Book Review: Pride & Prejudice
Premise: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is said to be a satirical and social critique on social status and the expectations of women during the eighteenth century.
Highlighted Quotes:
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must not allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” - Darcy Fitzwilliam
“That is a question which i Hardly know how to answer. We all love to instruct, though we can teach only what is not worth knowing. Forgive me; and if you persist in indifference, do not make me your confidante.” - Elizabeth Bennet
“I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.” - Elizabeth Bennet
Initial Takeaway:
“Pride is the downfall of compassion within human nature.”
In Summary:
I bought a book in 2019, and it took me 5 years to find the time to read and finish it, noting that the novel itself can be challenging to read due to the author’s use of descriptive and linguistically complex prose, which requires extra time and effort to fully understand the text.
A timeless classic that explores various themes, including the destructive nature of pride. In the novel, the characters’ pride often leads to misunderstandings, conflicts, and missed opportunities for genuine connection.
Initial pride and arrogance cause one character to overlook another’s virtues and reject them, while the other character’s pride initially blinds them to the first character’s true nature.
Through these examples and others, the author suggests that unchecked pride can cloud judgment, fuel prejudice, and hinder personal growth, ultimately serving as a barrier to meaningful relationships and happiness.
The novel serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of excessive pride and the importance of humility and self-awareness in navigating social interactions and relationships.
Two of the few reflective questions arise within the novel itself that I find very intriguing:
- How much should someone bow to an instance that discomforts them to fulfill the surrounding society?
- Is happiness to be placed on the hand of another, or it should be ours to obtain?
These questions are to be saved for a later date, during which I find myself pondering such ideas after spending an extensive amount of time-consuming Jane Austen’s work.
In summary, my overall understanding and takeaways on the book itself is:
“Pride is the downfall of compassion within human nature and prejudice is the root of conflict that revolves in the absolution of the human mind.”
This novel serves as a gateway to further reading and a return to the world of literature.
Book Review Rating: 3.5/5.0
