Classics Bookclub - Pride and Prejudice

I was quite excited to find the Classics Bookclub that was started up by 5 Minutes For Books, especially after my dive back into the reading world this summer.

I was even more excited to read one of Jane Austen's books for the first time - Pride and Prejudice.

I have loved (and own!) the major theater releases that came from Jane Austen's books - as well as watching the entire series of Jane Austen productions shown on PBS this past spring. But for some reason that I cannot explain, I had never read anything Austen had written. It was about time.



I enjoyed the book immensely, and am glad to have read it. I can see now why many devoted fans of the book were upset that the 2006 movie did not follow the book as well as other productions. In this case, I have to say I did not mind, though, especially when you consider what the 2006 version was able to fit into 2 hours. There is so much more to the book (isn't that always the case?), and I enjoyed reading about elements left out of the film, such as quiet Mary, Caroline's conpiritory ways, Lizzie's extended family, and more of her her mother's neurotic and absurd behavior that makes me laugh out loud.

I marvel at what life was like for women in that time, and am thankful that I was able to marry for love. I especially appreciate the seemingly forgotten concept in our "modern" world, of respect leading to love, and love leading to self-sacrifice.

The entire time I read this book, the screen actors and their voices were in my head, reciting the lines that were taken directly from the book to the screen - especially Brenda Blethyn (again with Lizzie's zany mother!) As much as I wanted to pop the DVD in every day, I made myself wait until I had finished the book. I even found some of the music to add to my playlist (left sidebar)!

Part of the way through the book, since I was immersed in an Austen world, I rented Becoming Jane, which I thoroughly enjoyed (despite it's own tragedy). I found it interesting how much the people and events in Jane's life shadowed people and events found in all of her written works. That makes her writing so much more interesting to me, to know that characters were colored by her own personal experience and not just her imagination.

Still one of my favorite movies... the scene where he is walking to meet her in the misty morning, coat blowing in the wind, makes my heart flutter in my throat every time.