In Celebration of Pride and Prejudice Day 2024: 10 Reasons Why I Adore Jane Austen’s Classic Novel

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:

*throws confetti* Pride and Prejudice turns 211 today. Many Jane Austen fans are celebrating #PrideandPrejudiceDay online and at Jane Austen’s House Museum (the most treasured Austen site in the world) in Chawton, England. Please join the party with my humble contribution honoring my love of the novel, its characters, and author.

Pride and Prejudice,  published by Clarendon Press, Oxford in 1949 included illustrations and a replica of the title page from the first edition of 1813.   

Published on January 28, 1813, Austen’s second novel is her most popular with readers and critics alike. In a letter written to her sister Cassandra a few weeks before publication, she has this to say about her new “darling child” in her usual self-depreciating manner:

“Upon the whole, however, I am quite vain enough and well satisfied enough. The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense, about something unconnected with the story; an essay on writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or the history of Buonaparte, or anything that would form a contrast, and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness and epigrammatism of the general style. I doubt your quite agreeing with me here. I know your starched notions.”

Self-doubt before publication is not uncommon among writers and I will not add my own “starched notions” to the fray, only praise! As we well know, the novel was a success, quickly going into a second printing. It has sold over 20 million copies since 1813, inspired other writers, sequels, stage plays, radio productions, TV mini-series, and movies.  

Pride & Prejudice (2005), staring Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy, and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, Universal Pictures & Focus Features.

Renowned for its witty dialogue between Austen’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet and her hero Mr. Darcy, its comical and insightful secondary characters, and its endearing love story, here are 10 reasons why it remains one of my favorite novels, and an evergreen classic for many readers and viewers.

An engraving by Pickering & Greatbatch from chapter 59 of Pride and Prejudice published in the 1833 edition by Richard Bentley, London, in which Elizabeth shares the news with her father that Mr. Darcy was responsible for saving Lydia (and the family reputation) by bringing about her marriage to Mr. Wickham. Note that the Victorian fashions of big sleeves and small waistline reflect fashions of the 1830s. via Wikipedia Commons 

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10 Reasons Why I Adore Pride and Prejudice (spoilers ahead)

1. Tone: just thinking about the witty humor, social reproof, and the biting irony that Austen employs makes me smile in smug satisfaction.
2. Trailblazing Heroine: scholars and readers have praised Austen for her sparkling, modern heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Defiant, she will only marry for love and we admire her for it. How provocative she must have appeared to readers in 1813. Lizzie was a young woman way beyond her time which still resonates strongly with readers today.
3. Fastidious Hero: Austen gave her hero, Mr. Darcy, un-endearing qualities such as arrogance, indifference, and pride at the beginning of the story so he could have a huge character arc after he falls in love with the heroine, Eliza. His remarkable transformation over the course of the novel is the stuff of dreams. What man could ever live up to him? Reality check—this is fiction, so we can live in that fantasy world while we are there and hope it spills into reality.
4. Spikey Banter: Austen created two main characters whose personalities are at odds with each other. Elisabeth is spirited, outspoken, and defiant of social norms, while Mr. Darcy’s reserved noble mien (sense of entitlement), prejudices against the lower classes, and strict adherence to social propriety create an adversarial relationship between the protagonists. This is the playful Austen that sets off emotional fireworks and teases the reader to guess if they will ever reconcile their differences.   
5. Remarkable Secondary Characters: Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine, and George Wickham—odious, officious, and deceitful. Each is equally humorous and alarming, adding critically to the framework of the plot. They represent human foibles that contrast sharply with those of the protagonists and (hopefully) the reader.
6. Innovative Enemies-to-Lovers Plot: credited as the mother of the rom/com, Austen’s hate-to-love story structure in Pride and Prejudice can now be found in many modern romantic comedies. My favorite is the movie, You’ve Got Mail (1998), which includes a reverent nod to Pride and Prejudice in the story.
7. Page-Turning Romance: as a reader, we are never certain if Elizabeth and Darcy can resolve their differences, fall in love, and have their HEA (happily-ever-after). Austen crafted two adversaries who must both learn, grow, and change, before they can find happiness. She keeps us guessing, which propels the plot, making it a page-turner.  
8. Lessons on Life and Love: the takeaway from the story is that it teaches us about human nature in an entertaining way by skillfully revealing the actions and reactions of family, friends, and social acquaintances; and that love can transcend class.  
9. Timeless Story: although Pride and Prejudice was written 211 years ago, Austen’s tale is relatable to modern readers. We can empathize with Elizabeth Bennet and her family’s struggles to find security and happiness in an unfair world, laugh at the deficiencies and inconsistencies in the personalities of her characters, and feel uplifted and relieved by the joyful happy ending.
10. Legacy: as Jane Austen’s most recognizable and popular novel, Pride and Prejudice’s impact on society is irrefutable.      

These are only a few of my reasons why I adore Pride and Prejudice. Did I miss any of your favorites? If so, please share.

Happy Birthday to P&P!

Laurel Ann

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Illustration of Elizabeth & Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, by Annie Rodrigue at moonlight-whisper.com

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ADDITIONAL POSTS ABOUT PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

• Visit our Pride and Prejudice archive
• Which edition of Pride and Prejudice should you read?
• Read our review of Pride and Prejudice

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The illustration at the top of the post of Elizabeth Bennet gazing at the portrait of Mr. Darcy at Pemberley was created by the talented sister team of Kate Alexandra and Lauren Illustrated © 2023 and used by permission. Here is a passage from the novel that places it in context.

“There was certainly at this moment, in Elizabeth’s mind, a more gentle sensation towards the original than she had ever felt in the height of their acquaintance. The commendation bestowed on him by Mrs. Reynolds was of no trifling nature. What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant? As a brother, a landlord, a master, she considered how many people’s happiness were in his guardianship! — how much of pleasure or pain it was in his power to bestow! — how much of good or evil must be done by him! Every idea that had been brought forward by the housekeeper was favourable to his character, and as she stood before the canvas, on which he was represented, and fixed his eyes upon herself, she thought of his regard with a deeper sentiment of gratitude than it had ever raised before; she remembered its warmth, and softened its impropriety of expression.” (Chapter 43)

Images are copyrighted by their respective creators. Text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2024, Austenprose.com is an Amazon affiliate.

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