I'm actually really enjoying Pride and Prejudice. I will say that I have a bit of a hard time keeping all of the characters straight because they tend to get mixed up in my brain, but in regards to the actual characters, Austen does a great job developing them. I really like Charlotte. She seems just so sweet and innocent, and seems as though she would never hurt a fly.
I totally and completely admire Lizzy. In the early 1800s, as we had mentioned in class, you don't deny potential spouses. Lizzy doesn't give a shit. Around page 130 (it may vary for each book), she basically just gives Mr. Darcy a piece of her mind and totally shuts him down. She literally lists off all the reasons he's an asshole. She calls him out for calling her ugly at the dance! Women did not speak to men like that in the 1800s, and if Lizzy's mother found out that that's how she was speaking to a man interested in her, Mrs. Bennet probably would have keeled over. Lizzy would rather be totally alone and happy than unhappy and married. I find Lizzy standing up for herself really admirable because women never did that. If I was alive during the 1800s, I probably would have been a Charlotte, just looking for a husband and going about my way. I wouldn't have half the guts that Lizzy did.
I think it's really interesting to see how Austen made Lizzy have all the guts, but can totally see why this book is a classic. If I was living in the 1800s and read this, I would have been absolutely fascinated because so much of the plot line goes against the societal norms.