"He is proud, She is prejudiced; it works." - Sheldon Cooper

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's true what they say about how you learn something new each time you read a book. I've read this book several times, in different phases of my life. This is my favorite Jane Austen novel; and Jane Austen is one of my all time favorite authors. Sometimes I wish I knew her in person and we were friends because she is my favorite kind of woman; witty as hell, with oodles of dry humour and an ability to laugh at people and situations that would depress the best of us.

Like most people, the highlight of Pride and Prejudice for me has always been Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy's chemistry, intellectual sparring and sigh inducing romance. Sheldon Cooper put it aptly when he said, " He is proud, she is prejudiced; it works." However, when I read the book this time round, it filled me with melancholy. Sure I laughed at the funny parts, Darcy's proposal to Lizzy gave me goosebumps yet again and I smiled through their courtship in the final few pages, but this time round I saw beyond the sparkle and could truly appreciate what a commendable woman JA really was.

So many women wish they were born in Regency England and lived the romantic life depicted in Austen's novels. I've learnt from her books that being born a woman during that time, in that setting, was one of the worst fates imaginable. Women who don't snare a man, any man are better off dead as the life of spinsters belonging to the gentry of that time is nothing short of the most evil curse. My heart went out to Charlotte Lucas who in complete awareness chose to spend her life with the utterly insufferable Mr. Collins than risk remaining unmarried. The Bennet estate is entailed on Mr. Collins for lack of a male heir and if the Bennet girls are not married in their father's life time, they are sure to be destitute. Little wonder then, Mrs. Bennet is shameless and most uncouth in her attempts to get husbands for her daughters; their survival depended on it. Imagine not being able to inherit property or have a career, so a woman can support herself. A woman is validated and deserves to be part of society only if she is chosen by a man for a wife. And after marriage, she will have to depend on the man for the rest of her life, even if she has a decent fortune, because her fortune is at the disposal of her husband. In desperation, if a woman chooses the wrong man, then she suffers for the rest of her life but still feels blessed that she is married and not a spinster.

Jane Austen died a spinster in her mid thirties. One can only imagine what life must have been like for her. Despite this, she managed to laugh at the injustices and absurdities of people around her. She wrote stories of love with happy endings. She taught many of us the correct use of English language. Her life may have been far from ideal but she has left a legacy that will be cherished for all times.





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