I am willing to bet whether you have heard of a woman named Jane Austen or not, you have most likely heard of Pride and Prejudice. The novel is often read in high school as a part of the English curriculum, countless university classes, book clubs, plays, movies- you name it (whichever brings you here, welcome)! In fact, “recent statistics reveal that, almost two hundred years after its writing, Pride and Prejudice remains the best loved and most often revisited novel in English” (Schneider). Elizabeth and Darcy take their place among the most famous couples of English Literature.
While Austen’s novels are often characterized as romance, 'chick-flicks', or any other synonym for the term women-only, I dare disagree. A vast majority of the critics who study Austen are men. Yes, she does write about love; yes, she does write about female heroines; yes, many of her characters do live happily-ever-after; but beyond all of that, she writes about life and people in all their virtues and follies. Austen gives her reader an autherntic outlook into England's Regency (1795-1820). She criticizes Britain for its abuse of women, and teachers her characters (often tough) lessons to achieve reshaped social morals. Love is present in the novel, along with jealousy, pride, hypocrisy, happiness, sadness, passion, satire, wit, and just undeniable brilliance. Pride and Prejudice explores the moral and social conditions of life in the Regency, which are still relevant to our own time (Gao 388). Perhaps you know someone who resembles Miss Bingley, Wickham, or even the satirical Mr.Collins. Pride and Prejudice critics and portrays the heart of human behavior. Austen knew exactly how to read us, and she was as frank as the early Nineteenth Century allowed her to be. These characters are embedded in our society, and have been for centuries, whether we’d like to admit it or not.