Pride and Prejudice Review // a classic worth the hype

Hi friends! I’m here today to talk a little bit about one of the most well-known classics ever. This is going to be rather short because I’ve got nothing to say that hasn’t been said before. So let’s go!

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work “her own darling child” and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.” The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen’s radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

It is rare for a book to be remembered in history quite like Pride and Prejudice has. I mean, two movie versions! Two! It’s one of the few classics that seems to be universally loved and admired. So I was super wary because this is such a hyped book.

This was literally so entertaining. The language was rich but not vague. The plot was character-driven yet never boring. It’s hard to put into words just how well Jane Austen wields her pen to create a world populated with quirky personalities of all kinds.

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

-pride and Prejudice

Elizabeth is such a strong female character! She takes no nonsense from anyone and isn’t afraid to throw a sassy comeback at those who deserve it. I adored her sisterly relationship with Jane, who was another personal favorite of mine. I loved both of them dearly!

although I think that Lydia and Mr. Collins have GOT to be some of the most annoying characters ever.

They’re so annoying and cringey it’s ridiculous. Like wow, what an awful family. And Mrs. Bennet is terrible too! I could complain about them forever but it wouldn’t do much good, as it really isn’t the focus of the novel.

As for the romance, it was so well-done! I was full-on shipping them towards the end. Although I will say that I don’t entirely understand the hype around Mr. Darcy? He’s cool and all but not so much “The Ultimate Romantic” that he’s played up to be. But hello, the ultimate enemies-to-lovers ship! Cardan and Jude who*?

*okay okay, maybe i do regret that sentence just a little bit

There were some awkward conversations about gender roles but I was so impressed at how well Austen handled it? Especially for her time period, where a strong female character wouldn’t have been considered something important in the least. It’s a testament to her character at how unapologetically this was written.

So that’s it! I’m sorry that this wasn’t my best review, I feel so inadequate to even state my opinions about a book of such gale proportions. So tell me: have you read this? What are your thoughts?