Pride and Prejudice: 4 Stars

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I start my journey in the Classics Club with a story I have been meaning to read for about 15 years. Pride and Prejudice is a story told over and over again in several ways. I have seen quite a few versions of this story on television and movies.  My favorite is the BBC version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.  Seriously though, how could I not love that version?  Just look at that face!

Anyhow, in case you are in the dark, this story is about the Bennett family in 19th century England. The family consists of a mother and father and five daughters, two of which are at the age to be married and the mother is eager to get them married off. When a new man of wealth moves close by, the mother is eager to introduce her daughters, Elizabeth and Jane.

The man, Mr. Bingley, is incredibly nice and is immediately taken with Jane. His sisters appear to like Jane as well, but in reality do not.  Bigley's best friend, Mr. Darcy, however, does not come off very well and seems rather stuck up.  Elizabeth is the one most annoyed by him and doesn't hold back how she feels.

Mr. Bingley and Jane continue to see each other (because they like each other and because Mrs. Bennett is annoyingly pushy) and, therefore, Elizabeth continues to see Mr. Darcy, never improving her opinion of him. They also meet a few soldiers courtesy of their two youngest sisters, Kitty and Lydia. One of the soldiers is a charming man named Wickham, who clearly has a past with Darcy.  Elizabeth and Wickham seem to bond as they discuss their dislike for Darcy.

Eventually, Darcy and Bingley leave without even saying goodbye and Jane is crushed.

While visiting a friend for the summer, Elizabeth meets Darcy again.  He makes easily the worst proposal ever, insulting her as he does so.  She doesn't hesitate to turn him down and tell him off.

Later that summer, her uncle and aunt take her to his home for a tour while he is out of town.  When he comes back unexpectedly, he is surprised to see Elizabeth there and she is surprised at how kind and sweet he acts.  She also learns to truth about Bingley leaving and that Wickham is not as he appears.

The story is a fantastic one, of course centering around pride and prejudice.  This is displayed namely in Darcy and Elizabeth, who both display elements of each.

The BBC version that I love is surprisingly spot on!  I was amazed at how accurtate they stayed to the story.

I, of course, adored Mr. Darcy from the beginning and I wonder if that is simply because of Colin Firth.  :)