ENG Book Report Pride And Prejudice

English Book Report

Name: Ngai Hi Lin
Class: 5CW
Group: 5EN01
Name of book: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Black Cat Publishing

Introduction of the author:

Jane Austen was an English novelist of romantic fiction, which always set among the landed gentry. She wrote six novels in total, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. We can usually see biting irony and social commentary in her books, and the plots highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security, which made her as one of the most widely-read writers in English literature and gained her historical importance among scholars and critics.

Summary:

Pride and Prejudice follows the issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry. The story is set at early 19th century, near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire in England. The story begins with the news in the Bennet family that Mr Bingley, a wealthy, charming young bachelor, is moving in their neighborhood. Mrs Bennet is a woman keen on finding rich husbands for her five daughters.

The novel centers on Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the five daughters of Mr Bennet. At a ball they attend, Mr Bingley, contrasted with his friend Mr Darcy as being more kind, is soon well received, while Mr Darcy is rather asocial contributing to make himself a poor impression on the landed gentry of Meryton by appearing excessive proud. Darcy slights Elizabeth, who has a tendency to judge on first impression, however, conducts himself towards her arrogantly and ungentlemanly. Elizabeth overhears part of the landed gentry’s conversation and jokes about Darcy which gained her bad feelings and prejudice against him. In addition, her favorable friend discredit Darcy’s name to deepen her dislike of Darcy.

Nevertheless, Darcy discovers that he is in love with her. After a failure to confess love for Elizabeth and begs her hand in marriage, Darcy alters his attitude towards the others and responds with a letter to her giving a good account of his actions. Surprisingly, when Elizabeth visit Darcy's estate some months later, he is gracious and welcoming, which makes her begins to wonder whether she has misjudged him. Finally, Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is decided when Darcy overcomes his pride, and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice. They change their feelings to each other through better acquaintance, leading them both to fall in love with each other at the end of the story.

Comment:

The content of the book is similar to our life, we can always find out some experience alike. Everyone make such kind of mistakes, we easily judge people by first impression and criticize the others or praise ourselves, doesn’t it? At the time, conflicts then easily come out as a result. The book is talking about this human nature, that why it is deserve reading.

Pride and prejudice are two significant drawbacks that always exist in people’s mind. I would not deny that it is really hard for us to clear these two big devils away from our mind completely, similar to the two main characters in the book. When they first met, Darcy makes a less favorable impression of being over proud on people’s mind, this causes Elizabeth have prejudice against him due to the first impression and overhearing the others, and decides to keep arm’s length to him immediately.

I like one of the famous sentences in the book---’after a pairs of person has the prejudice, then is unable fairly to judge the matter the result’. Such pride and prejudice will cause us to be inability to understand other people truly and deeply. In fact, it is not difficult to get along with the others, everything can happen because of “love”. What a good relationship needs are genuineness and sincereness simply. One will be willing to get along well with you if he or she can feel your kindness. When we are facing someone we do not know well, there is a must to show our politeness but not pride at all. In contrast, we ought to open our heart widely so as to know each one well and have better acquaintance. If we build a wall to resist ourselves with other people, reject to show our heart and thinking, we will gradually be far away from the crowd and finally become more asocial. As a result, we are seen to be an arrogant and proud person in others’ eye as well, like Darcy in the book who are actually kind and is valued by those who know him well, but fail to break his wall to expose himself to people. Elizabeth keeps having prejudice against Darcy, but gradually discovers what he is like actually. Prejudice casts a mist before her eyes, she starts regretting her former attitude and behavior towards Darcy.

Just think clearly for a while, what have we lost and misunderstand because of prejudice and pride? This book tells us it is not correct if we judge the others’ moral conduct by outlook and wealth, while we can know a person only depending on conversation and contact. The best evidence is that we make our good friends o because of first impression, it is depends on the contact between each other after a long time. Do not make any regret or lose someone important because of pride and prejudice. These two devils can make serious problems and troubles in our daily life. Therefore, we have to beware of them and make self-criticism on ourselves frequently so as to correct our mistakes. Then, we can have a well interpersonal relationship for sure. This is a life-long lesson and wisdom we must learn.

Actually, this book also shows the incompleteness of modern education. It teaches us how to get knowledge from books, but it does not teach us controlling our emotions when we deal with some issues, contributing us not to think twice and thus deal with the things emotionally. That’s why we realize that we always make some silly mistakes and feel much regretful afterward.

Moreover, it shows us what a true marriage is. Jane Austen successfully criticized the difference of values such as the amount of wealth and the position in the society, which makes me feel that the book is strongly meaningful and keep thinking while reading. She has written about how the five daughters in the Bennet family deal with their marriage and thus shows the attitude of the girls towards marriage who born in the middle class of villages and towns, so as to bring about her own values of marriage: it is wrong if we marry because of wealth and the position in the society. In the book, Mrs Bennet is a woman lacking in social graces and primarily concerned with finding suitable husbands for her five daughters. Both the writer and I do not agree with her behavior. It shows that the whole society is posed as a culture snob, which is lack of the decision and pursuit of true love. She points out that a true marriage is built up of the sentiments and love between each other. Concentrating on wealth and families of equal standing can only make us look shallow. Jane Austen encourage us to chase our ideal marriage, which is totally different from the marriage in the past in China, that all daughters must listen to our parents and marry the one they choose for them with same families’ standing and satisfied wealth. I agree her point of view. The marriage in the past shows female’s sorrow and poor situation.

In the book, Elizabeth, born in middle class that is not very rich at all, is loved by Darcy who is a man of great wealth. Darcy ignores the difference of wealth and position in the society to propose to her but being rejected. One reason is because of the prejudice Elizabeth has, but another main reason is that she hates his pride as it reflects the big difference of their standing. They can never find their same values and thus an ideal marriage if Darcy still has his pride. Therefore, once Darcy has changed his arrogant manner and Elizabeth does not have prejudice anymore, they can have a successful marriage together finally. The different attitudes of Elizabeth towards Darcy’s proposals of marriage reflect the female’s pursuit of the independence of human nature and the equal rights.