Pride and Prejudice | Teen Ink

Pride and Prejudice MAG

By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

     Love can be a complicated affair. This is proven in Pride and Prejudice, the story of Lizzy Bennet, a strong-spirited girl who learns that falling in love isn‘t as simple as she thought. In a family of five daughters, with a loving father and obnoxious mother who cares only for boosting her social status, guiding her through her problems, the reader is presented with Lizzy‘s love life. We meet her many male acquaintances, including Mr. Wickham, a charming but slippery fraud and swindler; Mr. Bingley, a rich and handsome yet simple fellow; and Mr. Darcy, who is also rich and also handsome, but because of his pompous behavior, has a difficult time winning Elizabeth‘s heart. Throughout the story, Elizabeth must struggle with challenges including her social status, her dear elder sister and best friend Jane‘s love life, her family‘s atrocious behavior, and her own complicated emotions.

What I loved most about this book is how Austen is so precise with her language. She doesn‘t bother to describe what a character is wearing or the room that they happen to be standing in. Instead, she focuses solely on the dialogue, which not only makes the speaker‘s ideas flourish, but also helps the reader understand the plot as they understand the characters‘ emotions more thoroughly.

I think of this book like cake batter. In the beginning, the batter (plot) is thin and slow because not all the ingredients have been added, and not all the characters have been introduced. But once the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and milk are all in the bowl (all the characters‘ emotions and opinions are on the table) the batter (or plot) thickens and ends up producing a delicious result, whether cake or a good story.


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This article has 3 comments.


i love this !

on May. 24 2012 at 6:46 pm
DifferentTeen PLATINUM, Seaford, Delaware
32 articles 2 photos 329 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There’s no such thing as true love, just spurts of insanity—falling over and over again, thinking that won’t happen to me"

I loved the 2005 film version with Keira Knightly; I started reading the book a couple days ago. I'm taking my time reading it too, so I can fully understand the timeless classic. I love Jane Austen's writing style, and as you said, the dialog is often used over description. Which is what most people criticize me about in my writing. I personally do not care about what the location is to a greatly explained depth. I like to live in the moment, and when I read I prefer to feel what the characters are feeling rather than know what they look like. I like to decide that for myself based on their personality and actions. I love your view of the book as a simile (the cake batter), very creative! Keep writing!

on Mar. 15 2011 at 6:27 pm
WindDancer GOLD, Lexington, Kentucky
10 articles 3 photos 77 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's time to start living the life you've imagined"
- Henry James

"I read to escape, I write to confront."

I agreed with your review. I also love the book; I espcecially love how the characters must come to terms with and master their own greatest flaw (hence, pride and prejudice) before they are ready for a love that is true. Keep on writing, I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts!