the writing style, it took me a bit of time to get use to it (which is the reason I gave it 4.5/5), as it is a classic and the writing can take a while to read.  However, I did enjoy the writing style (which did include some humor especially with Mr. Collins) as well as the underlying meaning behind some of the actions of the characters, both major and minor.  I also really enjoyed reading the introduction by Carol Howard (specific to the Barnes & Noble Classics edition); since I know the story fairly well, I read it beforehand (if you don’t know the story, I would skip this to avoid spoilers) and really liked the analysis that it included on some specific moments and lines in the story.  I think it made it more interesting to read!

Movie:

I love this movie!  As I mentioned earlier, I saw this movie several times before reading the book.  But I love the movie just as much as the book!  It is so fun, I think, to see all the costumes and really get a feel for the time period as well as learn more about the male and female gender inequality of the times.  I love the actors and actresses who played the roles of Elizabeth Bennet, her mother, Mr. Collins, and of course, Mr. Darcy.  These are some of my favorite characters in the book, and I thought that they were portrayed really nicely throughout the movie.  Aside from the drama and romance, which I loved in the movie, I also thought that the comedy aspects that occurred in the book were really well portrayed.  The movie also followed along with the book, which I loved, and would definitely recommend!

Have you read this classic?  Have you seen the movie?  What did you think?  What are your favorite parts?  I love any scene in the book or movie involving Mr. Collins.  He just made me laugh!

FTC Disclaimer:

All items mentioned were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.