Tower and Town, November 2021

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Pride And Prejudice

I would be lying if I said I haven’t watched the 2005 film version of this book an embarrassing number of times. Nonetheless. when reading the book, it still felt like the very first time I was hearing the story, allowing me to experience all the emotions all over again.

The story follows Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters as they navigated marriage, love and social class. It is my opinion that Elizabeth Bennet is the greatest literary protagonist of all time; her quick wit, keen mind and romanticism make her an irresistible heroine. The modern nature of her thinking means she is often still found relatable by women today, which is a quality many fictional women from the time period lack. I believe that her most admirable trait is her strong sense of morality and refusal to be pushed around.

Another enjoyable aspect of the novel is Austen’s cutting social commentary. Through the use of satire, Austen critiques the wealthy, the laws regarding women and property, marriage, social divisions, and the value of women in society. I found that her social commentary provided a fascinating insight into the historical period in which Austen lived. She provides one of very few ways to view the opinions of women at the time on the issues that affected them.

History is, more often than not, written from the male perspective, so it is invaluable to hear Austen’s thoughts and feelings about early 19th century society. Perhaps my favourite part of Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s characterisation. Her ability to create characters that we, the reader, might root for, despise, mock and so much more is unmatched, and the characters in her novels are always memorable and full of complexity. For me, this is what changes her books from excellent to extraordinary.

Imogen Cannon, Year 12