Reader discussion: Pride and Prejudice

What's the deal with Pride and Prejudice?

By rainocean45

I’ve seen so many people talk this book up, and I started it because of all the recommendations and because it’s supposed to be a classic and something you really should read. I’m about a fifth in or maybe a bit more, and honestly I’m not really seeing the big deal yet. I’m having a rough time with the language too (English isn’t my first language, and modern English is fine for me, but this older style is just harder to follow), and it feels like it’s mostly just people meeting, then meeting again, and again. To be honest, I can’t keep track of everyone very well, and since I’m not catching every sentence, I keep wondering if I’m missing something important. Does the style change a lot later on? Or do you just get used to it? Maybe it’s mostly a language thing for me? It’s not bad, exactly, just not as amazing as I expected.

I think I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like Pride and Prejudice

By early_cat

I’ve honestly never met anyone who agrees with me that Elizabeth Bennet is the worst, but maybe it’s just because I’m not really a “romance solves everything” person. I get so annoyed at how Austen sets it up—like Elizabeth’s mom and her best friend are treated like vapid, shallow people just because they care about security instead of some perfect love thing. And the whole “good person” label gets tied to this idea that love is more important than money, which just feels…off to me. What really bugs me is Elizabeth being so judge-y about everyone else for choosing stability over feelings. Mrs. Bennet isn’t this ridiculous idiot character she’s made out to be. She’s basically trying to make sure her daughters don’t get left hanging, because what would happen if they weren’t married to someone who could actually support them? That doesn’t read shallow to me—it reads like a realist doing the only math she has. Edit 2: And no, I understood the book. I just don’t agree with what it seems to want me to go along with. Even though it’s called *Pride and Prejudice*, I don’t think it’s clearly written so that we’re meant to sympathize with the mom and sisters. Also, I don’t think Austen was trying to make Elizabeth unlikeable, but she sort of ends up doing it anyway—at least for me. There’s a difference between a character with flaws you still want to root for, and one that feels like she’s intentionally set up to be irritating. I don’t feel like Lizzie ever really has to pay for her flaws or learn anything super hard. By the end, it all kind of works out for her anyway. Mrs. Bennet and the younger sisters don’t really get “redemption” because it feels like the story doesn’t want you to think they deserve it. If you make Mrs. Bennet dumb and empty like that, then her fears and concerns start feeling empty too. And I also think Austen’s critique of “silly” uneducated women comes off classist—like not having education automatically means you can’t make good moral judgment. Edit 4: I’m kind of shocked (in a good way) how thought-provoking the discussion ended up being. Thanks to the people who actually talked about it instead of just going “you didn’t get it,” lol. What I found super interesting is how most people disagreed with me about whether the book is good, but their reasons didn’t match up at all. Some people said Lizzie only cares about love, others said she wouldn’t marry Darcy if he’d been poor. Some people swear Mrs. Bennet is supposed to be shallow just because that’s her role, and others said that reading doesn’t make sense. It was honestly wild seeing how contradictory the interpretations were, but it still feels like we can all talk about the same book and mean something different. Anyway—I didn’t like it, but I’m not saying it’s “bad” or anything. I really can see why it matters historically and why it’s still relevant. I just don’t personally connect with it. And yeah, I also didn’t expect people to take it so personally. It’s just a preference, not a political statement 😅 Also I feel like this might be one of the most universally loved novels ever—because I can’t think of another one that sparks this much debate constantly.

Any recommendations for books like Pride and Prejudice?

By Garden

Just finished Pride and Prejudice and now I’m kind of craving something with the same vibe. I’m not really picky about the time period or where it’s set—I just want that romance feeling, like butterflies in your stomach. Bonus points if there’s witty back-and-forth, a romance that actually feels meaningful, and a bit of social commentary like the book had. If anyone has recs, I’d love them!