Reviews - Pride and Prejudice: A Play, Founded on Jane Austen's Novel

46.4k reviews for:

Pride and Prejudice: A Play, Founded on Jane Austen's Novel

Jane Austen, Steele Mackaye

4.32 AVERAGE

calebslams's review against another edition

2.0

lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

always_reading_ashley's review against another edition

4.0

It's not my usual read, but I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I thought I would. The narrator was fantastic and really brought the story to life.

nelkisrs's review against another edition

5.0

Este libro me lo he leído no se cuantas veces, está entre mis favoritos, todo para mi en esta historia es genial y lo que más me gusta es lo fascinante que es leer historias de época donde los valores son más resaltados y que la seducción es como una carrera a 300 kilómetros por hora.
Recomiéndado 1000%

lizzylar's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I somehow hadn't found myself aquatinted with Austen's masterpiece, "Pride and Prejudice", until now. This classic "enemies-to-lovers" tale is still a fun casual read so many years after its initial release.

mimi1475's review against another edition

3.5

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book constantly reminded me of my hatred of social and gender hierarchy. Even the rich people have a hierarchy among themselves, enough so that every individual interaction and subtlety can be explained by these minute distinctions. This changes when personal favor is obtained based on someone’s congeniality or morality in some instances, but interactions and relationships are first and foremost determined by class particularities (including how well you conform to the societal standards of said class that are put in place so as to preserve hierarchy). These subtleties are expertly articulated by Austen and her perceptiveness is praiseworthy, but thinking about them gave me little pleasure. It seems that even these people who had no real problems, unless you count the threat of maybe, possibly having to get an actual job someday *gasp* often found themselves unable to avoid strict conformity despite their wealth so as to preserve their standing and stability in their close knit communities.

This book spends some time perhaps advocating for the dismantling of some of these proprieties, as shown by Mr. Darcy’s attitudes to the Gardiners, but the underlying structure is maintained and at the end of the day, Austen advocates for its maintenance, that is, the maintenance of these conservative communities.

I have much displeasure and objection to these communities in themselves and see their maintenance as less than ideal. They seem to advocate for making people richer than you happy so that you can maintain or improve your social standing and conditions rather than unconditional support and love for one’s neighbors despite their shortcomings or differences. Even for our likable Lizzie and our virtuous Jane, the positive transformation of their lives are notably effects of love from men richer than their father. No matter how supposedly feminist and independent our heroine is, her arc is not in the least revolutionary (let’s not even mention the not so subtle critique of female intellectual in Austen’s portrayal of Mary).

Overall, I found the reading experience pleasant, but nothing more. Austen’s more romantic and sincere dialogues in particular elicit strong emotion from me, and I will give her that credit, but the substance of this novel does not appeal to me as an individual.