Product Description

Elizabeth Bennet is at first determined to dislike Mr. Darcy, who is handsome and eligible. This misjudgment only matched in folly by Darcy's arrogant pride. Their first impressions give way to truer feelings in a comedy concerned with happiness and how it might be achieved.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #276351 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 410 pages

Review
"Excellently introduced and annotated--a very readable text and a useful bibliography. What more could one ask of an edition of Pride and Prejudice?"--Arnold E. Davidson, Duke Univ.
"Excellent format, well put together text."--Raymond W. Ciscu, University of Chicago

About the Author
Fiona Stafford is the author of The Last of the Race: The Growth of a Myth from Milton to Darwin (Clarendon Press, 1994), Starting Lines in Scottish, Irish and English Poetry: From Burns to Heaney (OUP, 2000) and the editor of Lodore in the Complete Works of Mary Shelley. She is the editor of Austen's Emma in Penguin Classics.

Customer Reviews

If you want a good husband
I read Pride and Prejudice when I was a pupil. Jane Austen's description is very exquisite and attactive.I was used to compare it with another book-Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I prefer to the latter,because it's more Platonic.At that time,I could not understand why they were so realistic.You could frequently read this word 'match' in Jane Austen's books.If Darcy was a poor miner, would they be in love? Just because they are in the same class, and can meet in the tearoom or ballroom.
Nevertheless I change my mind now. As a young woman waiting for another half, now I can absolutely understand why my mum always asks me learning from Elizabeth.Yes. She is so beautiful, innocent, wise and decorous. Real word is real. you can not live as egocentric & romantic Carmen. Now I know that the elopement of Elizabeth's sister was not romantic but silly and irresponsible.
If you want a Mr. Right, you have to be the right one. So I pick up this classic book again. Hope you can enjoy the Pride and Prejudice .(sorry for my poor English and unlicked review, hope u can understand it^^)

Simply a must read as a great literary classic
Jane Austin brings you to the world of 1800s society. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." In those days a womens aim was to get married to secure her future. Therefore it was advantageous to be well accomplished and high in society in order to make a good match. Our main character Elizabeth will only marry for love and so were her affectionate sister Jane..but will it be the ones they expect? There's Mrs Bennet's obsession of getting her daughters married off..and the sarcasm of her husband. The pride and snobbery of the rich Mr Darcy (who i can always picture as Colin Firth thanks to the BBC).Mr Collins, the solemn Clergyman who is absurd with his polite flatteries. A wonderful story of unwanted attentions, embarassing proposals, disgraces, wit, passion and enduring love.

Ms. Austin's Brilliant Regency Romance Of Period Mores
Women in Regency England had few options in life except to marry well. They usually received little, if any, formal education, and their aim was to become "accomplished," proficient in the social graces like music, needlework, sketching, whist and "acceptable" literature. Considerable pressure was placed on women to marry in order to obtain financial security, not just for themselves, but also for their immediate family. Love matches were rare. Ms. Austin writes, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

Our story opens in a small community in Hertfordshire. Word is out that the long vacant Netherfield Estate has been leased to a new occupant - a wealthy bachelor. Mothers and daughters suddenly upset their daily routine, and shatter the local tranquility - buying dress material, sewing, embroidering, planning and fantasizing about balls and marriage. Nowhere is there more excitement than at Longbourne, the home of the Bennett family, where five very marriageable daughters anticipate news of their neighbor. The Bennett's have a particular reason for wishing their girls settled. Their estate, is entailed. It can only be inherited by a male successor. Since the Bennett's have no son, their entire estate will go to Mr. Bennett's cousin. The girls must be married well, so they will have a secure home when their father dies.

A ball is held in honor of John Bingley, Netherfield's new resident, and for the friends who accompany him. Bingley is very taken with Jane Bennett, the eldest daughter, and a lovely young woman with a sweet disposition. The feelings are reciprocated and the two form an informal attachment. It is at this ball that Elizabeth Bennett, the family's second daughter, meets Bingley's friend, the aristocratic Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy, is a much more worldly man than Bingley and wealthier. He is handsome, intelligent, and the Lord of Pemberly, a large, sumptuous estate in Derbyshire. Darcy, however, is the epitome of haughtiness when he arrives on the scene, and looks down his nose at the local yokels. Elizabeth Bennett, is quite different from most young women of the Regency Period. She had been encouraged to use and develop her strong intellect since childhood. She enjoys fine books and literary conversation. Lizzy is bright, very pretty, with a sharp wit, and much more independent than her sisters. Darcy is attracted to her immediately, but snubs her unknowingly. She responds in kind, thinking him to be boorish and far too proud. Thus she is prejudiced against him from their first meeting.

The novel is filled with Ms. Austin's humor and delightful characters, including: George Wickham, a handsome military officer who further prejudices Elizabeth against Darcy with tales from their mutual past; William Collins, a pompous clergyman, cousin to the Bennets, and probable heir to the family holdings; Charlotte Lucas, a young neighbor and dear friend to Elizabeth and Jane; and Lady Catherine De Bourgh, the quintessential aristocrat. Jane Austen weaves her plots and sub-plots with elegant prose and wit. Her clever use of irony, reveals her characters' charms and flaws. At one point, Mr. Darcy actually insists that Elizabeth is the proud one. It is pure pleasure to read her narrative and dialogue. And the characters are so believable that is difficult to remain disinterested in their lives and foibles.

Mr Darcy learns more about Elizabeth with each chapter. She almost always spurns his awkward attempts to woo her. When she finally admits to herself how much she admires Darcy, he puts his foot in his mouth in an attempt to tell her of his deep feelings for her. So, once again, Elizabeth rejects him because of his pride. If the young couple could learn to understand each other and let go of their shallow pride and prejudice, a wonderful love and friendship could form and flourish.

Ms. Austin paints a vivid picture of various relationships and the marriage mores of Regency England. She gives insight into the senior Bennetts' relationship, takes a close look at Charlotte and her new husband, and at the frivolous, headstrong Lydia Bennett, who marries at fifteen. Ms. Austin stresses the necessity of compatibility in a marriage, since divorce is almost impossible. She demonstrates the various forms compatibility takes in her characters' relationships.

This much beloved Jane Austin novel is one of my favorites. It reads like a dream and is difficult to put down. I can't recommend it highly enough. Enjoy!
JANA