Pride and Prejudice
Let me begin by airing my long-held beliefs about this text. I assumed this book was a sappy love story meant those who love romantic tales only. I assumed this book would hold little value for me, and I definitely didn't expect it to hold my attention. Of course, now that I've read a good deal (about chapter 21 now), I can confidently say that I was confidently incorrect in my prior beliefs. There's a reason a classic is a classic, and Jane Austen's work is no exception. She is clearly the muse for much of Gilmore Girls-style bullet banter. Her witty remarks delivered through Elizabeth are as cutting as they are clever. The comedy, especially situational, is genuinely funny. I see where Dickens picked up a thing or three. Yes, I'm certain all of my prior beliefs have been safely squashed on the merit of the novel. Pride and Prejudice requires patience at first, but once Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham are tossed into the love salad alongside Darcy (the vinaigrette), the story is irresistible and light. The stakes are so low that some of the conflicts are laughable; there's truly a bubble around these people shielding them from the realities of the world of Napoleon's constant and cataclysmic conquests. Perhaps the largest conflict that anchors everything else in the novel is women's rights. Elizabeth is clearly involved in a game where she's been handicapped because of her gender, and all the characters participate willingly in this strange discrimination. Mrs. Bennet, a character who can't stop saying all the wrong things, actually says the thing that readers today are all thinking: this whole "only a male can inherit the family fortune" thing is unfair. If not for that one observation, this character would be wholly intolerable.
As far as predictions go, I can clearly see how Mr. Darcy is slow playing his hand with Elizabeth; he likes her, but he's not actively pursuing her with any sort of enthusiasm. I think his character will be the crux of the love story with Wickham and Collins offered as distractions.
