Pride and Prejudice (Paperback)

Second, at another level Pride and Prejudice is a delightful romantic comedy that looks at how love develops through a series of painful mischances. Although not as light and funny as Shakespeare's comedies are (A Midsummer Night's Dream comes to mind), Pride and Prejudice will certainly bring a smile to most readers' faces in this regard.

Third, Elizabeth Bennet is one of the best heroines ever imagined. Most readers will identify with her and be rooting for her to succeed. You'll almost feel like you've developed a good friend from reading this book.

Fourth, Jane Austen is very good at poking fun at the pretensions of those who are self-absorbed or fascinated with social position and money. But it's a loving kind of fun. She realizes that these people are just silly . . . and don't know any better. We can enjoy a good laugh at their expense, but we should still love and support them. It's a good model for dealing with any goofy relatives we have.

Fifth, Pride and Prejudice is a benchmark at how far women have come from the days when they often couldn't even inherit property from their fathers. You'll be as outraged as Mrs. Bennet is at these anachronisms . . . but you'll be assuaged to know that the worst of those bad old days are behind us.

So, if those reasons to read Pride and Prejudice appeal to you, read on as I briefly describe the story.

The Bennets have a challenge: They have four unmarried daughters who cannot inherit Mr. Bennet's entailed estate. With few prospects in the neighborhood, Mrs. Bennet is always on the hunt. Mr. Bennet views Mrs. Bennet's fascination with this challenge as being something he would like to distance himself from.

When an eligible young man moves into the area, Mrs. Bennet's instincts are engaged to the fullest. One of her daughters must marry Mr. Bingley. At the next ball, the pickings seem to improve when Mr. Bingley arrives with a friend, Mr. Darcy. Darcy "soon drew the attention of the room by his fine tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report . . . of his having ten thousand a year." But Mr. Darcy soon turned the fortune hunters off by only dancing with his sisters and refusing to be introduced to any of the other ladies.

Bingley finds himself very attracted to Jane Bennet and their relationship develops nicely . . . until he leaves suddenly for London with no plans to return. Jane waits for some news from him or his sisters and finds herself being cut off.

In the middle of this, Mr. Collins arrives. Collins will inherit Mr. Bennet's property upon his death. He has just received a position as a clergyman from a powerful and opinionated sponsor, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and she has told him to get married. With four unmarried cousins, Collins decides the Bennet daughters are his best bet. In this way, he can provide a home for them and their mother after he inherits. First being inspired by Jane, he redirects his attention to Elizabeth after perceiving Jane's interest in Bingley and quickly proposes. Elizabeth will have none of it, and Collins soon finds a more enthusiastic prospect in another local family.

The younger sisters are finding themselves more than entertained by the dashing officers in a local regiment. Through this connection, Elizabeth becomes acquainted with Wickham who confides in her that Mr. Darcy had treated Wickham with great unfairness after Mr. Darcy's father's death. That's just one more nail in the coffin for the case against Mr. Darcy.

But in the background, we get hints that something is shifting. Mr. Darcy goes from finding Elizabeth to be ordinary in appearance to commenting favorably about one small aspect of her face, her mouth. But put the two of them together, and civil words do not follow. They are like oil and water.

Jane and Elizabeth eventually make it to London where both hope that Jane will reconnect with Bingley. But no such luck.

Just when things seem to be headed in a most bleak direction, a terrible event occurs that shakes everyone like an enormous earthquake. In its aftermath, each character finds herself or himself needed to re-examine their position and perceptions of one another.

Will Jane and Bingley connect with one another again? Will Elizabeth find happiness? Will Mrs. Bennet marry her daughters off? You'll just have to read the book to find out. But unlike modern novelists, remember that Jane Austen wasn't against happy endings.

Enjoy a great read!

If you want to see a proper version, order the BBC series from 1995 starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. This version almost literally follows the original book. It is a pleasure to watch!