Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
189 pages
published in 1813

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Perhaps the most famous opening sentence in English fiction and which witty tone holds true for the rest of the book. Pride and Prejudice is usually described as a "comedy of manners", which some people regard as a euphemism for "romance novel. This misses a nuance though. A comedy of manners concerns itself not just with romantic relationships, but with all sort of relationships between people. In the case of Pride and Prejudice, while romance is a central part of the story, it's not the only part. It's not just about "boy meets girl and they fall in love". It's also about class, position in life, proper behaviour and family.

I read this mainly on the instignation of my girlfriend, a dedicated Jane Austen fan. It cost me some trouble finishing it. I'm not sure why. The way Pride and Prejudice is written is surprisingly modern, the language used clear, understandable and without the pomposity and archaic air of some later, 19th century writers. Yet still it took me longer to read then books of a similar length usually take me. Perhaps this was because I read it piecemeal, during commutes and lunchbreaks, instead of sitting down for it and reading it in one go. I have the feeling that the latter method works better with this book and in fact I did read the last quarter or so in one installment, quicker then the previous three quarters.

The main protagonist is Elziabeth Bennett, one of five daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, for whom have to be found suitable husbands. their father is not rich enough to provide for them and Mrs. Bennett after his death and to make manners worse his estate was entailed to a distant relation in the absense of a male heir. It is then not very remarkable that the coming of a marriageable young man to the district, as alluded to in the opening sentence, should be cause for much agitation.

For Elizabeth, the main cause of agitation is not as much the aforementioned young man, Mr Bingly, as his friend, mr. Darcy. Darcy is a cold, aloof snobbish man whom she dislikes instantly and the feeling seems to be mutual. In his case however, it quickly evolves into something else, something like love, if grudgingly.

This is the central plot thread of the story, around which a number of subplots are twisted, reinforcing the theme of the novel, of the importance of marriage and love. In one subplot the distant relative to which the estate of mr. Bennett will fall turns up out for marriage to a suitable young lady and who finds one willing to do so not out of love, but because that way she is provided for. In another one of Elizabeth's younger sisters elopes with her lover, shaming the family unless the two are married quickly.

Unlike a modern romance novel, underlying all the romance in here is a hard truth of economics, of marriage being the only option for a young lady, of having to marry to be provided for, of having to maintain one's social position or better it by marriage. The modern notion of romantic love as the only acceptable reason for marriage is not to be found here; even the characters who do marry out of love are quit clear on the social and economic aspects of marriage too. This may make it somewhat harder for a modern reader to get underneath the skin of the characters, as I found.

However, the characters do ring true. All of them are fully realised people, with their own foibles and strengths and Elizabeth Bennett in particular is wonderful. the other aspects of the book are done very well too: the pacing is just right, never slacking and the dialogue is sharp and witty. The general tone of the book is light, but serious. There's plenty of humour in the depictions of some of the secondary characters, some of which are broad satires. There's for instance the reverend Collings, with his insistance on doing the Proper Thing and his fawning respect for his social superiors. It's this satire which is responsible for the reputation for wittiness Pride and Prejudice has.

All in all this book lived up nicely to its reputation.