This book was delighful! How could I pass up a book about my favorite book? I learned a lot and it was presented in an enjoyable manner that kept it interesting. ( )

This book was delighful! How could I pass up a book about my favorite book? I learned a lot and it was presented in an enjoyable manner that kept it interesting. ( )

I bought this one awhile ago after quickly flipping through it and was looking forward to what its subtitle promised: Celebrating Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

What I got was very little of how Pride and Prejudice came to be written (which is specifically what the inside flap says I'll get) and a whole lot of literary dissection. There is one entire chapter (9 pages) on nothing but the first sentence of the book, breaking it down almost word for word. What are the philosophical implications of "It is a truth"? (OMG!) What might Austen have meant, by "universally acknowledged"? (Seriously?)

I'm being a bit catty here and a lot of readers might be genuinely interested in this kind of literary examination, and I respect that; this is the book for them. But like magic acts, I prefer not to break it down and analyse it: doing so diminishes the magic for me. I got to this chapter and immediately thought "THIS is why teen-agers don't want to read, because this is what English Lit consists of.". Plus, I think if you have to explain the first sentence of P&P, it's probably not the book to read.

There is some interesting historical material here, but it's mostly drowned out in the speculation (often disguised as fact, which was irritating) over characters and style. A section towards the end on adaptations, pastiches, and mash-ups was moderately interesting but the author didn't try to hide her bias and at one point declares that Jane is "rolling in her grave". Frankly, given Austen's love of the absurd, I'd bet she's laughing.

I had high hopes, but this is not the book I was looking for. ( )

This review and others posted over at my blog.

This work examines the language, setting and characters of Pride and Prejudice and how Jane Austen’s creation has come to be so beloved. It discusses the myriad of sequels, prequels and spin-offs written in admiration of her work, as well as the various TV, movie and theatrical adaptations, and even touches on the merchandise that has become available, all long after the respected author’s lifetime.

I’ll say right now, if you really love Pride and Prejudice and you just want to know more about the work and what it has inspired, then read this book. If you’ve never read the book or you weren’t a fan, I’m not sure why you’d pick this up.

Reading this book is sort of like studying, mixed with a slew of facts that would be useful in a P&P themed trivia night. For myself it was also a pretty useful source for Austen-inspired reading (added a few books to my Amazon wishlist) as well as a handy guide to those works that might not be worth pursuing.

It was interesting to read about what other writers thought about Austen’s most famous work and I especially liked hearing that A.A. Milne (of Winnie-the-Pooh fame) thought that if you didn’t enjoy Pride and Prejudice there was something wrong with you. Apparently he smuggled a copy of out of his school library (which didn’t allow borrowing?!) to read at night and that image just makes me smile.

The book has a chapter dedicated to the various translations of Jane’s work and made me remember how fortunate I feel to be able to read the book in its original language. Just reading about how hard it can be to accurately translate the first sentence of the book, because of the many meanings of certain phrases and the difficulty in conveying Jane’s wit, made me wonder how the book reads in other languages.

Even on film, it can be hard to capture the original source – Elizabeth and Darcy sometimes fall flat, Lady Catherine is constantly portrayed as too old, Mary becomes a caricature, the scenery is wrong, etc. Pride and Prejudice holds a sort of magic for its fans that can never be captured by any other writer or medium.

I certainly learned a few things about the style of Jane’s writing that I never picked up on before and I think it will add to my next re-read. If you’re a big fan, pick this up! ( )

It's a truth widely known that I love Jane Austen. And, as always, when I'm interested in a topic, I enjoy reading about it, so I've gradually built up a collection of materials on Austen. This is one of my latest finds (thank you Waterstones!) and it does exactly what it promises to do: celebrates Austen's most well-known novel, 'Pride and Prejudice'.

-- What's it about? --

Everything P&P related: the writing process, popular and critical response, the style, the characters, the presentation, the adaptations and the merchandise. Fullerton devotes a chapter to each aspect and adopts a broadly chronological approach which concludes with a consideration of the book's future.

-- What's it like? --

Easy and enjoyable to read. Informative. From the first chapter we are treated to what feels like a knowledgeable narrator, imparting nuggets of widom about a wide range of relevant aspects. Often the information heightens our understanding of the text: for example, it transpires that Elizabeth's cheeky comment to Darcy and Bingley's sisters about the picturesque could be perceived as a coded insult.

'By telling them that they are picturesquely grouped, Elizabeth is implying that Darcy is a bull, and that the Bingley women are cows'.

While the organisation of 'Happily Ever After' means you can easily focus on the areas that interest you, I found only one chapter failed to hold my interest. Fullerton's discussion of illustrations of 'Pride and Prejudice' struck me as list-like and, frankly, rather dull, but otherwise this feels almost as light and sparkling as the book it examines. This is perhaps because Fullerton tends to discuss the characters as if they are real people.

'[Darcy] feels forced to be honest in his first proposal...his honesty prevents him from easily enduring fools and bores'.

It's clear that Fullerton has a 'vision' of each character and she helpfully explores how Austen creates those perceptions.

I found the chapter on translations particularly interesting, though I'm glad I don't have to read any of these (usually sadly diluted) transformations!

-- Final thoughts --

Occasionally it seems Fullerton is reading too much into Austen's work, particularly when she speculates that Kitty had TB, based on one coughing fit referred to in chapter two! However, this is not exactly a unique quality in a literary critic, and is elsewhere more than balanced out by a range of perceptive comments.

This is an interesting read for fans of the novel that should add a little extra depth to many readers' interpretations. ( )