I never expected to enjoy Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as much as I did. I owned the book for so long, but I was never motivated to read it. It was recommended to me by a teacher in middle school, but it never piqued my interest until now. Fortunately, it was a Literature Circle choice, so I decided to finally give the book a chance. The novel tells the story of the Bennet family, primarily Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth is the second eldest of five daughters and her father’s favorite child. Elizabeth is presented with various love interests, and she must decide how to deal with this. Mrs. Bennet has always been concerned with finding her daughters a husband. Unfortunately for her mother, Elizabeth is not as concerned with finding a husband, going against social norms. Elizabeth encounters one particular character that will affect her life dramatically: Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is the owner of the Pemberley estate and is often perceived as a proud man, but first impressions may be deceiving. Pride and Prejudice displays the social structures of the time with aspects of romance between the characters.

Though I was dubious at first, my attention was captivated by the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice. I always saw people post comments on social media stating they wished Mr. Darcy was a real person. I never understood this, but now I completely agree. I found the interactions between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to be intriguing and captivating. They were two very distinct characters, and their portrayal in the novel made the story so compelling to read. It was also what made their love genuine; it showed love was not something that happens instantly.  I also appreciated the undertone of sarcasm Austen would often add in the novel. Mr. Bennet would constantly use sarcasm against his wife, but she never seemed to take the hint. The stock characters displaying the stereotypes of men and women in high status also brought up the ridiculous aspects of social structure. I would definitely recommend reading Pride and Prejudice because it was a book I couldn’t put down. This novel might particularly interest AP English students, or anyone looking for a different kind of romance novel.