Pride and Prejudice

Bibliographic Information: Austen, J. (1813). Pride and prejudice. London: T. Egerton, Whitehall.

Plot Summary: In the lives of the Bennet girls, marriage is most desirable as they, as woman, are not to receive much inheritance once their father dies.  Love is uncommonly found alongside marriage, but for Elizabeth Bennet, love is a requirement.  Each of her sisters has their own stories of love and marriage, which unfold as Elizabeth tries to stay true to her own heart’s desires.  When Mr. Bingley, a handsome and wealthy bachelor, moves to town every girl is hoping to be his bride.  Mr. Darcy, a very wealthy friend of Bingley’s has also caught the eye of everyone in town, especially Elizabeth, but only because of his arrogance and pride.  As Elizabeth learns of Mr. Darcy’s past and his misjudgments of her family, she is forced to make up her mind about his character, putting aside her own pride and prejudice towards him.

Critical Evaluation: Jane Austen never fails to appeal to the romantic in all of us, specifically woman.  Although Pride and Prejudice is set in England in the late 1700’s, Austen draws on the intimate details of love and romance to connect with readers worldwide even two centuries after the novel was written.  While Elizabeth struggles to make correct judgments of others, it feels as if Austen is similarly inviting the reader to reconsider within their own lives possible misjudgments they have made based on rumor or miscommunications.  Mr. Darcy’s pride is something many of us are guilty of- judging people who aren’t as fortunate as ourselves. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s relationship experiences many obstacles, much like real-life relationships, and it shows how rewarding love can be when those obstacles are overcome.  Social class is one of those obstacles, as Elizabeth hails from the inferior middle class to Darcy’s upper class.  Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage show that prejudices based on social status and class are trivial and unfounded.  Through love and commitment, class boundaries are blurred and prejudices squashed.  

Reader’s Annotation: Enjoy a story about young love, and how to overcome pride and prejudice to find it. 

Information about the author: Jane Austen is a famous English author of six popular works:Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey.  Despite her many works focusing on love, Austen never married.  
 Austen began writing short stories and poems around age eleven, and at fourteen decided to become a professional writer. In May of 1817 Austen succumbed to illness at the age of 41 (Alex, 2013). 

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Crossover

Curriculum Ties: English (literature)

Booktalking ideas (one or two):
1. Description of Mr. Darcy, and description of Elizabeth Bennet
2. Explanation of social classes and their differences. 

Reading level/Interest age: 16+

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why I included this book: Pride and Prejudice is considered a classic literature, so it is a great addition to my collection.  This book is a great choice for advanced young adult readers who aren't turned off by 19th-century customs and language.  Multiple movie and play adaptations have stemmed from this book, along with many literary adaptations like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

References:
Alex, D. (2013, April 10). Jane Austen Biography. Retrieved from http://www.janeausten.org/jane-austen-biography.asp