On this day, in 1813, we were given a literary gift that keeps on giving: Fitzwilliam Darcy. Because this is the day Pride and Prejudice was published. Back in 2013, on the 200th anniversary of publication, I wrote this:
[…] Jane Austen gave us all an amazing gift … a timeless tale of sisterhood, an amusingly accurate observation of humanity & the perfect Regency hero: Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Clearly, Fitzwilliam Darcy has made an impression. I have written about Mr. Darcy many times over the years, from blog posts to newspaper columns, including one about how anyone can be a Darcy. True, the Pemberley Estate and £10,000 a year are hard to come by, but we don’t love Mr. Darcy for his money – we love him in spite of it. But I digress.
Over the years, various of Jane’s novels have taken their turn as my favorite {and various of her heroes as well}, but Pride and Prejudice will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first Austen. This was the story, the characters, that introduced me to a whole new world – and stole my heart. It’s only fitting that this is also the first book of my Very Jane Year.
Rereading P&P this month, for the first time in years, has been a delight. I’ve even curled up with pen in hand, to underline and mark passages {that’s a first, shockingly}.
Once more I’m reminded of the enduring quality of this story. This is not merely a novel of manners to be enjoyed by Jane’s contemporaries. This is a story, peopled by characters, that transcends time and space and is as relevant today as it was in 1813. We have all encountered a charmingly deceptive Wickham or obnoxiously flighty Lydia, and chances are we’ve probably met a Lady Catherine along the way as well. Lizzy and Darcy’s failings are our failings, and in their successes we find hope for our own. It’s a story I return to time and time again, and it never ceases to entertain.
Having refreshed my memory on the original, I can now dive deeper into retellings and variations with gusto. Looking over my bookshelves, here’s a selection of Pride & Prejudice-oriented novels just waiting for me to read. {Some of them you may recognize from Summer of Jane discussions, but as we’ve learned: TBRs are suggestions and not roadmaps, ha}.
- Pride and Prejudice in Space (Alexis Lampley)
- Pride and Premeditation (Tirzah Price)
- Heartstone (Elle Katherine White)
- Pride and Pyramids (Amanda Grange)
- Boots and Backpacks (K.C. Kahler)
Have you read Pride and Prejudice? Who is your favorite character? Do you have a favorite variation or retelling?
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This book is so special to me, too! It was also my first Austen read, though I’m still catching up on a couple – finally reading Persuasion for the first time at the moment! Honestly, I never tire of this story and these characters, whether in the original, in a retelling or in any of the numerous film versions. I remember reading Heartstone a few years ago and really enjoying it: P&P and dragons was almost a sure bet haha. Hope you enjoy all of them!
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Oh yes, the numerous film versions! 😀 I’m thinking I’m due a rewatch now …
I know! P&P + Dragons = pure magic, and I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to finally get around to reading this series. But I’m very excited to dive in soon 🙂
Enjoy your first Persuasion reading! It’s not my favorite, but I do love retellings of it.
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Pride and Prejudice was also my first Austen. I believe I read it because an article called “Why Men Should Read Jane Austen” argued that Darcy was a model to follow. The only one of Austen’s adult novels I’ve not read is Mansfield Park, and it’s on my Classics Club list.
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Have you read A Jane Austen Education? That and Camp Austen were both interesting reads to me, seeing the male perspective/impact of Austen on their lives.
I’ve not read Mansfield Park yet either {or more honestly: haven’t finished it, lol}, but hope to this year 🤞
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Oh, no! I hadn’t even heard of those. Thanks! I do a thing in April where I focus exclusively on English lit and English history, and these look like promising candidates!
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Ooh, I’ll be looking forward to reading about that! Sounds like an intriguing month 🙂
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I’m not as big an Austen fan as some, but I think everyone likes P&P, don’t they? I’ve read quite a few retellings, but I think my favourites have been What Kitty Did Next, and Unequal Affections.
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It’s true, even those who find Austen in general only barely tolerable seem to enjoy P&P {and for good reason!} 🙂 Oooh, I haven’t read those retellings, but will now be looking into them!
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You can really feel your love and enthusiasm for this book in this post 🥰 it’s made me even more curious about it. Classics make me wary admittedly but Pride & Prejudice is one of the ones I most want to try (it seems to be so many people’s favourite) and I did enjoy the adaptation that I saw a few years ago. I truly am hoping to try and finally pick it up at some point this year.
I’m going to have to check out the retellings that you’ve shared too as besides Pride and Premeditation (which I know is on my TBR) I’m not sure if I’ve heard of them.
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Me and this book are going on 24 years together 🙃 hehe… It’s definitely one that doesn’t feel like “a school classic” read. Yes, the language/writing is very different, but it’s also more accessible than some. Probably because it’s such universal themes 🤔 I hope when you get to it you enjoy it! 🫶
This is the tip of the retelling iceberg too 😂
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The best favourites are the ones that have stuck with you for years 🥰 that’s good to hear. To be fair the few I’ve read I haven’t found too bad. One I was enjoying until I decided I wanted to get back to my books of choice (that was a school one 😂) and another, Dracula, I loved the atmosphere of and only really found the writing a bit much when Van Helsing got talking on occasion 😅 so here’s hoping I’ll be fine with this too…(as long as the mother doesn’t annoy me too much because I do remember saying to my mum when we watched it that I wished someone would push her out the window 🙈)
I’m not surprised. There seem to be loads out there in a whole variety of genres. I’ve added the Boots one and Heartstone (although I’m not entirely convinced that one isn’t already on my TBR somewhere).
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Mrs Bennett is much worse on screen, where you have to *hear* the screeching 🤣 on the page it’s not as annoying, and you get nice asides from/about Mr Bennett that don’t come across as much in the film versions
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Good point 😂 and I did appreciate him in the adaptation so knowing it’s more prominent in the books is wonderful.
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[…] to A Very Jane Year. Absolutely loved revisiting this story and spending time with old friends. As mentioned, I read this time with pen in hand, and marked so many passages and lines – Jane simply has a […]
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[…] Bride and Prejudice | DVDA rewatch, since rereading Pride and Prejudice. This is an extremely fast-paced retelling, and really plays up the caricatures of the individual […]
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[…] it pains me to confess that this one didn’t land with the same magic as the Pride & Prejudice reread. I’ve always found Marianne to be tedious and frustrating {I’m more an Elinor}, and at […]
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