Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
268 pages

Many times, I wondered if the Pride and Prejudice DVD that I have just watched had followed the fiction closely. I did not find out until recently.
I have watched the P & P DVD many times and stared at the face of Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy) frequently before I had a courage to pick up the book and read it.
Two months ago, I decided to read “the book”. It took me almost a whole month to finish it.
I found out that the DVD followed the book rather closely. I was amazed that the script writer of the P & P DVD did not leave out any chapters. Of course, like any other movies based on books, many scenes will be cut and altered.
Before I continued, let me tell you a brief story of the Pride and Prejudice. It was written by Jane Austen and published in 1813. It was about five sisters from the Bennet's family who were looking for husbands. Back then marriage was very complicated. The expectation of marriage was different from what we have now. Most marriages in their time were for economic purposes. One had to find a rich husband that could benefit the family and brought good connection for the siblings especially sisters. It meant that it was best to marry someone who was rich and had good reputation despite his look and appearance.
The story started when Mrs. Bennet heard about the arrival of a rich man named Mr. Bingley to their neighborhood. She had a dream of marrying her daughters to rich men. The story continued with the attraction of Mr. Bingley to the eldest daughter of the Bennet's, Jane. Unfortunately, Mr. Bingley's sisters and friend, Mr. Darcy did not approve the courtship. They objected the poor connection that Jane and the family had and the ill-mannered of Jane's mothers and youngest sister. The story also included the attraction of Mr. Darcy to Lizzy, the second daughter. Meanwhile, the other three sisters had not given many detailed stories except for the youngest sister, Lidia. Lidia brought shame to the family by running away with a bad-reputation officer.
The end of the story was rather marry as the two eldest sisters married to rich men to their mother satisfaction.

I really love watching P & P DVD. Although, I prefer reading the book before watching the DVD, I admitted that remembering the movie helped me understand the story easier. For those who interested in watching the movie, I recommend watching The Pride and Prejudice DVD of 1995 and they are available at Amazon.
And for those who prefer reading the book first, have fun and take your time reading.....