Pride and Prejudice - (Book Review)

People nowadays are obsessed with books about vampires and were wolves. ( And yes, I am talking about a certain vampire, werewolf, human love triangle romance saga.)What happened to reading books with actual plotlines and character development? Do teenagers have bad taste in books or are there just really low quality books being published these days? I could rant about the standard of books out there but that would mean another really looong article so I shall save that for another time. Instead I shall delve into the regency world of an all-time favourite classic, “Pride and Prejudice”. Why? It is because in order for us to improve and move forward we have to learn from history.

“Pride and Prejudice”, the masterpiece of Jane Austen, loved by many and considered the first romance of its kind was written in the regency era in the year 1813. It tells of a family, the Bennets, which consist of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five unmarried daughters. The story starts off with Mrs. Bennet eagerly wanting to meet her new neighbour, Mr Bingley, in the hopes of marrying off one of her daughters to him. They hold a dance for Mr Bingley and there everyone gets to meet the rich and handsome Mr Darcy whom everyone immediately dismisses as a proud and arrogant fellow. He snubs Elizabeth Bennet in one of the dances and he is forever ingrained in her mind for being a most ineligible match for any self-respecting independent woman .Over the course of several misunderstandings and a most scandalous event, Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy find a balanced understanding with one another. And thus the birth of one of the most celebrated fiction couples of all time begins to take shape.

The characters in this book are well rounded and the reader gets attached easily to each and every one of them. The main protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet has the mind of an independent woman of the 21st century rather than the average women of her days. She has her own views on love and marriage which in most cases in that era did not always go hand in hand. This crucial characteristic is what I think makes the book so relevant and relatable even 199 years after the book was first published. Girls today need a strong female role model in their lives and I think Eliza Bennet fits that image perfectly. Moving on to the ever so popular Mr Darcy who is every woman’s perfect guy. Strong yet shy, Mr Darcy is the epitome of a true gentleman who stands by his woman in times of trouble. I think that this couple is revered by many to this day because of the strong chemistry they had for one another and displayed the importance  of a strong balanced relationship which is what everyone strives for.

The language used in the book is also surprisingly simple to understand and the tempo of the narrative makes it a breeze to read through, so anyone who is new to the classics scene will not have trouble reading this book. I personally also think that this book gives an interesting insight on the ways of life of olden day England and the strict social decorum they had to adhere to. We all can take a few pointers on manners and social etiquette which is lacking in society today. Overall the book is a fun read especially to those romantics at heart. I promise you, Mr Darcy isn't every woman's ideal man for no reason.

What with the onslaught of books being published these days targeting the young adults, it is no wonder teenagers today are looking up to the wrong people and getting bad influence from the books they read. Want to remember what it was like to read a story with a plotline? Remember when we actually like the characters in the book? It is not too late yet.  So start afresh, choose a classic! 

BY CHAN LI-VERN