Finally!
Was that ever a chore.
Overall, I still have no idea why this book is so great according to so many people.
I admire Elizabeth's (the main character) personality in an otherwise too proper (in my opinion) time period.
And, I disagree with those who don't believe that the work lacks any present day relevance. I think that the themes are clearly timeless - social expectations, first impressions, interpersonal relationships, ever changing dynamics, and love are all relevant contemporary themes.
I also respect the work for it's importance as it was penned by a woman at a time when women writers were nearly nonexistent. I appreciate the bird's eye view into the private world of parlors and relationships of the time period.
However, I overall found the characters to lack depth, and the entire novel to be very flat. The story was "okay", but nothing special in my opinion and I still don't understand why this novel is looked at as such a great work.
Perhaps I had built my expectations so high that the work just couldn't compete, or maybe I'm just much more into the classics of the Romantic period. I don't know, but I will not stop here with Jane Austen. I'll at least give her one last try.
My next Austen work has yet to be determined, but hopefully it will be better than Pride and Prejudice.
Mansfield Park, Mansfield Park, Mansfield Park...
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read any of Edith Wharton's work? Like "Age of Innocence" and stuff?
I was thinking that Mansfield Park may be my next attempt...
ReplyDeleteI have not read any Edith Wharton, I take it that you are recommending them?
Oh, hells yes. She's all about discussing propriety and how women had to deal with it at the turn of the 19th century. She's awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe House of Mirth was sort of meh, but is a popular work that lots of people read, and movies have been made from it. But I'd start with something like Ethan Frome, or Age of Innocence. I think I read The Custom of the Country first, and that's what made me fall in love with her. Either that or Ethan. I loved them both, really.
Roman Fever is a later work of hers that I read last. I loved it more than any of the others.