I’m also particularly happy about the novel itself. This has
to be the most enjoyment I’ve received from a reading of it, even though I knew
exactly what was going to happen around every turn of the walking path. Some of
that satisfaction may have come from the verified disappointment that was my second reading of Mansfield Park. Let
me explain: I was a little scared that if Jane Austen had written something
that I found so boring and irritating, perhaps my tastes had changed. Perhaps
Elizabeth Bennet wasn’t as witty as I remembered. Perhaps she was just as
prudish as Fanny Price. Since I found Elizabeth as enjoyable a heroine as I had
before, however, I may have had so much fun this time through at least
partially out of relief.
When I read Pride and
Prejudice for the first time, it was under the recommendation of a friend,
who described it as “light and fluffy” reading. There is little use in denying
that this novel isn’t heavy stuff. There’s no real action or adventure. Nobody’s
life is in real danger at any point. The villains aren’t in a position to
really do much damage unless the protagonists allow them to affect their happiness.
But there are characters that are easy to love. There are
secrets and a few lies. There is wit and banter. And, above all, there is a
supreme use of the English language to tell a simple and believable story.
Light and fluffy it may be, but I turned pages (actually swiped the screen; I
read this as an e-book on my tablet) like never before. I was actually excited
to get to the next part. Excited for Jane and Bingly to fall in love. Excited
to laugh at Mr. Collins and his obsequious devotion to Lady Catherine de
Bourgh. Excited to see Darcy revealed as a kind, generous, worthy companion to
Elizabeth. Excited to see Elizabeth come to recognize this and come to learn to
laugh at herself.
“It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in
possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” is the famous opening
line of Pride and Prejudice, and,
while it may sound like the beginning of a rather common or perhaps even dull
topic, it in fact begins a charming story. Even if this novel’s plot is no
longer full of surprises for me, I still find myself pleasantly surprised by
how much I like it.
A Year of Books that are Older than Me
No comments:
Post a Comment