100 pages in
I would like to tell you that my suspicions have been proved incorrect and that Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful little read that I would highly recommend to others…but I can’t.
This book so far is like an uncensured episode of The View where all the ladies are sleep deprived and on their 5th gin and tonic.
Apparently the triteness and pettiness of 7th grade girls was nurtured and expanded in Regency England. All anyone does is sit around all day, play cards, and gossip about the daily town news. The men act like docile little puppets there for the female’s amusement, and the only character half aware is Lizzy…she is after all the main character.
I assume Austen portrayed culture like this for a reason. It must have some truth in it, and though she may be exaggerating a bit here and there, I trust it was what England was like during the time. It is interesting to watch Darcy and Elizabeth fight in public and private with the constraints of manners. This makes their slights and criticisms subtle and sarcastic…(i.e. I don’t realize it was a put-down until 5 pages later).
So this is about the extent of what I’ve learned so far:
- England sucked back then…
- There is a direct relationship between boredom and vicious gossip in women
- Men need jobs…something to do during the day
- Never, ever, ride a horse in the rain…you’ll probably die
