Reader discussion: Pride and Prejudice

Public reader discussion about Pride and Prejudice in the WeRead Catalog by Austen, Jane.

A personal analysis of Pride and Prejudice

By deer-epilogue1975

I’ve been thinking about this book nonstop since I finished it. After watching the BBC version, I feel like I’ve landed on a couple things: - Pride and Prejudice isn’t really tied to just one character. It’s not like Darcy = pride and Elizabeth = prejudice. Like, both of them do both. Elizabeth can be super proud in a way where she won’t even consider she might be wrong, and that pride basically turns into her being unfair to Darcy at first. Darcy has his own problems too—he’s pretty stuck-up and stubborn when you first meet him, and he’s also got prejudice about Jane and Bingley and class/station stuff. I feel like they only really get it together once they both chill out, drop some of that pride and the assumptions, and actually start growing. - Also, it kinda feels like basically everyone else is leaning hard one way or the other. Lydia is prideful almost to the point of being dumb, and she has barely any sense or “prejudice” about the world—she just does what she wants. Jane’s the opposite, like she’s so trusting she barely questions anything, so she can come off as kind of prideful in a quiet way because she hides what she’s actually feeling. Bingley does this too, where he lets Darcy kinda steer him. Bennet’s pride is more “I’m fine with not parenting” and Mrs. Bennet is just constant judgment and noise. Mary is full of herself and can’t really admit she doesn’t know much, even while she’s acting like she’s the expert. Wickham’s prejudice against Darcy is basically him using his pride/bitterness to mess with other people’s opinions. Even Collins, Lady Catherine, and Miss Bingley feel like straight-up pride vs. prejudice overload. In a weird way, pride kind of feeds the prejudice for a lot of them. - I don’t even think the book is saying pride or prejudice are automatically evil. Like, some prejudice is necessary so you don’t get played by guys like Wickham. And some pride keeps you from turning into Lydia-level chaos or acting like Mrs. Bennet. - If you can balance it, though, it feels like Elizabeth and Darcy can actually be happy. Anyway, I’m honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. What do you think of my take?

My Pride and Prejudice Experience – A Beginner’s Journey Through Austen

By bottle

Since I’m pretty new to classic lit, picking up *Pride and Prejudice* felt like walking into this fancy world where everyone’s super polite but also throwing insults like it’s sport. Jane Austen is honestly brilliant, though—still, her writing took me a little to get used to. I had moments where I was like “ok wow,” and then other parts where my modern brain just wanted to hit the skip button. Took me about two weeks to finish, which, considering how much tea and letter-writing is going on, feels pretty fair. Then I checked out the 2005 adaptation, and I’m not even exaggerating: the very next day. It was so good. Like, for someone new, it basically smoothed out the slow bits while still keeping the real heart of the story. The visuals were gorgeous, the chemistry between Lizzy and Darcy was so intense you could practically feel it, and Matthew Macfadyen’s Darcy in the mist… I mean. That was a whole experience. I know the book has more of Elizabeth’s inner thoughts and all the social power-play details, but the movie kind of turns that into looks, awkward pauses, and just vibes—plus that hand thing from Darcy is ridiculous (in the best way). The only thing that made me mad was realizing the “Goddess Divine” scene wasn’t in the Netflix version. Like… the betrayal. So yeah, my verdict: the book tested my patience but paid off with Austen’s genius, and the movie turned it into something pretty, emotional, and addictive. Would I read another Austen? Maybe, after I recover. Would I rewatch the movie? Absolutely, probably a million times.

Why is Pride and Prejudice so well liked?

By Lazy_Velvet39362

I’ve got this list of like the top 100 classical books and I’m trying to get through all of them. I’m around 26 in so far. I started Pride and Prejudice since it’s on the list, and I’m only about 120 pages in. But honestly, I’m finding it pretty boring and it’s starting to feel like a chore to read. If you really love it, what am I missing?

When was the authorship of Pride & Prejudice generally known?

By inburntBookmark

I’ve tried looking this up online and can’t really find anything. I do know it came out anonymously in 1813, but I’m not sure when most people finally realized Jane Austen wrote it.

My favourite version of "Pride & Prejudice"💕🤌🏻

By HollowMug

I really loved it too. Honestly, it’s probably the Austen adaptation I’ve liked the most, and I’ve seen a bunch. I don’t even stress about whether it’s the most accurate version or whatever. Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley were just great—there’s no denying their chemistry. I could watch it over and over and never get bored. It’s really beautiful.

[Update] I finished reading 'Pride and Prejudice' for the first time.

By hill-mountain8664

Thanks to everyone who pointed out social stuff/customs and all that—I honestly didn’t know some of it, and it helped me understand the novel way more while I was reading. Also, I liked this book way more than I thought I would. I had to slog through a bunch of “classics” at school that never really clicked with me, and it honestly made me pretty reluctant to pick up any classics on my own for fun. I was kind of expecting something dry, maybe even a boring romance, but the characters ended up being really alive—quirky, messed up in their own ways, and interesting. So yeah, sorry to my younger self for being so against classic literature. I still don’t know if I’ll ever be into *Far From the Madding Crowd* specifically, but I’m definitely going to give other classics a try.

Suggest Me a Book That Will Make Me Believe in Love

By SceneBundlet

Lately I’ve been reading a ton, usually thrillers and mysteries, but I feel like every other book I pick up has the spouses trying to kill each other and I’m just kinda over it lol. I tried jumping into romance too, but… idk, the ones I’ve been pointed to feel really bad. Like they read like a bad porno to me. There’s barely any plot, no real depth, and it doesn’t feel like there’s any kind of real longing. It’s all kind of casual, then it basically turns into the MCs getting together, then there’s some random fight, and everything gets fixed because they finally talk like normal people. What I actually want is romance that feels almost magical—like love in small moments, love that you don’t see coming right away, and something wholesome and genuinely kind. Something understanding and compassionate. Basically, I want a book that’ll make me believe love is more than just people doing stuff together. If you’ve got recommendations, I’m all ears. Edit: I didn’t expect to get so many responses, but I’m honestly super excited to read them all—thanks everyone!! I’m sure at least one of these is gonna hit that spot ❤️🫶🏽

Tips on reading Pride and Prejudice?

By Reed_Shadow

I’ve only just started Pride and Prejudice, and I’m kind of stuck trying to follow everything. I keep having to look stuff up to make sure I’m getting the gist—like in chapter 8, with Darcy and Elizabeth going back and forth during dinner about what counts as a “perfect woman.” I honestly missed what Elizabeth was getting at, that Darcy’s being too picky and there isn’t really such a thing as a perfect woman. The writing is really pretty, but I’m still struggling. I just got out of a long 6-year reading slump, so maybe I just need to get my brain back into gear again? Or should I try something easier first? I’ve never read Austen before, but I am genuinely enjoying the book so far, and now I can’t wait to read her other stuff too… even though some of the main ideas feel hard to catch. Any advice? Edit: Thanks to everyone for the responses! You all helped a lot. I’m excited to keep going with P&P and check out Austen’s other novels too.

I’m looking for a modern-day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (or any of Jane Austen’s works)

By hardcover-reason

Pride and Prejudice is my go-to favorite, so I’ve been hunting for some modern retellings. I tried Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, but it didn’t really click for me. What else is out there that people actually like?

First read: Pride and Predjudice

By SmallSeal94

Hey everyone! I can’t believe I went 31 years without ever reading any Jane Austen, but I’m finally jumping in with *Pride and Prejudice*. I haven’t even really seen any TV or movie adaptations for any of her stuff either, so this feels like going in totally blind. This is a used copy of the Penguin Classics edition (2014), with edits/notes by Vivien Jones. So far, I’m honestly finding it hilarious. Austen’s writing is so tight, but the jokes are so sharp and the structure is weirdly dry in a way that keeps catching me off guard—in the best way. I’m constantly laughing like, “Wait, she really just said that?” There are a ton of characters though, and I will admit I feel a little overwhelmed sometimes, like when I first read *The Silmarillion*—just trying to keep everyone straight. I’m only finished with the first volume, so I know there’s way more plot and stuff coming, and I’m sure I’ll get more into it as I go. I haven’t been this excited about a new book in a while. I do kind of wish I’d read her in order as they were published, but maybe I’ll just do that now—probably *Sense and Sensibility* next. At this point I could see myself reading all of them before I move on to anything else. Anyway, just had to gush a bit!

Dumb question: What do the characters of Pride and Prejudice do all day?

By blue_tiger

Most books I pick up, the characters are either already working at a job or they’re kids/students, travelers, or just stay-at-home people running the household. And when the story is about folks with leisure time, it usually turns into something like politics or crime or trying to keep up money/status. I just started *Pride and Prejudice* and I’m honestly confused about what everyone is doing all day. I get that it’s not really the point, but it keeps bugging me. The women seem to go visit friends about once a week and then there are balls roughly once a month. So what do they do the rest of the time? They’ve got servants for cooking and cleaning, and it doesn’t seem like they have much responsibility beyond waiting for marriage. It looks like reading, chatting, maybe some sewing, practicing music, and writing letters—are the Bennetts really just doing that on repeat, or am I missing something obvious?

Did Jane Austen really dislike Pride and Prejudice?

By StoryOld1987

Sorry, I’m probably missing something, but I can’t find anything about it online. Has anyone else seen a claim that Jane Austen said something like “Pride and Prejudice was too light and bright and sparkling” and that it needed more shade / longer stretches of “sense”? Did she actually write that? And if she did, how do you all read that quote—what do you think she meant?

I still hate Pride and Prejudice more than anything I have ever read.

By littlemirrorrapid

I’ve got that same level of dislike for Pride and Prejudice. I had to read it for my college-level English class in high school, and normally I was all for reading stuff for class. I’m even the type who actually likes writing the paper afterward. But with this one, every page felt like time I’d never get back. The characters felt fake and annoying, the whole setting was boring, and it just kept dragging on about basically nothing. Maybe if I picked it up again later I’d feel different, but right now it’s easily the worst thing I’ve ever had to read. I’d honestly rather read my hospital discharge papers. The weird part is how much everybody else seems to love it, because I really don’t get why. I’m honestly wondering if anyone else hates it that much, or if I’m just the one who missed whatever makes it good.

Pride and Prejudice is a true English literary masterpiece

By StillHawk

I finally read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was slow in parts, really engaging in others, and honestly I think it deserves a lot of the praise it gets. It’s mainly about the Bennet family, with Elizabeth Bennet at the center. Mrs. Bennet is trying to get her daughters married off when Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy show up in the neighborhood. The characters felt really well developed, especially Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. The way both of them change over the course of the book is written so well. Their back-and-forth was also the most enjoyable part for me. Austen gives Elizabeth these little comments after events, which I liked a lot. The other characters were pretty clearly drawn too. I wouldn’t say it was easy to read. Austen has this way of writing really long sentences that you almost have to go back over a couple times to fully take them in. But even with that, it felt worth it because of how satisfying her writing is. There are also so many lines from it that people seem to know by heart. Overall, it really does feel like a big achievement in English literature and probably deserves its place.

"Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” Mark Twain

By drifts-teacup2

I kind of hate exclamation points. Like, to me they’re always a bit too much, almost like you’re trying too hard or cracking up at your own joke. This is probably my favorite take though, because I don’t mind them in other people’s writing at all. But when it’s my turn to use them, it feels super awkward for some reason.

Can you tell me how much Jane Austen is historical correct in term of social rules in the georgian era?

By Epilogue825

A lot of writers kind of make up stuff, but I feel like Jane Austen might be more historically accurate—like, was she actually? That said, I’m not sure her way of thinking fits the time period either. People always say the Victorian era was more about strict, puritan-type morals, but she still feels kind of exaggerated to me, especially since this was basically in the last years of 1800.

Just finished Pride and Prejudice for my English class

By smallSparrow6827

I basically binge read the end of this book and I honestly didn’t expect to. I don’t really see myself as a romance novel type—most of the time I’m into sci-fi, and when I’m not reading I’m usually playing sports, working out, listening to rap, whatever—but yeah, somehow I ended up here. Now that it’s over I’m kinda bummed, because by the end I was really getting emotionally attached to the characters, especially Lizzy. Does anyone else get that same sort of “ugh I’m sad it’s done” feeling after finishing Pride and Prejudice (or other novels in general)?

Pride and Prejudice is written in an english I’m unfamiliar with. What should I make out of this paragraph?

By shelfEnzyme

Yeah, so basically what the title says—P&P is in this kind of old-timey English that I’m not really used to. I’ve been looking up a ton of words just to get through the sentences. But I’m stuck on one bit and I can’t quite wrap my head around it: “To no creature had it been revealed, where secrecy was possible, except to Elizabeth; and from all Bingley's connections her brother was particularly anxious to conceal it, from the very wish which Elizabeth had long ago attributed to him, of their becoming hereafter her own. He had certainly formed such a plan, and without meaning that it should effect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively concern for the welfare of his friend.” It’s in the middle of a longer paragraph (if it helps, I can paste the whole thing), but I feel like I get the beginning already. Can someone translate what this part is saying in normal English? Thanks!

Some thougths on Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice

By Proud_Fox70

I watched a really good video about Mr. Collins, and since Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book (and I honestly love basically all the characters), I started typing a whole reply but it turned into a novel, so here I am. One thing I keep noticing is how much everyone feels like a stereotype/caricature. Like Jane is the “perfect” woman type—pretty, calm, kind, never causes trouble. Bingley is the “ideal” rich guy—good manners, charming, always moving around. Elizabeth is the typical young feminist type, kinda intense and sure all men are trash, witty and smart, but also still let’s her own opinions take over (and yeah, she’s obviously pretty, but it’s like the book also treats her as being bothered that she doesn’t think she’s “enough” compared to him). Darcy is the rich snob, handsome but so cold you’re basically annoyed by it. Even Mr. Bennett feels like that resigned lone guy who gets steamrolled by a whole house of women and just gives up because it’s always numbers against him. It’s like they’re all on some exact “type” line, sometimes even to the point where you can see the pattern and go “yeah, I know exactly who you’re supposed to be.” Also, in pretty much every movie Mr. Collins looks like he’s about 40, even though he’s 25 in the book. I don’t know if it’s just that he’s hard to make “silly” in a way that film audiences will instantly get. In the book, you can clock him fast from stuff like the first sentences of his letter, but on screen that kind of details don’t always land. So I guess directors solve the problem by aging him up—because if he’s older, it’s instantly less of a “wait maybe he’s not that bad” situation for Lizzy. And yeah, she would never go for him, but they still need the audience to understand that quickly. So they make him physically unappealing instead of letting the character come off as ridiculous in a more subtle way. Older just makes it easier. And that proposal scene… I don’t read it like he’s falling in love or anything. It’s way more like he’s doing a marriage math problem. When Lizzy basically says she doesn’t like him, he’s more like “okay, same, but we’re in this inheritance mess, your dad could drop dead any second, and I’m a man and you’re a woman and we’re a compatible age, so unless we want to actively make life miserable, how bad can it be?” He even goes out of his way to marry her side of the family to help his own cousins—like it’s a whole business decision. So from his perspective, Lizzy refusing isn’t just “she doesn’t want him,” it’s like she’s not helping her sisters, while he’s trying to help his cousins. That still doesn’t mean he’s right, but I get why he thinks that way. What I like about the whole book (IMO) is that it doesn’t run on “one person is right.” It’s more like both of them are acting reasonably from where they stand, and still clash completely anyway. Like, they can both be thinking logically and it still doesn’t match up. And the letter to Mr. Bennett is honestly hilarious to me. It’s so painfully awkward—like he’s trying to be this big moralizer because he’s clergy, basically thinking “you should know what people are saying” and also “hey, man-to-man, you kinda did this too.” But the whole thing is just way too exaggerated and preachy in a caricature way, like you can almost picture the “worst preacher ever” version of him. It’s funniest when he’s at his most ridiculous.

Feeling dumb trying to read "Pride and Prejudice"

By DesertPage20

I just started Pride and Prejudice and I’m struggling to get through it. I feel like I’m reading the words, not the actual flow of paragraphs, and it’s coming out really choppy in my head. That’s honestly kind of frustrating. I’m only around 20 pages in, and those 20 pages already feel super long, so I’m worried I won’t feel any better as I go since the English probably won’t get more familiar. Am I just a bad reader? Do other people have trouble with older books? It was published way back in 1813, so maybe that’s part of it. I’m about to put it aside and try The Quiet American instead. Also, random note: the “Submit A Text-Post” button/link took me forever to spot. I was starting to think I’d need some secret password from the mods to post.