jane austen, i fucking love you.

Often imitated, never matched. Nobody can do it quite like Jane Austen.

True story: I was rummaging through and throwing away lots of my old papers and souvenirs a few weeks ago and happened to run across my 30+ year old notes from a college course where we studied Pride and Prejudice. I can't believe I still had them! Some of those P&P notes were actually pretty insightful, so in this review I've included some of the more interesting observations from my long-ago class. Hope you enjoy! (ETA: Now with bonus texts and memes)



From the first tongue-in-cheek words:

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

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

Austen brilliantly sets up the world of this novel. Marriage - however humorous the personalities and events may be - is serious business. And when the Bennets have five daughters and no sons, the seriousness of getting their girls married off increases exponentially. The desperation of the marriage hunt is really the desperation of economic survival. Mrs Bennet has that essentially right, however misguided she is in the way she goes about it.

The theme of self-discovery works hand-in-hand with the theme of marriage, and the tension between economic interest and romantic feelings. Both pride and prejudice are obstacles not just to understanding others, but to knowing oneself. Elizabeth learns about herself from several other characters along the way:

Wickham: the danger of trusting solely in appearance.
Charlotte: the danger of too much practicality and making decisions based on material reasons.
Lady Catherine: helps Elizabeth to see Darcy's pride in perspective




Jane Austen shows us so many different types of marriages in P&P: those based mostly on initial physical attraction (the Bennet parents as well as Lydia and Wickham), those based on practical, material considerations; those based on emotional feeling and compatibility (Jane and Bingley). And finally, and very gradually, we progress to seeing relationships based on reason and intelligence as well as physical and emotional attraction. The Gardiners are the model here, and the type of marriage Elizabeth wants to have for herself.



I adore Elizabeth and Darcy, working through their flaws (there's pride and prejudice aplenty on both sides!), willing to reconsider earlier judgments, tentatively working their way toward each other. And when you combine that with Austen's insight into human foibles and her sharp wit, every page is a pleasure. Sometimes I've been guilty of rushing through P&P, skimming over some chapters to get to the "good parts" faster, but I took my time this time around, reading it slower and more carefully, and was rewarded accordingly.

P&P is my favorite book of Jane Austen's ... and very possibly my favorite book of all time. It's the perfect mix of intelligence, humor and romance.

Bonus! A studious and completely objective discussion of the merits of the leading actors and actresses in the major P&P movies and TV miniseries.

First up: The Elizabeth Bennet actresses.

First, Greer Garson from the 1940 movie:

… no, for two big reasons:
1. As  one website points out, “Garson's [Elizabeth Bennet] was smirking, empty-headed and flirtatious where Ehle's was smirking, strong and intelligent." Hah!
2. Hoop skirts. Hoop. Skirts. A thousand times no!
(This movie also has a third strike against it, the travesty of its rewriting of Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s personality.)

Second, Elizabeth Garvie in the 1980 BBC miniseries:

She’s not well known except among P&P fans, but she actually does a very nice job with Lizzie.

Jennifer Ehle from the 1995 miniseries:

She’s great, and she gets extra points for just how well she plays off of Colin Firth, but I have a fundamental problem with Ehle, which is that she just doesn’t match my vision of Lizzie. I just can’t entirely buy her in the part.

Keira Knightley:

Very pretty but … too pretty. And man, is she wearing a lot of makeup in some of the scenes.


Honorable mention: Aishwarya Rai in Bride and Prejudice (I don’t even care if she’s too gorgeous):


So for me, it’s Elizabeth Garvie, but kind of in a default win.

Part II: The Darcys:

We begin with Lawrence Olivier from the 1940 Hollywood movie:

... all props to Sir Lawrence, but he's not my vision of Darcy.

David Rintoul from the 1980 BBC version:

... who is a pretty good Darcy, actually; it's not his fault that the production values in this P&P version suck. (it's basically like watching a theater play that's been filmed)

On to the wonderful Colin Firth, from the seminal 1995 miniseries:

... I can't help it, he makes my heart beat faster even when he's not in a wet shirt.

Matthew Macfadyen in the 2005 movie:

Sorry to his fans, but he doesn't cut it for me. He always looks So. Worried!

So clearly for me it's Colin Firth FTW, but feel free to argue with me in the thread. :)

Honorable mentions go to Elliot Cowan in Lost in Austen and Martin Henderson in Bride and Prejudice. (Pics in the thread.)

listening to pride and prejudice while doing a puzzle and drinking tea is perhaps one of the most old lady things I have ever done, but I have no regrets.

I first read pride and prejudice back when I was about 12 to prove to myself that I was Mature and Sophisticated. Instead, I spent more time looking up what certain words meant than actually enjoying the story. Surprise! early 19th century language is quite a bit different to today's English. Once I got past my initial confusion, I enjoyed it. I then watched the BBC series adaptation and found myself liking it a lot more (no, it wasn't just because of Collin Firth as Mr Darcy...).

I finally bit the bullet to reread it after my mum did so for the first time and wanted to watch some of the adaptations with me. I was a little nervous because of my rocky experience the first time round, but this time I decided to borrow the audiobook from my library. That was a great decision, as it prevented me from interfering with the flow of the story to look up random words and instead get immersed. Hearing the accent and just someone read it out loud really helped to make me connect with the characters and the setting. If you are similarly intimidated by classics I would recommend trying out an audiobook of them!

Overall, this was such a warm, cozy read that I can finally understand why it is so well loved and been made into countless movies and tv shows. I can't wait to rewatch the 1995 and possibly 2005 version with Keira Knightly. (I am also kind of intrigued by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies- is it good?) If you have any opinions on the adaptions I would love to hear them and maybe binge some!

Another year, another glorious reread of Pride and Prejudice.

n  “You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. And wish from this day forth never to be parted from you.”n

Mr Darcy, the poet himself

*laughs in pretentious classics reader*

n  n

Old books get a bad rap...but do they deserve it? Check out my latest n  n    BooktTube Video n  n - all about the fabulous (and not so fabulous) Olde Boies.

n  The Written Reviewn:

To summarize: Mister. Darcy.

*cue the long, sustained high-pitched squealing *

This was truly as glorious as I remember. Every time I reread this novel, I love it more.

  

The n  romancen, the n  high societyn, the n  witty banter.n Gah. I just adore it all.

n  "And your defect is to hate everybody."

"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."n

Elizabeth Bennet (second eldest of the five Bennet sisters) is the one with a clear, level head. Jane is the beautiful one, Mary is the look-at-me-I'm-so-pious one, Lydia is the I'm-so-dumb-that-I'm-probably-going-to-get-murdered one and Kitty is the well-she's-just-kinda-there one.

Now, back in the day...there was one, singular goal for all women above the age of 16. GET YOURSELF A MAN before you reach 25 and become a n  SPINSTERn *cue high-society ladies fainting*.

n

Mrs. Bennet (their mother) has taken this so completely to heart that she thinks of nothing else. After all,

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

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy moved into town and immediately Mrs. Bennett set her dasterdly plans in motion (on behalf of her mortified children). She will do whatever necessary to get a rich man to put a ring on it (oh Beyonce, your words are applicable in any century).

n  A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.n

Only, there is a snag in her otherwise flawless plans. Elizabeth is not going to roll over to whatever man is thrust her way. To her mother's ever-living-disappointment, Elizabeth has all the spunk and backbone of a truly glorious woman:

n  I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.n

Truly a great read, no matter the century.

Plus Jane Austen is totally my soul sister.

n  I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.

n  
n  n  
n

Audiobook Comments
As with most old-timey books, It is far easier for me to listen to them than to read them. I like hearing the odd phrases and ancient unused words much more than struggling through the hard copy. I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator did a fab job of characterization.

The 2018 ABC Challenge - P

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Happy Reading!

sir, that's my emotional support classic

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

Pride and Prejudice didn’t seem like a book I’d be interested in: a 200-year-old book about a time when all women could do—no matter how intelligent or talented—was attempt to secure a good marriage. I had really only ever considered reading it so that I would be better prepared to read the parody version, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. But then I started working my way through a 100 greatest novels list, and Pride and Prejudice is on that list (on all of them, probably), so here I am ... having just finished reading my first Jane Austin novel.

It took a while for me to get into Pride and Prejudice, which spectacularly fails the Bechtel test, as every conversation in the book between two women is about marriage and/or a man. But the scene in which Mr. Collins proposes had me laughing out loud, and from that point on I was invested in learning the fates of the different characters. Elizabeth Bennet is a great character, and her banter with her parents, rivals, and of course Mr. Darcy, are highlights of the book.

Pride and Prejudice is an interesting exploration of class in Regency-era England, exposing the unfairness of the rules of that society even though her characters accept those rules without question. It is certainly worthy of either casual reading or of more formal study. I did not find the story as romantic as many other readers have, but it was funnier than I expected. Recommended.

Published in 1813, and dare I say still utterly relevant and compelling today in 2020. I live in a world where almost everything is built on first contact, on first impressions - social media imagery, brash headlines. political soundbites, even book covers! Austin delivers one of the most delightfully appealing and self-aware narrators in Elizabeth Bennett - she of the prejudice, with her often acerbic relationship with - him with the wealth and the good bearing, Fitzwilliam, AKA, Mr Darcy, he of the pride.

A story of first impressions, and in particular first impressions influenced by others and the environment we live in (sound familiar?) What could at first glance be deemed to be a cutting satire of the upper classes merry-go-round of marriage seeking, balls and gossip, is much much more in the hands of Austen. From critical looks at gender inequality, through to the fragility of the male ego (told you it was still relevant) Austen holds court.

But is it a great story? It is indeed, I found my self squealing in glee when good things happened and completely swept up in this drama in a bubble, going on, supposedly whilst Napoleon was tearing Europe apart.

A wonderful, if not the best, example of Austen's trademark mix of realism and humour with dollops of biting irony and social commentary, on top of a compelling and engulfing story, which on paper shouldn't take us away, but does. 9.5 out of 12

Special shout-out to all those that stand by the BBC Pride and Prejudice drama in the GIFs above :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_a...

I am so unqualified to write about this book.

I am physically unqualified, because I could write infinite words about how much I love this book, and I type in a weird way that makes my wrists hurt so infinity is simply not going to happen.

I am emotionally unqualified, because I lack emotional intelligence when it comes to my own feelings and the idea of trying to explain how I feel about this book is overwhelming.

I am spiritually unqualified, because of the aforementioned overwhelmed-ness.

I am also unqualified generally, in the grand scheme of things, because so many people have written so intelligently about the wonderfulness of this book and I have nothing better to add.

Just more rambling like this.

I read a lot of romance, and if you want to venture a theory as to why, I’d love to hear it. I very seldom like it, so maybe it’s a masochist tendency. Maybe I’m a glutton for the attention that writing negative reviews of popular books gives me. (Definitely not that one, since the few mean comments always outweigh the far more numerous nice ones in my stupid brain.) Whatever.

I read a lot of romance, but I almost never feel anything about it.

I LOVE this book. It gives me...uh…(everyone stop reading this to save me the embarrassment and allow me to preserve my rough and tumble reputation)...butterflies.

I know. I’m cringing forever. But it’s true.

This is a lovely book. It’s beautifully written, it’s funny, it’s filled with characters who feel full and real and different from one another (even though half of them have the same name), and it truly is the best love story ever told.

What more could you ask for?! Spoiled rotten, the lot of you.

Bottom line: A dream.

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rereading updates

i am currently being paid to reread this book. highly recommend that everyone works in publishing

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pre-review

starting a fundraiser to raise money for a monument in honor of Jane Austen's brain

review to come / 5 stars obviously

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currently-reading updates

my heart has space for exactly 435 pages. the entirety of my heart is made up of Pride & Prejudice. nothing else.

Where my massive crush on Jane Austen began: alone, on a hot day in Montana, cursing her name.

I had to read it for AP English and I could not see the point. Girls need to marry. Girls can't get married. Girls are sad. Girls get married. Girls are happy.

I went to school to half heartedly discuss it and waffled and wavered in an effort to please my teacher. Finally she said: "was it good or not, Ben?"

"No it wasn't."

"Thank you...now read this twenty pages of literary criticism for homework."

Twenty pages of literary criticism later, I was hooked. Once you know what to look for, it's hilarious. Once you're keyed into the contextual life of women, you have to feel for the plight of the Bennet sisters, and laugh at the crudity of their mother and Mr. Collins.

So yes: I'm a guy and I love Jane Austen. You got a problem with that? Huh? Huh? Do you? Huh??? Well if you do, I'll be over here nursing my dorkiness just waiting for a fight for the honor of my beloved Jane.

6.0 stars. Confession...this book gave me an earth-shattering Janeaustegasm and I am feeling a bit spent and vulnerable at the moment, so please bear with me. You see, I decided I wanted to get more literated by reading the "classicals" in between my steady flow of science fiction, mystery and horror. The question was where to begin.

After sherlocking through my Easton Press collection, I started by pulling out my Dickens and reading A Tale of Two Cities which I thought was jaw-dropping AMAZO and left me feeling warm, satisfied and content. It also made me made retrospectively pleased that I named my youngest daughter Sydney.

After Two City “Tale”ing, I decided to give this book a whirl as I kept seeing it on GR lists of "goodest books ever." However, I must admit I was hesitant going in to this for two big reasons. One, I thought it might be a bit too romantical for me. The second, and much more distressing, reason was that Twilight was on many of the same lists as this book. Austen fans should pull a nutty over that one.

So needless to say I went into this thinking I might hate it. Well, for the 999,987th time in my life (at least according to my wife’s records)...I was wrong!!! I absolutely loved this book and had a mammoth, raging heart-on for it from the opening scene at the breakfast table when Father Witty (Mr. Bennet) is giving sly sarcasm to Mrs. Mommie Put Upon. I literaphorically could not get enough of this story. I was instantly captivated by the characters and Elizabeth Bennet, the main protagonist, immediately became one of my all time favorite characters. Mr. Darcy joined that party as soon as he showed up in the narrative as I thought he was terrific as well.

Overall, the writing could not have been better. It was descriptive, lush and brilliant. The story could not have been more engaging or intelligent and the characters could not have been more magnificentastic. Elizabeth and Fitz are both smart, witty, self-confident and good. Austen could not have written them better. Oh, and I am sorry if this is a bit of a minor spoiler but I need to add that George Wickham is a cock-blocking braggadouche of startling proportions. I needed to say that and now I feel better.

This one has made it onto my list of All Time Favorite novels and is truly one of the classics that lives up to its billing. A FINAL WORD TO THE GUYS: ...Guys, do not fear the Austen...embrace the Austen...HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!