WEEK 2: Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen (1813)

                Pride & Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, and published in 1813, has been a deeply beloved novel for over 200 years, and the most amazing thing about it, save for the well-crafted characters, clever prose, and heartfelt message, is that it is, in my opinion, so incredibly relevant to today’s romantic climate. In the novel we have the conflict between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, an enormously wealthy aristocrat. He is the friend of Mr. Bingley, another wealthy aristocrat, who ultimately ends up marrying Elizabeth’s sister Jane. But Mr. Darcy is an aloof individual – running somewhere along the line of snobbish, at least at first glance. Elizabeth cares nothing about status, or the notion of marrying for anything other than love. And over the course of the story, we are shown that through the misconceptions perpetrated by others, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy seem fated to resent one another eternally. However, when the two begin to really communicate with each other, instead of heeding the constant advice and word of others, they begin to better understand. Both characters are secretly romantic in nature, and in the end, Mr. Darcy proposes, and Elizabeth at last accepts, for they recognize that there is a deep love between them.

                There is power in this notion or marrying for love, however, old-fashioned it might seem to us at times today. And yet funny enough, the idea of romantic love and marriage is a relatively new establishment culturally, deviating from thousands of years of traditionally arranged unions across much of the world. But the concepts explored in the novel are actually quite profound, and bear a lot of weight as the world continues to evolve, and societies change with it. For most these days, gone is the need for a spouse or partner in order to survive, or even live comfortably. The notion of “no man is an island”, is, to some extent, lost. Today, anyone, man or woman can hold a job and live a solitary life, if they so wish – at least here in the US. And so marrying for the sake of real companionship is paramount. Two people, I believe, must not only be able to work well with one another in a practical sense, but they must also love being in each other’s company. They have to communicate and listen, and work through their problems. They must take an active interest in each other’s lives as equals, even more so in a world that is now so full of distractions and obligations. We are busier than ever, and the world is more complicated than ever, and having the love of a true companion, versus a partner merely fulfilling a role, is to me far more valuable – it is priceless and rare.