Re-read for a graduate seminar on Romantic Era women writers at CU Boulder.

Though this is my 5th time through this novel, I find myself delighting more and more in the intricate details. I have to chuckle at myself for falling in love with this relic over and over again, but it is so cleverly written and full of joyful humor that I can't help myself!

Hopefully, I don't have to recommend this read, but if I do - get on it already! ( )

I reread this book for my Berkeley TA-ship, and I'm glad it's a creative writing course where I don't have to grade analytical essays on Austen. I do admire her prose--her dialogue is excellent--but I'm not a fan of P&P (and I hated Northanger Abbey). The marriage plot is barely tolerable, but I enjoyed the friendship of the elder Bennet sisters and Austen's delightful sentences more than I did when I read P&P in high school. Also, the extra material in this edition, like the interview with Colin Firth about playing Darcy in the BBC series, is interesting.

The Norton Critical Edition of Pride and Prejudice is divided into three parts:

1. The novel itself
2. Background and Sources (includes excerpts from various biographies, 17 letters that Austen wrote, and two excerpts from Austen's earlier writing)
3. Criticism (14 excerpts from important scholarly essays on P&P, two essays on "Darcy on film" and three essays on "Class and Money"

As I've read Pride and Prejudice several times already, this time I read only the third section, which was 118 pages long. For the most part the essays were interesting and enlightening, although most of them were very academic.

Recommended for: Austen scholars and readers who want to gain more understanding of P&P.

For fans of the 1995 BBC production, I highly recommend "A Conversation with Colin Firth" by Sue Birtwhistle and Susie Conklin (Sue Birtwhistle was the producer, Susie Conklin has written other historical productions and co-wrote The Making of Pride and Prejudice, where this piece was previously published.)

I recently read The Cambridge Companion to 'Pride and Prejudice', which is similar to the Criticism section in the Norton. I preferred the essays in the Cambridge. However, if you're looking for some criticism and a copy of the actual novel, you can't go wrong with this Norton edition. ( )

TEST
This is the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her family, which includes her parents and her four sisters. Living in England in the early 1800′s, the focus of young women was on who they were to be compatible with and subsequently marry. In the story of this family, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have no male heir to their estate. Subsequently, their home and wealth is slated to go to a cousin, Mr. Collins upon Mr. Bennet’s death. As such, it is seemingly more important to Mrs. Bennet than other mothers to marry off her five daughters as soon as possible to ensure that they are cared for in the event of Mr. Bennet’s passing. The story of Pride & Prejudice starts when a handsome and wealthy man, Mr. Bingley, comes to rent an estate not far from The Bennet Family’s. As he takes possession of this fine rental, the families in the surrounding area buzz with excitement and anticipation that this fine gentleman will choose one of their daughters as a bride. Mrs. Bennet is no exception. At a ball, Elizabeth’s older and beautiful sister, Jane, becomes the object of Mr. Bingley’s affections. It is also at this ball that Elizabeth (“Lizzy”) overhears a handsome stranger, Mr. Darcy, state that she is not “handsome” enough to be considered for a dance with him at the ball. Mr. Darcy is a very wealthy, handsome, and brooding stranger whom Lizzy will soon not be able to avoid. This story takes readers from the time of that ball until well over a year later(...). source: (http://anovelmenagerie.com/)

A book I reread every 5 years and get something new out of it everytime. LH ( )