‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen
Reviewed by Emily Collard
Pride and Prejudice is set at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, mainly in Hertfordshire with a few scenes in Kent and
Derbyshire. It was written by Jane Austen and Thomas
Egerton of Whitehall first published the book in 1813.
Mrs Bennet of Longbourn is the mother of five daughters and
the wife of Mr Bennet. The main theme of the book is the
marriage and social lives of her daughters Jane, Elizabeth,
Mary, Catherine and Lydia. Mrs Bennet goes about arranging
her two eldest, Jane and Elizabeth to meet suitable young,
rich and unmarried men.
Mrs Bennet is a shallow, nervous and ‘changeable’ character.
“Don’t keep calm! He’s a single man in possession of a large
fortune!” is my favourite quote that Mrs Bennet said in the book about Mr Bingley, a rich
suitor. In contrast, Mr Bennet has a very clever and calm personality that is very reserved.
The book is mainly viewed from Elizabeth’s perspective. She is a very intelligent,
determined and observant. Jane is gentle and optimistic character. Mary is musical and
smart, but not as sociable as her sisters. Catherine is impolite and irritable and is under the
guidance of her younger sister Lydia, who is also impolite, loud and very sociable.
The story is very interesting and inviting. It gives the reader an insight into the lives of wellto-do girls in the early 1800’s. The first few lines of the book, I believe tell the reader exactly
what the theme of the book is and what to expect to happen, “It is a truth universally
acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”.
I think it is the perfect summary of the entire book.
The settings are all very different and the change of location brings a change of storyline and
develops the plot and moves it forward. Alternating the main setting for each chapter
changes the theme of the chapters. The locations vary from public to domestic settings.
During the book the structure changes along with the change in location and storyline. Jane
Austen writes in a way that makes you want to read on. She does this by suspending one
storyline while introducing another, usually by presenting a new character. She writes with a
good and understandable pace with excellent descriptions of the characters, using many
adjectives. She uses the perfect balance between dialogue and narrative.
The books style fits perfectly with the time period, creating an entertaining, but educational
story.
I would highly recommend ‘Pride and Prejudice’ to anyone above the age of 13.
I give ‘Pride and Prejudice’ a 5 Star rating.