This my first contact with this novel. I have heard about it a couple times before but had no knowledge of the plot or of its characters. The first couple chapters, the book was pretty boring and seemed to be dragging out the story. The introduction of characters was very confusing to me. One after another it seemed like there was at least ten characters thrown at the reader. It was difficult to keep track of them. That is one of the griefs I have with Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austin. After the characters had stuck, it was a whole lot easier to follow the plot.
Once I understood the characters, the plot of the story began to make since. I do like Lizzy Bennet and the way she handles her situation. She is capable of making her own decisions. Which seems to be a struggle of her sisters for some reason. I also enjoy the fact the she turned down the wedding proposals from Mr. Collins. She knew that excepting the proposal she would be financially stable. But, she wouldn't be truly happy being with him. Happiness means more than money for her; which is a trait others seem to oversee in this story.
Mrs. Bennet is a good mother for the wrong reasons. She pushes her daughters to marry as fast as possible to the man with the most money. She overlooks the emotional aspect of relationships. Which it seems only Lizzy can comprehend.
I agree that it does get really tricky to remember who's who to an extent in this story, considering how many people there are. There are quite a few characters whose relationship to the main characters I couldn't even begin to explain, simply because the abundance of minor characters can get a tad overwhelming. Luckily, a good deal of them aren't exactly crucial to the plot, so the more forgettable ones can AFFORD to be forgettable.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm not even sure I'd say Mrs. Bennet is a good mother. She did threaten to essentially disown Lizzy if she didn't marry Mr. Collins, despite the fact that she did not love him and the entire family couldn't stand him. Whether she actually meant it or not- which presumably she didn't, as Lizzy still lives with her family- that's not the sort of threat a 'good mother' would make. You don't threaten your child with disowning simply because you think YOU know what's best for them. I mean, it was a different time, but regardless, my opinion of Mrs. Bennet is not a fond one.
I was also a bit confussed when I started reading this book. They were introduce to a lot of characters all at once. After I got through it a bit more,I did get a better understanding of the characters and what was going on. Marriage is definetly a big deal in the society that the boook setting takes place. Though the point that all the characters have to think and decide for themselves is what is importent when it comes to marriage, which in this case, is wealth, good looks, and victorian era manners. I certainly find most of the characters persue marriage based on wealth than a actual love relationship between two people. Elizibeth in my opinion views marriage as I and most others today think marriage. Which should be the joinning of two people that can be happy together and love each other for who they are as an individual and not their material and financal wealth.
ReplyDeleteI also agree I do believe that Ms. Bennet is a good mother but for the wrong reasons as well. She pushes her daughters to marry well because she wishes for them to live a better life than what she was able to and to be able to allow their children to have a choice too.
ReplyDeleteSo... I agree with your point that Mrs. Bennet is a good mother for the wrong reasons. But for the time period, she's doing exactly what any other mother would do, she just does it with a lot less grace and class in her interactions than she should. Marriages back then weren't about being happy in marriage, it really was about improving your status and securing your future so you weren't a spinster. We're blessed in that sense in today's world.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn Bolton-Blevins