Pride and Prejudice: An Enemies to Lovers Gem

Last updated on July 2nd, 2024 at 09:54 am

Pride and Prejudice by the incredibly talented Jane Austen, to this day, remains my favorite classic book and one of my all-time favorite books. It’s also one of the books I simply don’t tire of reading again and again.

For those who have yet to read this amazing book, here are my thoughts on it.

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What’s It About

Pride and Prejudice is set in 1813 during the Regency period in England. The main characters are Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Elizabeth Bennet

Elizabeth, or Lizzy as she is called by those close to her, is a young woman who lives with her family in the Longbourn estate in rural England. She is the second child among five girls. She is a sensible, witty, and lively girl.

Mr. Darcy

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is a single, handsome, and rich man of noble lineage in his late twenties. Because of this, he is considered a catch among those looking for husbands.

… but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year.

However, not many like him since he is quiet and aloof so considered a snob.

Synopsis

Though not very rich, Elizabeth’s father is a gentleman. Because Elizabeth and her siblings are all girls, their family estate is entailed by a distant male relative. This means they don’t get to inherit the estate after their father passes away, but will instead go to a distant male cousin. 

Because of that and also because their mother doesn’t have much if at all, to pass to them, the former is much concerned about marrying her daughters off to good, respectable men who can support them—financially, foremost—and their other unmarried siblings, if any.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy met when Mr. Darcy’s friend, Mr. Bingley, moved into her neighborhood. During one of their meetings, Elizabeth overheard Mr. Darcy say that he didn’t find her pretty, which, of course, offended her and consequently made her want to avoid him. That was an impossible endeavor, however, since their paths kept crossing in these neighborhood gatherings that they kept attending, or when they were out and about in the market.

These constant meetings, in turn, paved the way for Mr. Darcy’s feelings for Elizabeth to change and eventually grow into so much more. There are many obstacles, though, to them being together, foremost of which is his pride and her prejudices. So the question, amongst others, is: can he overcome his pride and her prejudices effectively enough for them to be together?

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What I Liked About It

The Plot

I liked the plot. Not only because I’m drawn to the rags to riches trope or the rich guy, poor girl stories (both of which this book is–well, sort of the latter since even though Elizabeth Bennet wasn’t that poor, she was still somewhat inferior in social standing to Mr. Darcy), but also because I like how the story unfolded. The sequence of events was so exciting and riveting that it had me glued to the pages trying to find out what happens next.

I also like the fact that the story had good pacing and didn’t drag. Every scene or thought was relevant.

Lastly, I appreciate the fact that the plot was tight and had no holes. Everything was resolved and answered in the end.

Elizabeth Bennet

I LOVE Elizabeth Bennet’s character. She was this sensible, well-grounded, lively girl who was confident and secure in herself. Like her older sister Jane, she was kind but unlike the latter who cannot find fault with anyone, Elizabeth was discerning and realistic. She knows, too, when she is right, and when to admit to making a mistake.

There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.

Elizabeth Bennet

I also love how she knows when to be gracious and give in as well as when to hold her ground and fight back. There was this dramatic scene in the later part of the book (don’t worry, this doesn’t constitute a spoiler, heh) where she was intimidated into submission, but she stood strong and held on to her convictions. I loved her more at that moment.

Mr. Darcy

Mr. Darcy is the romantic hero who trumps all other romance heroes. He’s far from perfect since he started as this haughty, aloof, and unapproachable stiff guy, but when it comes to loving our heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, he does it right and perfectly. He’s the hero who forsakes all others just to be with his lady love.

While he was disagreeable with Elizabeth at the beginning, still that was not much reason to hate him. As the book progresses, you’ll begin to warm up to him as you slowly peel layer by layer his complex character: he is all goodness underneath the arrogant facade. Then, you will feel for him as you see him long and pine for Elizabeth. In the end, you’ll fall in love with this character who performed some of the grandest romantic gestures there are for his love.

Writing

I love Jane Austen’s writing, particularly how witty and hilarious it is. She uses dry-wit humor which makes for some clever and funny observations and conversations. I haven’t encountered another author who is as good as her when it comes to this. As an example, here is Mr. Bennet’s response to his wife saying that he had no compassion for her nerves or woes:

You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least.

Mr. Bennet

Or this line:

For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn.

Mr. Bennet

This, I think, is the only book, where I made so many highlights.

Characterization

I love how Jane Austen establishes the personalities of her characters through conversations. You get to know them through what they say. She shows you things, rather than tell them.

Human Understanding

With this book, you get to see how extensive Jane Austen’s knowledge of different human personalities is. She shows that through her diverse characters, each of which she has written with distinctive deep qualities.

Slow Burn Romance

And, of course, I love the slow-burn romance of Pride and Prejudice. How it is an enemies-to-lovers story. How Jane Austen built up the dislike-to-love arc between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It was a steady slow burn where every scene was in its right place; no part dragged.

… and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her.

It was such a delight to see how Mr. Darcy slowly fell for Elizabeth. And it was heart-melting to see him long and pine for her.

… but that his eyes were so often turned towards her side of the room, as to make him play as unsuccessfully as herself.

There sure were many feels for those.

Resolution

I liked that the book resolved everything and that there were no questions left unanswered by the end. It was also nice that we somewhat got to peek at all the characters’ lives in the future.

What I Didn’t Like

Honesty, there’s not a single thing I didn’t like about Pride and Prejudice. I tried racking my brain for a thing or two just to be thorough and fair, but I couldn’t come up with anything. I could maybe say that an extended epilogue would be nice, but then what Ms. Austen gave us, in the end, was already so satisfactory to me. So no, there isn’t anything I didn’t like with Pride and Prejudice.

Actually, with every reread of this book, I find it more and more to be excellent, if not perfect.

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So those are my thoughts on Jane Austen‘s well-loved Pride and Prejudice. If you haven’t done so already, please take the time to immerse yourself in this lovely tale.

Purchase your copy here.

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