A Truth Particularly (and only Partially) Acknowledged
Full Disclaimer : upon writing this post, I have not finished P&P. I’m at the half-way mark and wanted to put down my thoughts thus far.
What makes a classic a Classic? It’s a question people have always asked. Over a decade ago, I belonged to a small book group and it was that question that people continually asked me. I was their token English major and it was considered a topic that I - of all people - should have an answer to.
The truth is, I don’t. It’s a topic that did crop up in a few of my classes but the answer was always the same : A Classic is a novel that has, in some way, remained thematically relevant over time, despite changes in culture. Yes, yes : very ambiguous answer to be sure but it has a point. It also raises another and, in my opinion, more interesting question : what exactly ARE these Universally Relevant Themes that transcend space and time?
Love/Hate
Good/Evil
Duty/Desire
Peace/War
Art/Chaos
Heaven/Hell
Sense of Self/Place in Community
You could name a few more I’m certain. These dualities are ever-present in human existence. So many things have changed, shifted, even in just the handful of years since I sat in that wonderful book group. There are topics that people claim aren’t as solid as we once thought (that’s debatable). And some people may think that existentialism laid waste to each and every one of them. For those of us who hold fast to the belief that there are absolute laws of nature and a belief in the superiority of good, old fashioned Common Sense, these themes are, and always will be, intricate parts of the Human Experience.
It’s to these themes, ideas and ideals that I look when I read anything considered a Classic. They help me stay focused when the language gets a bit circuitous and the conventions of the day get a bit tedious. And I must, in good faith, be absolutely honest with you : I find these two things to be hindrances to my ultimate enjoyment of a staple of the Classic Literature World : Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Don’t hate me.
I like it. I really do. There are many laugh out loud scenes that had me in stitches, most of them presided over by Mr. Bennett (a saint among men for certain). As stated above, I’m only half way through the novel at present but I’m lost seeing Elizabeth as the main character. From my view, the main character is the Plot itself : the precise manners of the day, the methodology of how people are approached and how events are maintained as well as the extreme importance that class, society and status had during Elizabethan times.
That’s not a bad thing and it’s not a criticism. It’s an interesting way to approach a story. The first of Ms Austen’s novels I ever read was Northanger Abbey (which I reviewed HERE) and it was most definitely the tale of Catherine Morland. I adored her and Mr Tilney and rooted for them from the moment they met! While the language was a bit repetitive and long-winded (as all novels from that time period are), I was pulled into the story right away and was swept along for the entire ride.
With Pride and Prejudice it’s been … different. To say I’m consumed with the plot would be a lie. I haven’t been grabbed and swept away with the prose or the story line. I’m not saying I don’t like it : I do! I’m saying that in a way, I’m a bit disappointment by my own reaction to it thus far. And I have to wonder : is it because P&P is so ubiquitous to our culture that it’s impossible to NOT know how the story ends before you read it.
Here’s another shocker : I’ve never watched a P&P film. Nope. Not a one. Why? Because I wanted to read the novel BEFORE watching an adaptation. And despite the fact I’m not swooning (at least, not yet), I’m still glad that I’ve held fast to that commitment. I’m in it for the long haul, Dear Reader. Fear not! And I expect as the story progresses, now that we’ve got that LOATHSOME Mr Collins to stop proposing to Elizabeth, I might just enjoy it even more.
The plot, I do believe, shall soon thicken and I know enough about the tale to know that a certain Mr Wickham is due back any page now to prove to me that he really is a despicable piece of [insert Elizabethan appropriate expletive here]. I am, despite my initial less that enthusiastic reception, looking forward to the remainder of the ride.
Now, let me give you some good news :
I adore Elizabeth. Anytime I’ve taken those silly little quizzes online that say, “Which Jane Austen Character Are You” guess who I always get. Yes. It’s Miss Bennett. I adore her straightforwardness and her rash judgements and her theatrics. I do not like her ability to quickly despise one person and yet adore another and refuse to change her mind about the former simply because the latter appears in a more appeaseable package. I’m excited to see how things pan out with her.
And no reading review of P&P is complete without a word or two about everyone’s favorite heartthrob : Mr Darcy.
At his first appearance in the novel, I wrote a note beside the paragraph :
“Mr. Darcy is an ass and I love him.”
This is true. He’s fantastic from the word go. I love his aloofness. I love how he’s so disinterested in Ms Bingely’s overt flirtations and I think his (let’s face it) infatuation with Elizabeth and subsequent horror that she’s “below his status” is a hilarious war I can just imagine being fought through his facial expressions, physical gestures and attempts to engage her in polite, civil conversation without betraying his “misplaced” feelings.
Yeah. I suppose I do have a favorite and I am unashamed.
In the coming weeks, I’ll finish P&P so stay tuned for another post with my final thoughts on the novel. I’m looking forward to finally being able to say, “I read it!” and THEN I can sit down and watch a film version or two and I’m convinced that will show me the truth behind the obsession that I feel I’m kinda missing out on.
Tell me: have you read Pride and Prejudice? How did you like it? Do you read it every year? Did you see the films before reading it? Do you love it? Hate it? Think Mr Collins needs a swift kick to the teeth?
And the most important question of all :
do you picture Mr Darcy as Collin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen or another actor entirely?
I won’t reveal my image of Mr D until the final post :)