Book review written by Hermione Murden (Year 11 2020)

Pride and Prejudice follows the daily life of a woman named Elizabeth Bennet who was born into a wealthy family living in England in 1812. It showcases how intricate their society was at the time, while exploring the life lessons that she learns, most prominently the repercussions of judging others. There are many themes present in the novel; Love, status and reputation, gender, family, society and pride and prejudice. 

When a man named Mr Darcy moves into their town a ball takes place to welcome him, everyone is curious about Mr Darcy, as he is wealthy and unmarried. However over the course of the evening people begin to think of him as condescending and proud because he refuses to dance or socialise. When Elizabeth is introduced to Mr Darcy she also begins to despise him. However throughout the novel she learns that your first impressions of someone are rarely ever correct.

I would recommend this novel to people who enjoy classic literature, romance or are looking to challenge themselves by reading a different writing style. This book made me question any preconceived opinions I held about other people, and encouraged me to not make hasty judgments. The themes of pride and prejudice are constantly present in the book – there are many prideful characters due to social standing and many women are so obsessed with this as it is one of the things that were most valued in a woman at the time. The theme of prejudice refers to first impressions and judgments of others rather than race or gender based. Prejudice is a character flaw of Elizabeth, who prides herself on being an accurate judge of character, pride is the obviously possessed by Mr Darcy.

The book communicates that neither of these qualities are necessarily bad when used reasonably, though pride and prejudice may have been the downfall of the two main characters if they had not met each other.