Pride and Prejudice: The Book

Of course I've read this one before. Like Sense and Sensibility, I read Pride and Prejudice first in high school, but I think I may have reread it at some point in college. I've seen several adaptations, including the 1995 and 2005 versions. Those two are the ones I'm most dreading reviewing because Austen fans tend to choose sides. I have two close friends who are on opposing sides of the 1995 v. 2005 debate, so I'm sure to offend someone at some point!

There can be only one.

My main impression after this reread was that Pride and Prejudice is not as funny as Sense and Sensibility. There is humor, for sure, just not as much and it's not as in your face. Because of this, I wouldn't mind a P&P adaptation that is all drama and no comedy. I noticed plenty of scenes in the book that could be played up very comically, and if any adaptations decided to do that, they had better do a good job of it. It could easily become obnoxious. An adaptation that achieves a perfect balance of humor and drama would really amaze me; I think Austen herself falls on the side of more drama than comedy, at least from the perspective of a modern reader, so finding that balance would be a real coup.

Elizabeth is extremely sassy, which I relate to strongly. I agree with her half-joking assertion to Darcy that he fell in love with her because she talked back to him and no one had ever done that before. In their every encounter, it's clear that he's attracted to her because of her sass (or as Austen would say, her impertinence). I'm not sure how to feel about it, but I know it to be true, so I want this preserved in the film adaptations.

The other part of Elizabeth's personality that is important to me is her silliness. The book describes all five Bennet daughters as pretty much equally silly; Elizabeth just has a little extra cleverness. She doesn't get all aflutter over officers the way Lydia and Kitty do, but she is ready to develop a crush as soon as a true hottie gets to town. And once that hottie starts to notice her, she schemes to spend as much time with him as possible, even going so far as "reminding" Mrs. Bennet to invite him to dinner. I worry that Elizabeth will be portrayed in adaptations as mature and sensible, but she ought to be silly and beau-crazy just like her sisters.

Mr. Darcy's change of attitude surprised me. I remembered from the adaptations that after he explained his actions toward Wickham and Bingley, Elizabeth started to see him in a new light and grew to love him. I did not remember that Darcy took her accusations against his character to heart and made serious efforts to correct his behavior, but that's exactly what happened. She finds him so changed when she sees him at Pemberley that she doesn't know what to make of it, and it is indeed a dramatic alteration. I liked that both Elizabeth and Darcy had to admit fault and change their ways of thinking. It put them on equal ground in a way.

Speaking of Darcy and Elizabeth both admitting fault — in the book, they have the same faults. They both have pride, and they both have prejudice. Just like with Sense and Sensibility, people tend to split the title and take the adjectives as stand-ins for the characters: Elinor is sense, and Marianne is sensibility; Darcy is pride, and Elizabeth is prejudice. That's simply not true. Austen's characters are too complex for strict dichotomies, but leaning into that way of thinking is easy and creates a useful shorthand. I hope at least some of the adaptations avoid falling into that trap.

Adaptation wish list

1. Elizabeth must be sassy.
2. Elizabeth must be silly.
3. Darcy must undergo real and significant change after being rejected.
4. Darcy and Elizabeth must each be guilty of both pride and prejudice.