Public reader discussion about Pride and Prejudice in the WeRead Catalog by Austen, Jane.
By hiddenDeer60
Pride and Prejudice is honestly one of my all-time favorites, but this part made me laugh a bit because it feels so accurate. It’s basically just a lot of people showing up at each other’s places.
By DraftSteady
This month’s Gutenberg pick is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. From Goodreads: Ever since it first came out in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has stayed one of the best-known English-language novels. Austen even called it “her own darling child,” and said Elizabeth Bennet was “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.” The whole thing with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is basically a really sharp romantic back-and-forth, and Austen’s wit really pops as everyone gets tangled up in flirting and intrigue, making it feel like the ultimate Regency comedy of manners. I’ve never read this one before, so I’m pretty excited to see what everyone thinks and join in the talk! Here’s the reading plan: Friday, September 9: Chapters 1 - 17 September 16: Chapters 18 - 32 (or Volume II, Chapter 9) September 23: Chapters 33 - 46 (Volume II, Chapter 10 - Volume III, Chapter 4) September 30: Chapters 47 - 61 (Volume III, Chapters 5 - 19) Marginalia Project Gutenberg download
By beanBrush1980
“Everyone knows this” kind of thing—still funny, but yeah, it’s pretty true.
By reason_delta
With all the talk about the new Netflix show lately (and it’s kind of funny how people are going after Mr. Darcy when Elizabeth did the same thing at first, before she actually knew him), I figured I’d throw in my two cents. I’ve been really enjoying this manga version—it's genuinely cute and fun. It does stray from the original story, but it feels like those other takes where things shift a bit, not totally random. I also loved the art style and how the characters look on the page. Chapter 11 especially—there’s this awesome two-page spread with basically everyone together. I’m a big Pride and Prejudice fan. I haven’t gone through every single movie/show/book version, but I’ve definitely tried a lot of them. Anyway, I grabbed it at Barnes and Noble and I’d recommend it to any other P&P fans.
By story_path
Just finished the book today and I really liked it. After that I went and watched the movie like I said I would. The movie does have some good stuff—the sets looked amazing, the music was great, and the acting felt really solid. I actually liked Mary more in the movie than in the book, and honestly she’s the only character I preferred in movie form. But most of the cast felt kind of flattened. Mary comes across way less like her book self, and other characters like Mr. Gardiner and Colonel Fitzwilliam don’t really seem to matter. Wickham barely registers either. It felt like the film only grabbed the big moments and skipped most of the in-between, which made everything feel kind of shallow. Like with Lydia—the conflict is a small, not-that-important blip in the movie, but in the book it’s a huge deal that really messes with the whole family. I also kept feeling like certain things didn’t fully make sense unless I already knew the book. And Elizabeth’s internal thoughts being left out is a big loss; without that, I don’t know if you’d totally get what she’s feeling or how she changes. I’m guessing a lot of my problems come down to the medium. Pride and Prejudice probably fits way better as a miniseries. Something like 6–8 hour episodes would give the story room. A movie just doesn’t have enough time for the characters and plot to land properly. If they’d added maybe another hour, I think it could’ve worked better, just enough to build up those main events. If it were longer than that, though, I feel like it would be painful to sit through, so I’m not sure. Overall though, it was a decent effort. I wouldn’t recommend it and I definitely won’t rewatch, but I did enjoy watching it. I’d say it’s a 5/10—what did you all think?
By marginPause
I always end up rereading her stuff, because it feels like every time there’s something new (or at least something I missed before) to latch onto. This go-round a couple lines popped out again. The one that got me most was when Mr. Collins is about to propose to Charlotte—there’s this quick little poke at how ridiculous he’s going to keep being. The bit about him feeling almost secure but being “comparatively diffident” just makes it so… dry and mean. Like he’s never going to be genuinely modest or anything, but if he’s embarrassed then suddenly he’s only 1% less awful. And of course he still blunders right on and makes another proposal to someone else not long after. And I also love the familiar Mrs. Bennet/Bingley riding up moment—after Lydia’s run-off, when Lizzy is torn and kind of hoping but also confused. The way that line lands where Elizabeth goes to the window, sees Mr. Darcy with him, and then just sits back down again with her sister—honestly, the timing is so perfect it’s ridiculous. It’s all pace and punctuation. (Also, it feels like it backs up my whole “Jane isn’t a pushover” thing: she’ll do what she thinks is right, even if it’s stubborn, she just has more faith in people and way more patience.)
By SceneBundlet
I just did a reread of most of Jane Austen and then, because that still wasn’t enough, I checked out a bunch of adaptations too. I went through Amanda Grange’s *Mr. Darcy’s Diary* and Pamela Aidan’s trilogy (*An Assembly Such as This*) and I really liked both of those. But then I read Maya Slater’s *Mr. Darcy’s Diary* and I was pretty let down. It felt like she got basically everyone wrong, especially Darcy and Miss Bingley. I honestly had to push myself to finish it. And after that I tried *Pemberley* by Emma Tennant—yeah, that one was not good. I was so annoyed by it I could barely get through the pages. So if you’re looking for decent Austen adaptations, I wouldn’t start with those two. Anyway, I guess I’ll just move on to the other diaries Amanda Grange wrote… *Mr. Knightley*, here I come!
By cell_button54
It feels like a lot of people basically only know Jane Austen through Pride and Prejudice, so they judge her as a writer off that one book. But I think they really miss a bunch of stuff, like: - The really solid, morally-minded characters she writes—P&P has some of it, but Elinor, Anne, Fanny, and even Mr. Knightley feel more steady and principled to me. Jane sometimes comes off a bit too passive compared to that. - How she can take women who are flawed (selfish, rude, whatever) and still make them oddly likeable—Emma and Mary Crawford are the first ones I think of. - Just how much she can do funny/witty stuff. P&P is witty too, but it feels way more upfront in Emma and Northanger Abbey. - The men who are actually good to the woman the story’s centered on—Mr. Knightley, Tilney, Col. Brandon, and Captain Wentworth (at least before everything in the book happens), plus Edward. - Also, she’s not really one of those “enemies to lovers” authors. That kind of setup mostly only stands out for me in P&P. - Most of her stories don’t make romance the main thing all the way through—Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and even Sense and Sensibility and Emma (they do have romance, but it’s not the only focus). - And personally, her most mature love story is Persuasion. - Plus her most clever book is Emma (I’ve got a whole post on why I think that, if anyone’s curious). Is there anything else people overlook?
By draft_arch
I’ve been wanting to get into Austen for a while, mostly because I usually love the film versions of her stuff (especially P&P and Emma). People always say Pride and Prejudice is her best and the best starting point, but I’ve tried a few times and the writing just hasn’t pulled me in yet. The main thing is I can’t really get used to the old style, and so far it feels like I’m mostly stuck with conversations I barely understand that don’t seem to move anything along. I really want to enjoy it, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing what everyone else is seeing. I just finished Wuthering Heights too, and that was a whole struggle on its own. I do want to like classics in general, but I haven’t found one that I’ve genuinely clicked with.
By skyValley
I know I’ve got plenty of flaws, but I don’t think it’s really that I’m lacking in understanding. The one I can’t be sure about is my temper, though—I feel like I’m not very flexible, and it doesn’t make things easy for other people. I also don’t seem to shake off what others do wrong as quickly as I’m supposed to. If someone hurts me, I don’t just brush it off, and I don’t get carried away by little attempts to sway my feelings. If anything, I guess I come off as kind of resentful. And once my opinion of someone goes, it’s gone for good.
By story_fish
I went into this with a little bit of nerves, honestly. I usually don’t read fanfic at all, except for *Scarlett* (the sequel to *Gone With the Wind*). But I was actually pleasantly surprised by this one. The hardest part was getting over my own bias 😂 Once I did, I ended up really enjoying it. Now I’m looking for recommendations for more stories that pick up with Pride & Prejudice characters and keep going from there.
By frozen_maple
Lately my mom and I have been going through a bunch of Pride and Prejudice type movies—like Bride and Prejudice, An American in Austen, Austenland, all that. Any recommendations for other takes on the story or movies with a similar vibe/theme?
By ivory-lynx67
Not sure about the poll—maybe I’m missing something, but I can’t really vote on it.
By Sunny_Poppy
I do think the 2005 movie looks and sounds amazing—great cinematography, music, and the performances are solid—but as an adaptation I’m not convinced. A lot of it feels way too over-the-top for me. Like the first proposal should be in that sort of bright, relaxed drawing-room setting, not happening out in the rain in a gazebo. And the Bennets don’t really match the landed gentry situation—this version feels closer to those wealthier farmer vibes like Robert Martin. Also Lady Catherine visiting Lizzy at night instead of in the afternoon, and the second proposal with Darcy just strolling across the field with his shirt hanging open… I’m sorry, that doesn’t read as romantic to me. On top of that, I’m not sure about how they handle Darcy. He’s meant to be proud and then slowly learn to be more courteous over the story, but when he comes off as socially awkward or shy it kind of waters down that whole arc for me. Curious what everyone else thinks though—because I still enjoy the movie itself, I just have a bunch of issues with it sticking to the book.
By lunar_old1979
I really don’t see the appeal of this book at all. It felt dull, overly formal, and moved so slowly I had to keep pushing myself to stay focused. The writing and dialogue are so dense that I’d read a page and then realize none of it stuck, though I guess that may have been normal for the period. And honestly, the actual story just seemed to be upper-class women either whining about their husbands or stressing over getting one. It’s probably unfair, but it honestly gave me the same kind of vibe as watching one of those “Real Housewives of ___” shows. My wife said it’s meant as a satire/commentary on how limited women were back then, and I can see that. I suppose Austen was showing how little control women had over their lives and social standing in that era. Still, these are people who are fed, sheltered, and comfortable while the rest of England in the early 1800s was dealing with war, famine, and all kinds of survival problems. So I’m left wondering what I’m not getting here.
By dreamyolive31
I kind of don’t buy the whole idea that it has to be that miserable, doomed gothic romance where the hero gets punished instead of getting the girl. To me, Rochester doesn’t really come off as some villain who has to be hit with consequences for his “sins” like that.
By Silent-Fox2002
Honestly, I’m just here for anything Jane Austen—her novels, her short stories, and all the different adaptations too. I don’t really know how I ended up in this rabbit hole, but I’m not leaving.
By amberfrog40
I’m gonna be honest, I first grabbed this because I had this dumb idea that girls would like guys who read romance. Still no girlfriend though, so apparently you need more than that... like confidence and, you know, actually talking to women. I wasn’t even into romance before. The whole reason I ended up there was because my sister had Little Women on and I was like “wait, is that Christian Bale???” so I sat down and watched it with her. Then later I picked up Pride and Prejudice like I said. That was back in September 2023. I really liked the jokes, but I stayed because Lizzy and Darcy just had such good back and forth. I remember ripping through it up until about the middle because I was super into it. Then the big reveal happens and somehow I just stopped caring as much. There were a bunch of reasons it took me forever to finish. It was my last year of college, and I was stressed out enough that I couldn’t really focus on anything. I also hated how dense the writing felt and how the plot would just wander around forever. I just wanted more Lizzy and Darcy, man. It’s been months since I graduated but my reading speed still sucks. Job hunting was stressing me out too. I did start reading more on the train though, and eventually I got through it. My only gripe, and maybe this is unfair since it took me so long, is that the book feels like it keeps switching between Elizabeth’s POV and just being some kind of old-time event report. I really didn’t like the parts where it’s basically like “and then they talked, and then they left, and the next day they talked again, and left.” Like... why? I want the scenes, stop skipping over the good stuff. Collins gets pages and pages for his speeches and Mrs. Bennet rambling, but Charlotte, Lizzy’s best friend, shows up to congratulate her on getting married and we get basically nothing? Still, I loved it, annoying bits and all. My sister says I should read Frederica by Georgette Heyer next. Hopefully that one moves a little faster. TL;DR: it took me way too long to finish a classic, so my opinion might be a little warped. Colonel Fitzwilliam is the GOAT. He shows up, gives Lizzy a fever, and then just disappears forever.
By cafehorse
I saw that “literary snob” post from back then and it stuck with me. It feels like some people are really drawing a line between “real literature” and “historical fiction,” but I’m not sure I buy that. Still, it’s also weird because a bunch of classic stuff would probably get shoved into “historical fiction” depending on how you define genres, and that doesn’t feel right either. Am I missing something?
By delta-hare91
I keep wondering this too: if you ignore personal preferences, what is it about this particular book that so many people love, even though her other novels feel totally different? I’ve been trying to pin down why P&P hits so hard for most of her fans, and two things keep popping into my head. First, it kind of reads like chick lit—funny, easy to get into, and still light even with the scandal. It’s just so enjoyable. I remember her saying she wanted more tragedy or something serious for it… and honestly, thank goodness she didn’t. Second, compared to her other heroes, I feel like Mr. Darcy comes off more like a “simp” (in a good way). He actually does things for Elizabeth’s sake, and it’s not just some distant prince-charming vibe. In a lot of her other stories, the male leads don’t really get those moments or that kind of plot/action in the same way. Like, the way he helps Elizabeth’s sister because of her feels really dramatized, and that’s what makes the whole thing so swoony. If that little element were cut, and his “change” was justified in some other less dramatic way, I feel like his reformation wouldn’t land as charmingly. And maybe a lot of his appeal would be gone. Also, her secondary/minor characters here are way more interesting than in a bunch of her other novels. Even when they feel a bit one-dimensional sometimes, it still makes the whole book better. Would love to hear what other people think—am I way off?