Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Koln: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 1996. Print.

Kelly, Gary. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 116: British Romantic Novelists, 1789-1832. A   Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by Bradford K. Mudge, University of Colorado at Denver. The Gale  Group, 1992. pp. 3-35. Gale. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 15 April 2011.<http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/GLD/hits?r=d&origSearch=true&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&c=1&locID=txshracd2560&secondary=false&u=CA&u=CLC&u=DLB&t=KW&s=1&NA=Jane+Austen&TI=Pride+and+Prejudice>

Pride and Prejudice. Dir. Joe Wright. Perf. Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn. 2005. MCA Home Video, 2005. DVD.

Pride and Prejudice. Dir. Robert Z. Leonard. Perf. Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Edward Ashley. 1940. MGM, 1997. VHS.

Pride and Prejudice. Dir. Simon Langton. Perf. Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker. 1995. A&E, 1996. VHS.

Tauchert, Ashley. "Pride and Prejudice: 'Lydia's Gape'."Romancing Jane Austen: Narrative, Realism, and the Possibility of a Happy Ending, pp. 73–92. © 2005 Palgrave Macmillan. Reprinted in Bloom, Harold, ed. Pride and Prejudice, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 27 April 2011.

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Love Happens Against All Odds

<http://www.readjane.com/Pride_and_Prejudice.html>

        The picture above sums up the early relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. He is captivated by her beauty and her uniqueness among all the women of his acquaintance. She, however, is disgusted at his display of pride, and somehow he brings out irritation in her every time they meet. The over arching question is how did Elizabeth fall completely in love with him by the end of the book? Was it because Darcy relentlessly pursued her, tried to change his personality, or even tried to seduce her? No. He looked within, mellowed his prideful outward behavior, and unselfishly displayed his character without even telling her about it. He thrust himself into contact with his worst enemy, the would be destroyer of his sister's life, merely to bring happiness to Elizabeth. After his respectful, gentle demeanor paved his way into her heart, Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy changed from deep respect into strong, trusting love as she discovered his steadfast character and devotion.
         Pride and Prejudice is a powerful book in many ways. A timeless classic, no matter how many times it's made into a movie, audiences are always receptive. Not only is it entertaining, it is a thought provoking commentary on 19th century society. Also it portrays a brilliant example to men everywhere of a beautiful way to win the heart of a woman. In all, this novel is one of the most brilliant, compelling works ever written.

The Most Eligible Bachelor: Mr. Darcy

 

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        In the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, every girl in the surrounding area is overcome with excitement at the thought of Mr. Bingley, an unmarried man with the sizable annual income of 5,000 pounds a year coming to stay at the estate of Netherfield. However, when he is first met by general society at the village ball, it is brought to everyone's attention that his companion, Mr. Darcy is worth at least twice that sum and he becomes the new highly sought after man. Shortly, he is dismissed as much too prideful and haughty, but as the novel progresses, he is shown in more and more of an agreeable light, until both Elizabeth Bennett and the reader are hopelessly in love with him. Jane Austen is somehow able to brilliantly bring to life this man in her writing to the point that according to Ashley Tauchert, "Mr Darcy emerged triumphant, as if from Pemberley lake in a wet shirt, in a recent BBC vote to find [himself] the most fancied fictional figure of women's desire—leaving James Bond and all his bedroom skills and gadgets in second place" (Tauchert). Women everywhere wish they could find someone in real life like Mr. Darcy.

The Novel Brought to Life

<http://thecia.com.au/reviews/p/pride-and-prejudice.shtml>

         Being such a classic, widely read book, Pride and Prejudice has been made into a number of film versions. The 1940 version starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier took liberties with the story, trying to make it more of a light, beautiful, feel good movie. It elicits much less of an annoyance with the character Mrs. Bennett.  In this particular version, the costumes, instead of the empire-waist gowns indicative of the regency era in which the novel is set, are more indicative of the the mid-nineteenth century with their full skirts and victorian detailing. Most other cinematic versions of the novel display more accurate costuming. Another version of Pride and Prejudice succeeds in displaying much more accuracy. Released in 1995 as a mini-series by the BBC, it directly quotes the novel in many places and goes to great lengths to include everything that takes place in the book. In fact, the makers of the movie tried to make it so accurate and comprehensive that to watch the whole thing would end up lasting five hours. The latest adaptation of the novel is the 2005 version pictured above starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. This version reminds me of the 1940 version in that it's only 127 minutes long and it cuts down the story a bit. However, it still doesn't commit many inaccuracies, making it the perfect movie for Jane Austen fanatics to show their significant others. Whichever of these versions viewers choose, they're sure to come away having enjoyed themselves.

Injustice

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        A major theme presented in Pride and Prejudice is the necessity of females who are not wealthy to obtain a husband with enough money to support them, sometimes regardless of personal feelings. In particular, the injustice of the concept of entailment is voiced through Jane Austen's amusing portrayal of Mrs. Bennett's dismay  at the thought of Mr. Collins receiving the estate of Longbourne after Mr. Bennett's death. While one laughs at the dramatic actions of Mrs. Bennett, one also sobers at the realization of the injustice of estates being only inherited by males, completely leaving females out of any benefits and income they might have received. In an age where middle-class women's only places were in the home and monetary employment was unthinkable, a woman's only option was to marry or "stay at home as a burden [to her] parents" as Charlotte Lucas despairingly relates. Gary Kelly of the University of Alberta writes that "entailment was the kind of injustice against women that Wollstonecraft and other Revolutionary feminists had criticized sharply, for it forced women to make their fortune the only way open to them--by speculating on the marriage market (Kelly 3-35).

An Uncommon Tale

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        "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." This is perhaps the most famous of all quotes from Jane Austen's well known novel, Pride and Prejudice. Being the first sentence of the novel, it immediately sets the tone for the humor displayed throughout the book. The most obvious reason why I have chose to write about Pride and Prejudice is that it is one of my all time favorite books. In fact, I've read it close to 10 times and still the story has never gotten old to me. Further reasons for exploring Pride and Prejudice are the unique style of Austen's writing and the deep concepts she exposes in a humorous, endearing way. The book is permeated with humor and satire in a wonderfully natural way making it a delight to read for anyone from the casual reader to the meticulous analyst.