Pride and Prejudice Enriched E-book
Review
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, “Call me Ishmael,” the first sentence of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage–tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a …
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I have always loved the style and social politics of the Regency period (the time of Jane Austen.) But when I read “Sense and Sensibility” in 7th grade I found the first few chapters lifeless, dull and hard to read. Two years later I was encouraged by a friend to give “Pride and Prejudice” a try. I did and have since become a complete Janeite. I am now able to peruse joyfully through “Sense and Sensibility” with a new understanding and appreciation of Jane Austen. The reason? “Pride and Prejudice” is fresh, witty and is a great introduction to Jane Austen’s writing style without the formality of some of her other novels (unlike S&S and Persuasion Austen does not give us a 10 page history of each family and their fortune.) If you have never read Jane Austen or have read her other novels and found them boring, read Pride and Prejudice. The characters, and the situations Austen presents to them, are hysterical and reveal a lot about Regency society and morality. This book perfectly compliments a great writer like Jane Austen and is essential to every reader’s library. The Penguin Edition of the book is stellar and I personally recommend it not only for the in-depth and indispensable footnotes, but also for the cover that is non-suggestive of any of the characters’ appearances. In summary “Pride and Prejudice” is a great book for beginner Austen readers and seasoned fans, and Penguin Classics is a great edition for fully enjoying and understanding the book.
Comment by Zephyr — October 13, 2009 @ 4:50 am
My favorite book in all of English literature. Many people have criticized me. I am an English major, who is supposed to love Ulysses, but instead I love Jane Austen with a passion, and this is the best of her books. Austen is why I am an English major. Elizabeth Bennet is who I aspire to be one day-she is the heroine of my romantic dreams. And Darcy’s gradual warming throughout the novel, especially his warming to Elizabeth, is charming and beautiful. The language is extremely engaging. And I beilieve Austen was a proto-feminist. Elizabeth Bennet is truly an independent female with strong opinions, at least for her day. And the older Bennet couple are just perfect foils of each other, which forced a couple of chuckles. There were also very fascinating characters, such as Bingley and sisters, and also the younger Bennet sisters, especially the one who elopes. Aaaah, I think I have read this book hundreds of times, and I still find beauty in every single passage in every single page. Yes, it may not be very deep by literary standards, but it is something that appeals to my heart more than to my brain. I allow myself the pleasure of rejoicing at the end, although I know every single word of the ending. But as in all Victorian novels, it leaves a lingering hope in my heart: when will my hero come along?? AAAh, one can hope. Well, I’ve exhausted this book, without giving up too much hope. Read this book, and read it again. It’s worth it. And why don’t you try Emma or Sense and Sensibility? Mansfield Park-eh, not that great, but truly the best of Austen lies in Pride and Prejudice, no matter how trite that may sound.
Comment by Emerence — October 13, 2009 @ 4:56 am
I won’t presume to review Austen, so this review covers the quality of the Penguin release. Many of us have discovered that the “free” ebooks on Gutenburg and other sites frequently have such poor formatting that they are irritating to read. One can either re-edit the book to fix the problems, or just live with them and have an inferior and annoying reading experience.
Penguin’s P&P is the closest ebook equivalent to the joy of reading a quality physical book–the text is perfectly formatted for the Kindle, it’s been proofed, and the supplemental material is almost overwhelming. Detailed intros, useful hyperlinking and a wealth of information on Austen’s times, including fashion, furniture, and food and drink, are included. It’s truly an immersive experience.
I believe this book will be seen as a turning point for ebooks: the point at which editorial and publishing quality became a significant purchase criterion. Early ebook adopters (myself included) were willing to spend hours cleaning up Gutenburg editions and formatting them for the device du jour. No longer. The ebook is moving past the early adopter stage and is making inroads into a market that expects quality editing, publishing, and supplemental materials. I’ll definitely pay a reasonable amount for an ebook that I can just start reading, instead of tinkering with, and that provides a comfortable feeling of having gotten one’s money’s worth.
Penguin has set the bar for ebook quality with this release. I urge anyone with a Kindle to get a copy–*this* is the ebook experience we’ve been wanting.
Comment by Hugo — October 13, 2009 @ 7:52 am