PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

by Jane Austen

LEVEL 3

Anosha Umar, National Winner
Lahore Grammar School, Faisalabad
‘Pride and Prejudice’ is actually one of the most flawless book by Jane Austen. The story sets nearly a hundred years ago in England. This book is not just a regular romance book. Austen adds a lot of spark in it. Complications that make this story way more heart wrenching. Just as the story begins, we are introduced to Mrs Bennet, whose character the reader finds the most interesting. Mrs Bennet is a typical mother desperatly wanting all her daughters to get married to some lord or rich bachelor across the country. She sends her daughters to almost all events so they can meet their prince charming and get married soon. Mr Darcy—a young, handsome and rich bachelor—is new in town and attends a lot of dinners to meet new people. But Mr Darcy’s attitude is considered proud and overconfident by a lot of people. Hence his impression in the new town is not good so far. Then comes Elizabeth Bennet, beautiful, intelligent and in Mr Darcy’s mind she’s perfect. In the beginning Elizabeth despises Mr Darcy’s attitude but soon she is attracted towards it. The story brings in a lot of complications when Mr Wikham sends in a proposal for Elizabeth. Elizabeth has to learn to fight for her love and a lot more. On the other hand Mr Darcy finds a reason to live. Jane Austen opens her heart to the audience by her words. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a book most people even in today’s era can relate to. Even though it is fast paced, it doesn’t bore you at any particular point. The characters aren’t half done and some of them undergo various changes. Mr Darcy’s character is an all round character. From an arrogant, self conceited guy to a person the reader falls in love with. It will take no more than a handful pages to turn into a Jane Austen enthusiast. You can cherish the life of a lord just by going through this book. Another very important thing in this book is how it portrays women in the story. Unlike many novels this book has several female characters, each parallel from another. So technically all shades of women are shown. The best part of this book is obviously the start. That’s the part where the reader is most curious about the plot, the characters and the end. After every read you’d be a sobbing mess because of the nostalgia this book triggers.