Pride and Prejudice?

Question

Why do so many people like this book. I have attempted it 3 times and get so bored with those rich people. What am I missing that makes it so good. I would like to understand because I understand that a lot of books have been written to further the story.

Answer 1

Those rich people arent rich.....you have people that used to be rich but are now poor (knowing that an old cousin bugger wants to marry any one of their daughters, just so they can keep their house) but still live in the family home, with 4 daughters of near marrying age. The parents would like them to be marying rich BUT the father quite rightly prefers that his daughters be happy. The mother is less inclined to love and more about re-establishing a fortune for her girls.

The girls have different characters...all intelligent in their way but....either shy, lively, stupid or simple. Pride and prejudice is about Lizzy meeting a man...who sees through the BS and puts her down at first. She takes that as gospel but finds out he is actually kind and helpful. He sees her as a gold-digger because of her moms ways but falls inlove anyway. They both get to know each other and boom...properly inlove despite themselves. Though in the series...its not clear if his finances didnt sway her in the end....it didnt.....it was just icing on the cake..

It is intriguing...and funny in places.....enriches you about times when women were courted and didnt have sex pre-marriage. If you have low tolerance of reading....get it on DVD or watch it on TV because it is surprisingly addictive...old school Four Weddings and a Funeral..Victorian style. The scenery and costumes were cool too.

Answer 2

It is really a romantic comedy and quite funny in parts.
Not everyone in the story is rich, the Bennet family for instance. The comedy comes from Mrs Bennet trying to marry off all her daughters to any rich men available.
I read this when i studied English Literature in college and really enjoyed it. But perhaps if you are finding it hard to understand you need to get a study guide book to outline the story and characters, and maybe watch one of the film or tv adaptations of the novel. Even Bridget Jones's Diary was inspired by Pride And Prejudice.
Admittedly the language may be a bit 'flowery' and hard to follow at first, but once you know what its all about i'm sure you would enjoy it.

Answer 3

Just because people say you should like it doesn't mean you will. I also found it difficult to read because I didn't connect to the characters, and I thought the language was boring. If your heart is set on trying Jane Austen, perhaps you should try Northanger Abbey instead. The main character, Catherine, is from a poor family and gets an opportunity to visit the city of Bath with a friend's family. You might find this one more your style. The language is still in Austen's mode, but maybe you'll connect with this character.

Answer 4

Sometimes it takes getting a little further into a book to really find its charm. I was reading Corelli's Mandolin and was not at all into it, until suddenly it really grabbed me and I couldn't put it down. I finally finished it at 6:00 in the morning after having read all night. You should do either one of two things - either give it a chance and push through it to see if it's something you're going to love, or give it up as a lost cause and find something you do enjoy. Unless you're reading it for class, I'd pick the second choice. Life is to short to read books you don't like. I've been trying to get through War And Peace for years, but I keep getting distracted.

Answer 5

Much of the point of P & P is that the Bennets are not rich, in fact they are nearly broke. However their position in the society of the time demanded that they not engage in "trade" which was held to be demeaning. That meant that father Bennet could not work for a living. Single women of the gentry did not work, not by any means if they wished to remain gentry.

So mother, who is in some respects a rather silly woman is anxious to marry off her tribe of girls to whatever male with a private income she can find.

It is also about the approach of the older two daughters to real maturity.

Answer 6

First, it was written by a woman writer who brought her considerable talent into the portrayal of the characters. It is satirical, humourous, romantic. Besides, it was an accurate portrayal of the society of her times.

Answer 7

I want to know too, coz I have tried to read it a couple of times, but I couldn't stand even reading past the fourth chapter.