Wednesday 18 April 2012

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...

42 comments:

  1. Love, love, love P&P. Great choice for "P." I love Colin Firth, too.

    Michelle :)
    www.michelle-pickett.com/blog

    ReplyDelete
  2. DUDE. That 1940s version would NOT work for me. LOL. Lady Catherine's meant to be an old hag!

    I love the BBC version most of all. Colin Firth ROCKED as Darcy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really was a terrible ending! Barbara Leigh Hunt played her perfectly in the BBC version.

      And yes, they had Darcy exactly how I imagined him. He still takes my breath away...

      Delete
  3. I read all six books once a year. In the chronological order that they were written. But I have to say (and I almost hate to say it here), my favorite is still Persuasion. Always has been. But P&P is without a doubt always the best adaptation. Colin Firth was a-mazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Persuasion...? Well, at least it starts with P :-)

      Actually, that's the only book I don't know at all. I have a gap in my Austen knowledge which I will fill soon.

      I think filming P and P over 6 episodes gave it the time to follow the full story. Most adaptations are film-length and plot goes missing.

      Delete
  4. Never read it! I have seen the Colin Firth adaptation on TV, though. Probably not quite the same thing, but I enjoyed it! :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've not even read this yet. Have seen the sexy Colin Firth though! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like I said to Kyra, it's worth reading. Go to it. (Sorry, a quote - Darcy to Bingley, in case you were wondering.)

      Delete
  6. Gweneth Paltro did an amazing job with Emma. I love these classics. Great choice for P. I'm a new follow. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was a good version. She was much better than Keira Knightly doing P&P!

      Delete
  7. I think the A level English class spoiled this book for me though I can really appreciate Colin Firth!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A Level English ruined Jane Eyre, Far From the Madding Crowd and Wuthering Heights for me. Literature was never meant to be studied so deeply. I did a post about A Level English on D day, if you're interested!

      Thanks for the follow.

      Delete
  8. I confess that I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time last year. It's been my goal to read more classics, but I've been failing miserably.

    Colin Firth...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I'm glad you got round to that one, if nothing else. It's been my goal for a while to read more Dickens.

      Delete
  9. I adore all Jane Austen books, but especially P&P and Persuasion - and yes, Colin Firth IS Mr Darcy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Casting Colin Firth was an act of genius. In fact most of the characters were exactly as I'd always pictured them.

      Delete
  10. I loved the book! My favorite version was the one with keira knightly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As a P&P pedant, there were a few things that I remmeber cringeing at - Darcy walking into Elizabeth's bedroom to leave the letter, for a start! I only watched it once, or I'd probably have a whole list :-) Sorry.

      Delete
  11. Much love for Colin Firth! I still haven't seen the BBC version though I've heard fantastic reviews. Great "P".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a beautiful version, very true to the book and the characters! And of course it has Colin Firth...

      Delete
  12. Isn't that the moment he's watching her play the pianoforte? Or maybe helping Georgianna turn the pages after Miss Bingley's careless comment?

    Lovely, lovely choice for P.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As you're the only one to attempt a guess, Suze, I'll tell you: it's when she's playing the pianoforte at Rosings, sat beside Col. Fitzwilliam, and Darcy walks across to hear her, and then Lady Catherine demands to have her share of the conversation. I could go on lol!

      Delete
  13. I don't care for Jane Austen novels. I've read many of them and I just don't care for them. That said, I do tend to enjoy the film adaptations of Jane Austen novels, particularly Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth was a fantastic Mr. Darcy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just perfect, wasn't he? I keep scrolling up to look again ;-)

      Delete
  14. Love it! IT is the best choice for P you could have made:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marta - it was the first post I wrote! An easy choice.

      Delete
  15. Swwooon. Thank you for sharing Colin - he is so gorgeous as Mr Darcy (slightly less so as gay banker in Mamma Mia, but still adorable cos he just is.) Oh - the post wasn't really about Col, was it? Yes, well, Pride and Prejudice is an excellent book and what I love is that there is no superflous description and it is almost all dialogue - it just gets on with the story. Great choice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like him in Love, Actually too. Have you seen that one?

      Actually, that's very true about the description, especially when you compare her to Bronte or Hardy.

      Delete
  16. I have never read Pride & Prejudice. But I have it on my Kindle to read. However, I absolutely adore Persuasion and have read it over and over. I need to bump P & P up on my TBR list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's time I read Persuasion - it's been a running theme in these comments all day, so I have to see what everyone's talking about.

      Delete
  17. I love Jane and I love P&P. I have to say S&S is my favorite though. I do read both almost every year. Those stories are just fabulous. They didn't inspire me to write either, but I feel I sometimes channel Jane here and there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. S&S is very good too, although it took me a little time to accept anything other than P&P. I love Elinor - I thought the Emma Thompson version was good, but Alan Rickman has a lot to do with swaying that opinion!

      Delete
  18. For me Colin Firth took Jane Austen to another level. I loved the BBC series.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He played it perfectly, all those longing glances...

      Delete
  19. I am so in love with this! I never had much to do with it until the movie came out with Kiera Knightly and now I can't get enough of Jane Austen stuff! Pride and Prejudice is a favorite though! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had my mini-rant against Keira Knightly earlier, so I'll be quiet on that now :-) It's amazing to think we're all still in love with a novel written 200 years ago!

      Delete
  20. Sorry, I have never read any Austen. Yeah, just kill me now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure many men have, Alex. Hubby thinks she just wrote the same story 6 times - but lots of women will tell you how wrong he is!

      Delete
  21. i love those period classics!

    and colin firth is my adult crush =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think he inspired crushes in a whole generation of women!

      Delete

Please comment - I love a good chat!

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.