Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
1813

The Summary
Chronicling events in the life of Elizabeth Bennet and her interactions with her rather peculiar family - and, yes, the cool and enigmatic Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy - Pride and Prejudice is a slow-growing romance filled with interconnected webs of acquaintances and various scandals.

The Good
To be perfectly honest, Jane Austen's work is a soap opera waiting to happen.

Within these pages there's romance, melodrama, secret marriages, social schemes, and scandal.  Pride and Prejudice has it all for the Victorian literature lover - but without all the back stabbing and revenge plotting and evil twins discovering.

Well, perhaps there will be some backstabbing.  I can't readily claim Caroline Bingley innocent of any malicious intent - or Lady Catherine, for that matter.

Additionally, beside creating a compelling romance, Austen crafts intriguing and lovable characters who show remarkable and recognizable growth, as well as increasingly human qualities with marked problems and faults.  They're comical, occasionally ridiculous, but familiar and enjoyable.

The Bad
Pride and Prejudice does fall under the rather broad umbrella of Victorian literature.

As such, you know what a pain it can be to read long-winded passages where characters throw their entire vocabulary onto a page.  Granted, Austen is an incredibly skilled writer and she works wonders in her novel; however, she too has the chronic Victorian problem of "over explanation."

More is better, apparently.

The Ugly
No zombies.