What would you say is the reading comprehension level of 'Pride and Prejudice'?

Question

because i want to know whether or not im getting dumber.. because i used to read on a post-highschool reading level and have never had trouble (barring the time i tried to read a Tale of Two cities while in the 7th grade.. i gave up quickly) reading and understanding books... but that book threw me round the loop! I understood the basic plot and what was happening throughout the story.. but i had to go slow and reread alot of stuff and read back and do alot of work to keep it in my head.. basically though, after about the time Lydia runs off i had not trouble. But the most of the beginning, the dialogue and sentence structure had me soo confused!

Answer 1

I'd say the reading level is motivated high school student.

I think there are two confusing aspects of this novel. First, there are many characters. Keep track (on a separate piece of paper, maybe your bookmark?) of who belongs to what family. That should help a lot. Include the names of their houses, estates, or towns of residence.

And secondly, in the conversations, Austen assumes that her reader is able to figure out which character is saying which line of dialogue. This is a difficult problem for many readers. There are usually only two speakers. Figure out who is saying what, and things should clear up.

And about Austen's use of "-----shire" for place names: It was just a convention (customary practice) that writers of her time used, possibly to make the novel seem more real, that the author didn't want to identify an actual place. Don't let it bother you.

If you try it a second time, knowing a little about the characters, you will understand it much more easily.

There must be something to this story, for it to have been made into so many films and TV adaptations.

Happy reading!!!

Answer 2

I would say probably eighth grade or high school. Don't feel bad though because it is difficult to read even for those past high school. It's because of the way she writes...it's just not the way we think our thoughts these days. I remember reading paragraphs and saying "huh?" and going back and re-reading too. It just takes a little longer to get through P&P but it is an excellent read! :)

Vicky

Answer 3

that can be a very hard book to read. especially if you were always a good reader and have become a lazy reader. It takes lots of effort to read it but i think that it is worth it.