Going Old School

  

    Over the winter break, I decided to read the well-known book "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. I was sitting poolside in Florida and thought, "what better to do with my time than catch up on books that I bought years ago?!" And so I began...

    I began to read the book and had some trouble getting used to the old and proper language. Once I got used to it, I learned that there were a lot of overly long sentences just trying to get the point across. But enough critiquing arguably the best author of the eighteenth century. The book follows the Bennet family, which consists of five daughters that need to be married off, a mother that is trying to find the perfect match, and a father that is more concerned about his paper than any festivities. 

    At the beginning of the book, I was surprised by the number of women's rights that we take advantage of. I was blindsided by Lizzy's strong sense of herself and her place in the world. She was exceptionally analytical of others and was not distracted by the objects and materials that the other girls were into. I admired her character and thought she was incredibly well-written by someone that most likely did not have the same rights. One of the most surprising parts of the book is when one of Lizzy's admirers, Mr. Collins, who was also the heir to her family's house if her father died since there were no males in the family, asked to marry her. Elizabeth quickly refused graciously and assured Mr. Collins that her opinion would not change. Lizzy's mother was appalled by her denial and tried to persuade her to take one for the team and marry him so the house would stay in the family. 

    After this, I was shocked at the number of freedoms that Elizabeth expected and questioned whether she would even marry at all. Then cue Mr. Darcy...

    Mr. Darcy had presented himself to the Bennet family as a stuck-up, handsome, arrogant, handsome, rude, handsome, and did I mention handsome man? Lizzy hated Mr. Darcy and had nothing but disgust for him until she realized that the repugnance might be covering a part of her that longs for him. Long story short, Mr. Darcy turns out to be a good guy that is just rough around the edges. 

    I enjoyed reading this book and watching the characters develop. The unexpected relationship between Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennet was very playful and made everyone reading want to grab them both by the shoulders and scream, "JUST ADMIT YOUR FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER ALREADY!!" Austen wrote the story perfectly to keep the audience wondering if they would keep ignoring each other or which one would break first. 

    I would recommend this book to everyone to experience English life in the late 18th century and read a classic. 

Rating: 3.6/5 Stars