Pride and Prejudice- The book

And so does my status says

“you know that you are in love with a book, when it seems a great effort to go back to reality! Reading pride and prejudice.”

There are certainly very few time I get engrossed with such a devotion to something, let it be book or movie. And then its impact is so much on my mind that I can not think of anything else. Even though I am doing my regular works or studies, all I can think of Pride and Prejudice and that was it. I was again having the amazing experience of reading something so precious and beautiful.

So Pride and Prejudice, a novel written by jane austen published in 1813. Well its been so many years, I don’t even wish to count.  Which tells a story of persuasion of a young girl Elizabeth Bannet by a extremely wealthy young man Flitzwilliam Darcy.

The novel centres on Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the five daughters of a landed country gentleman. Elizabeth's father, Mr. Bennet, is a bookish man and somewhat neglectful of his responsibilities. In contrast Elizabeth's mother, Mrs. Bennet, a woman who lacks social graces, is primarily concerned with finding suitable husbands for her five daughters, who will inherit little or nothing from their father due to primogeniture laws. Jane Bennet, the eldest daughter, is distinguished by her kindness and beauty; Elizabeth Bennet shares her father's keen wit and occasionally sarcastic outlook; Mary is not pretty but is studious, devout and musical albeit lacking in taste; Catherine, sometimes called Kitty, the fourth sister, follows where her younger sister leads while Lydia is flirtatious and lacks maturity.

The narrative opens with news in the Bennet family that Mr. Bingley, a wealthy, charismatic and sociable young bachelor, is moving into Netherfield Park in the neighbourhood. Mr. Bingley is soon well received while his friend Mr. Darcy makes a less favourable impression by appearing proud and condescending at a ball that they attend (he detests dancing and is not one for light conversation). Mr. Bingley singles out Jane for particular attention, and it soon becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to each other. While Jane does not alter her conduct for him, she confesses her great happiness only to Lizzie. By contrast, Darcy slights Elizabeth, who overhears and jokes about it despite feeling a budding resentment.

Upon paying a visit to Mr. Bingley's sister, Caroline, Jane is caught in a heavy downpour, catching cold, and is forced to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth arrives to nurse her sister and is thrown into frequent company with Mr. Darcy, who begins to act less coldly towards her.

Mr. Collins, a clergyman and heir to Longbourn, the Bennet estate, pays a visit to the Bennets. Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth are much amused by his obsequious veneration of his employer, the noble Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as well as by his self-important and pedantic nature. It soon becomes apparent that Mr. Collins has come to Longbourn to choose a wife from among the Bennet sisters (his cousins), and Jane is initially singled out, but because of Jane's budding romance with Mr. Bingley, Mrs. Bennet directs him toward Elizabeth. After refusing his advances, much to the consternation of her mother, Elizabeth instead forms an acquaintance with Mr. Wickham, a militia officer who relates having been very seriously mistreated by Mr. Darcy despite having been a godson and favourite of Darcy's father. The accusation and her attraction to Mr. Wickham both increase Elizabeth's dislike of Mr. Darcy.

At a ball given by Mr. Bingley at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy becomes aware of a general expectation that Mr. Bingley and Jane will marry, and the Bennet family, with the exception of Jane and Elizabeth, make a public display of poor manners and decorum. The following morning, Mr. Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who refuses him, much to her mother's distress. Mr. Collins recovers and promptly becomes engaged to Elizabeth's close friend Charlotte Lucas, a homely woman with few prospects. Mr. Bingley abruptly quits Netherfield and returns to London, which devastates Jane, and Elizabeth becomes convinced that Mr. Darcy and Caroline Bingley have conspired to separate him from Jane.

Jane is persuaded by letters from Caroline Bingley that Mr. Bingley is not in love with her but goes on an extended visit to Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London in the hope of maintaining her relationship with Caroline, if not with Charles Bingley. There, she visits Caroline and, eventually, her visit is returned. She does not see Mr. Bingley and is forced to realise that Caroline does not care for her.

In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins in Kent. Elizabeth and her hosts are frequently invited to Rosings Park, the home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt; coincidentally, Darcy also arrives to visit. Elizabeth meets Darcy's cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, who vouches for Darcy's loyalty by using as an example how Darcy had recently stepped in on behalf of a friend, who had formed an attachment to a woman against whom "there were some very strong objection". Elizabeth rightly assumes that the said friend is none other than Mr. Bingley, and her dislike of Darcy deepens. Thus, she is no mood to accept when Darcy arrives and, quite unexpectedly, confesses love for her and begs her hand in marriage. His proposal is flattering, as he is a very distinguished man, but it is delivered in a manner that is ill suited. He talks of love but also of revulsion at her inferior position and family. Despite assertions to the contrary, he assumes she will accept him.

Elizabeth rebukes him, and a heated discussion follows; she charges him with destroying the happiness of both her sister and Bingley, with treating Mr. Wickham disgracefully and with having conducted himself towards her in an arrogant, ungentleman-like manner. Mr. Darcy, shocked, ultimately responds with a letter giving a good account of his actions: Wickham had exchanged his legacies for a cash payment, only to return after frittering away the money to reclaim the forfeited inheritance; Wickham then attempted to elope with Darcy's young sister, Georgiana, which would have secured her fortune for himself. Regarding Jane and Bingley, Darcy claims he had observed no reciprocal interest in Jane for Bingley and had assumed that she was not in love with him. In addition to this, he cites the "want of propriety" in the behaviour of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and her three younger daughters. Elizabeth, who had previously despaired over this very behavior, is forced to admit the truth of Mr. Darcy's observations, and begins to see that she has misjudged him. She, quite rightly, attributes her prejudice to his coldness towards herself at the beginning of their acquaintance.

Some months later, Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle Gardiner visit Pemberley, Darcy's estate, believing he will be absent for the day. He returns unexpectedly and is surprised but gracious and welcoming, quite unlike his usual self. He treats the Gardiners very civilly, surprising Elizabeth, who assumes he will "decamp immediately" on learning who they are. Darcy introduces Elizabeth to his sister, which Elizabeth knows is the highest compliment he can bestow. Elizabeth begins to acknowledge her own attraction to him. Their reacquaintance is cut short, however, by the news that Lydia has run off with Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth and the Gardiners return to Longbourn (the Bennet family home), where Elizabeth grieves that her renewed acquaintance with Mr. Darcy will end as a result of her sister's disgrace.

Lydia and Wickham are soon found and are persuaded to marry, which enables the Bennet family to preserve some appearance of decorum. Jane, Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet conclude that Uncle Gardiner must have bribed Wickham to marry Lydia, and they are ashamed of their indebtedness and inability to repay him.

Mrs. Bennet, quite typically, has no such scruples; being ecstatic to have a daughter married, she never stops to consider the want of propriety and honesty throughout the affair. Mr. and Mrs. Wickham visit Longbourn, where Lydia lets slip that Mr. Darcy attended their wedding but that it was to have been a secret. From a letter, Elizabeth discovers from Aunt Gardiner that in fact, Mr. Darcy was responsible for finding the couple and negotiating their marriage at great personal and monetary expense for him. Elizabeth is shocked and flattered as "her heart did whisper that he had done it for her" but is unable to dwell further on the topic because of Mr. Bingley's return and subsequent proposal to Jane, who immediately accepts.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh pays an unexpected visit to Longbourn. She has heard a rumour that Elizabeth will marry Mr. Darcy and attempts to persuade Elizabeth to agree not to marry. Lady Catherine wants Mr. Darcy to marry her daughter (his cousin) Anne De Bourgh and thinks that Elizabeth is beneath him. Elizabeth refuses her demands. Disgusted, Lady Catherine leaves, promising that the marriage can never take place. Elizabeth assumes she will apply to Darcy and is worried that he may be persuaded.

Darcy returns to Longbourn. Chance allows Elizabeth and Darcy a rare moment alone. She immediately thanks him for intervening in the case of Lydia and Wickham. He renews his proposal of marriage and is promptly accepted. Elizabeth soon learns that his hopes were revived by his aunt's report of Elizabeth's refusal to promise not to marry him.

The novel closes with a "happily-ever-after" chapter including a summary of the remaining lives of the main characters. None of the characters changes very much in this summary, but Kitty has grown slightly more sensible from association with Jane and Elizabeth and distance from Lydia, and Lady Catherine eventually condescends to visit the Darcy family.

(Well first time I am feeling as why should always the man be extremely wealthy? It seems like a prerequisite for being the most eligible bachelor, or the prince of dreams)

Even then being written in 1813  I don’t feel as I am reading something so outdated. For all I can say is that, I am so very sad that why didn’t I read this before. Just as jane eyre I should have put more efforts on to this book.

Well as you have read the summery I have provided, I would like to elaborate the points on which I mostly admired Jane austen for her work.

First of all the characters sketch, for all that I have read, I felt as I do know these persons in my life. Even though they are in London and in 1813, I can related them with the people who are with me now. I could easily put some of the strings of the characters mapping on to the people I know in this time. I would really appreciate her for this, that I can say that all people are just the same, and years seems mere a number when you actually see it that way.

I loved the scene where with the eagerness Mr. Darcy expresses his feelings to Eliza, because there could be no other way of expressing his wish to marry her or the emotions he has for her. And even after that I really well received the way she writes how they behave with each other when other people are around them. That is the exact same thing happens to any of us when we are in presence of the person we admire the most, and there could be nothing else but awkwardness and feeling of “What if I said something wrong?”

Later I could not believe how Lydia behaves and how her mother reacts to her behavior, but it was all acceptable. I didn’t fell a moment that this could not be at all true, since I do have known some people who are so engrossed in their own world so much that they give very less importance to anyone else who are opposing them.  And also her mother who was the most interesting creature so far I could say, she was literally that she was the 1800’s version of the empty headed mothers who do not see nothing far than a hands distance, and gives opinion upon the matters with only seeing the side which appeals most to them.

Well even though everyone always wants to meet the man of their dreams , I felt this was a story worth reading ,worth keeping my patience so high so as to obtain the end result of it.

The book’s name not only gives meaning to it, but it keeps coming in every chapter where we see Elizabeth’s Prejudice and Darcy’s Pride are high lightened. At every chapter I found them wrestling against the opinion they have about each other, and at every step it was so beautifully expressed.

Sometimes people are too complex to understand, and I felt very much that how often we rely on the prejudice , who’s dictionary meaning is “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.”

            That how often we take judgments based on the opinion of others, and cling to it until we find something else. The idea from which Jane drawn the entire story was quite interesting that people are like this, We seldom give any second thought to whatever we hear at the first instance, and our mind starts mapping our assumptions related to the things we have heard. And so does the link goes on and it becomes very hard to finally decide how we actually consider a person.

I don’t think I am even having slightest bit of experience to give review about such amazingly written book, but I only want to say that I loved it, and nothing else. Not just because it has a love story of a wealthy prince and a poor girl but it is far beyond just a love story, it is about the families and thoughts and love and constraints. 

We often hear the quote of Shakespeare that “what is there in the name?” but I felt the name of the novel contradicting to the question, It was all about the name, and there could be no better words in entire dictionary to fit to name this novel.

So this one is to the Pride and Prejudice, To sleepless nights, To reluctant mornings, To Beautiful Story, To Too difficult words to understand, but yet…

An ultimate novel, worth trying around 14 times to finally read it entirely. (seriously, I can count !)

Its gonna be the most favorite book of mine, for the rest of my life. 

  

P.S- I am also getting an hard copy of this book, just you know, in case I felt like reading it like for 385'th time in my 80'th year!