Pride and Prejudice // Jane Austen
Now, there’s a declaration.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is ‘the’ classic romance novel. Written 1813, the ubiquitous story is narrates the hate-then-love relationship between the surly Mr Darcy (declarer of the above) and the feisty Elizabeth Bennett – two young people attempting to navigate the complicated social morals of marriage in their era, while finding themselves falling for the last person they’d ever expected.
There’s Darcy – aloof, complicated and intelligent, the new-in-town and wealthiest bachelor for miles around. Such does not initially attract protagonist Elizabeth, a clever and witty young woman, who sees past this last part, to the contempt of her mother, a woman who seeks nothing more than to marry off her many daughters. Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy seem to think they have each other figured out, but, through the course of the book, they discover that their initial evaluations were very wrong. The rich, engaging story of the two eventual lovers slowly discovering each other’s true character, and falling in love with each other in the process, is a joy to read, and has an ending that has as much happily ever after as a Shakespeare comedy. Its many connected subplots of runaway lovers and betrayed friends delightfully reveal themselves piece by piece as Elizabeth herself discovers them.
Though the novel is over 200 years old, it is still a funny, touching story of mistaken impressions, subverting expectations and following your heart, despite what others may think. It is a classic romance that remains a mainstay in the modern consciousness.
Words by Nana Gongadze