First Impressions, now known as Pride and Prejudice is a romance novel/ novel of mannerisms written by Jane Austen. Originally published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice was serialized as it was released anonymously in three seperate volumes before eventually being compiled into a single novel.
Pride and Prejudice is set in regency England, or what is more commonly known as the Victorian era in the 19th century. The novel revolves around the Bennet’s, a rural English family. The five Bennet sisters are all expected to find a suitable consort to marry in order to secure their futures in the unfortunate event of their father’s death since their family estate was legally required to be passed down to a male relative. At its core, the novel chronicles the dynamic relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and a wealthy gentleman, Mr. Darcy. Although the two initially get off on the wrong foot, they slowly grow to be fond of one another. In the process to their “happily ever after” tale, they embark on a journey of many trials and tribulations [or in other words, pride and prejudice] that they conquer and overcome, which ultimately touched the hearts of many.
Other than being categorized as a classic British novel and arguably Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice still touches and resonates with readers across the globe today. Pride and Prejudice has influenced and been adapted to numerous films, television series and plays, thus gracefully morphing from a piece of work included in the literary canon to something of a pop culture phenomenon. Notable reworkings of the novel include Joe Wright’s (2005) movie “ Pride and Prejudice” featuring Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfayden and Bernie Su’s (2012) Emmy winning web series titled “ The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”.
Having first being introduced to the novel through a British literature class, I admired and was in awe of the wit, satire and irony demonstrated throughout the novel. After some research I also learned that Austen pioneered what was called free indirect discourse via the novel. To me, Pride and Prejudice is a timeless classic which remains to be thematically, symbolically and contextually relevant and significant. The novel explores and touches upon themes such as feminism, classism, love, and socioeconomic constructs. The issues, elements and attitudes highlighted in the novel still echo and are relevant in our cultures and societies today.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Sources:
Doll, J. (2013). “ 200 Years of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Book Design”. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2013/01/pride-and-prejudice-200th-anniversary-covers/318349/
Errigo, A. (2000). “ Pride and Prejudice Review”. Empire. Retrieved from: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/pride-prejudice-review/
Kliger, S. (1947). Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in the Eighteenth-Century Mode. University of Toronto Quarterly, 16(4), 357-370.
I never read the novel, but I watched the movie with Keira Knightley, and I thought it “alright”. I was never a fan of “posh romance”, as I like to call it. But interestingly, in the movie, the father was still alive. But knowing that in the novel, he’s passed away, that changes a lot in character motives, so I bet my impression of the novel will be quite different then! Hopefully, we’ll read in one of my future lit classes!
I’d beg to differ with Nouran only on the “posh romance” aspect though – being a fan of 19th century culture, I loved watching the movie and seeing the development of romance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, their initial conflict but most all, I loved Keira Knightley’s portrayal of Elizabeth. She was daring, and often unafraid to express their opinions and I found that very inspiring as in that time, it was disliked/discouraged for women to voice our their opinions freely. The fact she was brave enough to challenge those gender norms was something I found fierce and very awe-inspiring to watch. I plan on reading the novel soon someday, I’ve heard about Jane Austen – thank you Tarab for your insight on Pride and Prejudice!