Introduction to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I admit that I am something of an Austenite, and so I am excited to have the chance to teach using Pride and Prejudice.  This novel is great to teach with because it is a classic in very formal English, but there are so many great adaptations of it that students are normally at least passingly familiar with it and therefore more confident as they begin to read. 

To view my Prezi introduction to Pride and Prejudice, click here.

If you enjoy Pride and Prejudice, you may also enjoy Austen fan-fiction, such as Dancing with Mr. Darcy.

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

I recently read some Austen fan fiction.  Reading the Austen inspired novels mostly just left me wanting to revisit the real thing.  I have a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and hadn't read it in a few years, so I decided to read it. 

If I'm honest, I'm a bit intimidated to write a post about "Pride and Prejudice".  It is, after all, an absolute classic.  Everyone is familiar with it, and it's difficult for me to find something new and interesting or useful to say in a blog post about it.  I'll just tell you a little about my experience reading "Pride and Prejudice".

Exactly eight days ago I had the most beautiful baby boy ever born (no, there's no point debating this point...he's gorgeous).  It was a planned c-section.  This means that I had plenty of time to wait at hospital appointments before he was born.  "Pride & Prejudice" became the book that I stuck in my hospital bag, and I literally read it sat waiting on a hospital bed on the morning he was born until they started preparing me for surgery.  So "Pride and Prejudice" is now linked, for me, to the memory of my son being born.

If you're used to modern novels, then it can take awhile to really get into novels from this period.  However, once you get a few chapters in, "Pride and Prejudice " is completely involving.  For me, I sometimes found it difficult to read without automatically picturing one of the "Pride and Prejudice" films.  I really enjoyed rereading it though, and noticed things that I hadn't before.

Overall, what can I say?  "Pride and Prejudice" deserves it's place as a classic.

Books on the Big Screen

Having recently read some Austen fan fiction, I was left wanting to re-visit the original.  So when my husband and I wanted to put on a DVD last night, I suggested "Pride & Prejudice".  We watched the 2005 version with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

Although books often get butchered when they are adapted into screenplays, this movie really did "Pride & Prejudice" justice.  The film is true to Austen's original novel, and it is a beautifully made film.  I absolutely love the cinematography in it (pay attention in scenes like when Elizabeth is on the swing outside, when Elizabeth and Darcy dance, etc.).  This really is an example of a book that transitioned beautifully to the big screen.

There are some book-to-movie adaptations that I wish had never been made, but "Pride & Prejudice" is both a classic novel and great film.  Click here to find out some other films that I think would make great movies.