"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
Thus begins one of the most often quoted introductions to one of the most frequently assigned novels in British literature. During the Georgian era in the early 1800s, the ultimate goal of the parents of females was to find them suitable marriage partners of equal or superior social status with an income to keep them in the manner to which they were accustomed. Such goals naturally grew out of English inheritance laws of that time period, laws which modern society would find restrictive and prejudicial toward women.
In "Pride and Prejudice" Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the proud parents of five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. As these young women reach young adulthood, finding suitable mates for them becomes more important than ever because, should Mr. Bennet die, his home and income would be inherited by a distant male cousin rather than go to his wife or his children. As a result, their mother does everything in her power to get them married properly.
Her efforts are quadrupled, much to the embarrassment of her husband, when a wealthy bachelor, Mr. Bingley, arrives to live at a nearby mansion and brings with him his friend, Mr. Darcy.
Having been brought up by Mrs. Bennet, the girls have been conditioned to make her goal, as any other mother's goal, their own. A couple of the daughters, and one in particular, have minds of their own and indeed are precursors of more liberated females who will make their mark in future society.
The work is filled with humorous elements as well as subtle criticism of the time period and those values held by the social classes. Within the novel lie a number of love stories within the larger story.
As one of the most romantic love stories of its time, "Pride and Prejudice" brings listeners a captivating love story and enduring characters as typical of their time as any two lovers ever were.
Author Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817 in England. She was a novelist whose wrote about women, society and a woman's place in that society, poking fun at the foibles and weaknesses of human nature. She made heavy use of dramatic irony to maintain reader interest, resulting in words and commentary that are as entertaining to listen to now as they were then.
She wrote several other popular novels of the time, including "Mansfield Park," "Emma" and "Sense and Sensibility."
All of Austen's novels, including "Pride and Prejudice," are available in audiobook format for easy downloading here at Audio Bookstore.
"** spoiler alert ** Pride and Prejudice is about love that was found between classes (wealth and social). When the town finds out that the wealthy Charles Bingley has come in everyone one prepares to present there daughters so that he may choose them for marriage. The Bennets prepared to present there daughters Jane,Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lyndia. The Bennets go to the ball that was being host and Charles is attending and they find that Jane and Charles Bingley had created a connection and he only danced and talked to her all night. Also that night Charles Bingley's close friend Mr. Darcey did not take a liking to the event taking place and refused to dance with Elizabeth and after that everyone saw him as arrogant and obnoxious. After the ball Mr. Bingley invited Jane to the house and when she was walking a storm came in an once she arrived to his home she became very ill and Mr. Bingley took care of her. After Jane got better she and Mr. Bingley became closer together. Also Mr. Darcey and Elizabeth become close as well and Mr. Darceyt seems to be fight with himself because he is finding himself falling for Elizabeth. After all of this the Bennets have a from Mr. Collins ( he is a young clergyman who stands to inherit Mr. Bennet’s property) but he come with the intentions of asking for a hand in marriage to the eldest daughter Jane but he then finds out the Jane will be soon to be engaged so he then asks Elizabeth and she refuses at once. She tells Darcy that she considers him arrogant and unpleasant, then scolds him for steering Bingley away from Jane and disinheriting Wickham. Darcy leaves her but shortly thereafter delivers a letter to her. In this letter, he admits that he urged Bingley to distance himself from Jane, but claims he did so only because he thought their romance was not serious. As for Wickham, he informs Elizabeth that the young officer is a liar and that the real cause of their disagreement was Wickham’s attempt to elope with his young sister, Georgiana Darcy. This letter causes Elizabeth to reevaluate her feelings about Darcy. She returns home and acts coldly toward Wickham. Lyndia then runs away with Wickham and no one can find them so Elizabeth and her father go on journey to find them and are fear full that they are living together not married.Just when all hope seems lost, a letter comes from Mr. Gardiner saying that the couple has been found and that Wickham has agreed to marry Lydia in exchange for an annual income. They both returned and Lyndia and Wickham are married. Elizabeth then finds out that the money that he s receiving is from Darcey. Shortly thereafter, Bingley returns to Netherfield and resumes his courtship of Jane. Darcy goes to stay with him and pays visits to the Bennets but makes no mention of his desire to marry Elizabeth. Bingley, on the other hand, presses his suit and proposes to Jane. After that Darcey and Elizabeth find each other no longer to hold their ove in and they confess there love to each other and get married.
I personally LOVE this book because not only was it love story but it was the kind of love story that give you hope and make you think that one day maybe you can find your prince charming. I think my favorite line of the book is when Mr. Darcey says " You have bewitched me body and soul." that just makes your heart sink. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a romance novel lover and to women who just want to believe in love again."
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Amy (4 out of 5 stars)