"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." One of the most famous first lines in literary history. Thus we begin our final Jane Austen book, Pride and Prejudice. The book is simply a delight. Is it my favorite Jane Austen novel? I can hardly tell. I suppose my favorite might possibly change with my mood or the season of life I happen to be in. It is certainly one of the easiest Austen novels to pick up and read. So much wit and irony! So much Mr. Darcy! The beautiful grounds of Pemberley. The shelves in the closet at Hunsford. I could go on and on. Pride and Prejudice is not only filled with love and romance, but with humor. Humor that makes one smile to oneself or even to laugh out loud! Mr. Bennet himself provides ample to smile at, especially when he is provoking his wife. And who could not give a little snort of laughter over Mrs. Bennet proclaiming, "Those who do not complain are never pitied." I believe I could come up with a quote for every character that best suits their personality! I love what Jane Austen wrote about Elizabeth Bennet...
"I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, & how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know." Jane Austen in a letter to Cassandra, on Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet, January 29, 1813
Yes, Jane, we do like Lizzy.
We had much to talk about during our Conversations with Jane meeting. My own book looked like one big sticky flag. There were favorite quotes, new discoveries, and even some talk of why Seth Grahame-Smith might have made the choices he did in the ridiculous (and repulsive) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I don't know if Sharon is ever going to forgive me for making her read that, she is still offended that Mr. Grahame-Smith took such liberties :) We all found it funny that the notes in the Insight Edition of Pride and Prejudice mentioned the only failing of the book to be the absence of the scene where Darcy gets out of the pond dripping wet LOL! For myself, I tried to flag things that I had missed before or quotes other than the ones we say all the time. I found that Lydia Bennet was taller than her sisters and Mr. Darcy smiles much more in the book than the movies portray. Then there was Mr. Bennet. His character has to be one of my favorites. Many times I found myself marking his quotes. One of my favorites, "If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it." Another quote of Mr. Bennet's is one that I told the girls I hope they all hear from their Daddy's on their wedding day, "I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy." Mr. Bennet is awesome!
We just managed to squeeze in the Pride and Prejudice crossword puzzle from this site here. The girls found it easier than the Sense and Sensibility one we did in the fall. They were also slightly less competitive. Please check back for their favorite quotes and blog projects. The girls' creativity is just delightful!
"I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, & how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know." Jane Austen in a letter to Cassandra, on Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet, January 29, 1813
Yes, Jane, we do like Lizzy.
We had much to talk about during our Conversations with Jane meeting. My own book looked like one big sticky flag. There were favorite quotes, new discoveries, and even some talk of why Seth Grahame-Smith might have made the choices he did in the ridiculous (and repulsive) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I don't know if Sharon is ever going to forgive me for making her read that, she is still offended that Mr. Grahame-Smith took such liberties :) We all found it funny that the notes in the Insight Edition of Pride and Prejudice mentioned the only failing of the book to be the absence of the scene where Darcy gets out of the pond dripping wet LOL! For myself, I tried to flag things that I had missed before or quotes other than the ones we say all the time. I found that Lydia Bennet was taller than her sisters and Mr. Darcy smiles much more in the book than the movies portray. Then there was Mr. Bennet. His character has to be one of my favorites. Many times I found myself marking his quotes. One of my favorites, "If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it." Another quote of Mr. Bennet's is one that I told the girls I hope they all hear from their Daddy's on their wedding day, "I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy." Mr. Bennet is awesome!
We just managed to squeeze in the Pride and Prejudice crossword puzzle from this site here. The girls found it easier than the Sense and Sensibility one we did in the fall. They were also slightly less competitive. Please check back for their favorite quotes and blog projects. The girls' creativity is just delightful!
~Angel
