Pride and Prejudice

I read this book the first time for fun and the second time for AP Lit, and the second read was one of few instances where analyzing symbolism in a book made me love it more instead of less. P&P definitely isn't something to pick if you're in the mood for action and a breakneck pace; but if you enjoy drama, history, and most of all, humor, it's practically insurpassable.

One of Jane Austen's greatest virtues is her talent for, and propensity towards, poking fun of those who might be considered “her people.” She really did stick to the dogma of “write what you know” in writing about middle and upper class society in late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century Britain, only straying so far as to write of people significantly wealthier than she was. Half of her characters, in P&P as well as in Emma, are living parodies, existing as caricatures of facets of English culture to be satirized. Mr. Collins is a warning against self-absorption, Lydia one against rashness and empty-headedness, Mrs. Bennet against dramatics and ridiculousness, among others; yet in being so they are more hilarious than ever. I actually, physically said “ooh, BURN” aloud more than once while reading Austen's fantastic dialogue.

The other thing Austen's novels are really great for is examining social issues in the England she knew. Women's independence, as well as their comparative dependence on either marriage or relatives for lifestyle, classism, duty to family versus freedom of person, the importance of society's opinion, and, in P&P, the existence of pride and prejudice as both flaws and virtues–all these are only a sampling. This stuff may be just what I'm noticing after reading specifically to analyze, but even to the casual reader they're thought-provoking philosophies. Every Austen novel is full of quotes that deserve to be highlighted, retyped, printed, and hung up on walls.

Austen isn't for everyone, but if complex syntax and a comparative lack of action aren't total turnoffs for you–and even if they are–the humor, dialogue, characterizations, and little dramatic intrigues of an older England are more than enough to keep you entertained (and even thoughtful). I'm not even going to mention Elizabeth and Darcy's love story, because we all know we know it and love it, but it's certainly no detractor from Pride & Prejudice's charm. :)