P is for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

(Source) Gratuitous Mr Darcy moment

Hands up who guessed this would be my P? Hands up who thought it might have been my A or J? If you've followed me for any length of time, you can't have escaped my love of this book! It's one of the only things that I can quote from on a regular basis, in context. And usually it's only my sister who understands what I'm talking about. I even made a comment the other day on someone's blog, then deleted it because it was a P and P quote and I sounded nerdy! :-)

(In fact, I'm so nerdy, I know exactly where this photo comes from in the series - do you?)

I first discovered Pride and Prejudice by watching this 1940s version. My overriding memory of the film was being dissatisfied by the conversation between Lizzy and Lady Catherine at the end. The argument happens vaguely as it does in the book, however when Lady Catherine departs, Darcy is waiting for her in the carriage - she tells him that Elizabeth is just the kind of woman she likes, and Darcy should propose to her immediately. Which he then does!

Pah! Even without having ever read Austen before, I just knew this wasn't right. So I bought the book, and the rest is history!

Everything you need to know about Jane Austen,
via Wikipedia

I'm not sure this book ever inspired me to write, but it certainly was one of the few books at the time (16 or 17 years old) which totally captivated me and emersed me in its pages. And, for that, I will always love it.

In the picture - right - the book at the bottom is a gift from work colleagues when I left my job in a college library, directly above it is my annually-thumbed copy and - of course - I have the BBC Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version (first on video, then on DVD, after watching it when it originally aired, in my mum's kitchen with Hubby, who was then just Boyfriend).

P and P led to Sense and Sensibility, which led to Emma. But none has the same pull. In fact, it's been about a year since I last read it, so if you'll excuse me...