Pride and Prejudice: An Authoritative Text Backgrounds and Sources Criticism (A Norton Critical Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Superficial.
Review: I personally did not like the book. The language did not appeal to me---it sounded so utterly flat. The scenes were unrealistic (I would accept exceptional happenings but they must be told vividly). In addition the events were tangled and the heroines' and heroes' feelings so exasperatingly tentative. If you do not like Vicorian priggishness, you probably would not like it. If you do read it, it might give you a stronger sense of appreciation for well-written books. Voilà tout.

Rating:
Summary: A popular Austen work made better by including lit criticism
Review: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is more than a manners work! A classic tale of early 19th c. upper middle class English life, Austen's work is important in the development of the novel mainly because of how she creates and intertwines her characters. Austen's characters cannot be easily removed from the novel without considering the effect on other characters. Her characters grow and change. Although the plot describes Elizabeth Bennet's non-pursuit turned pursuit of Mr. Darcy, the novel addresses the role and status of women and issues of class division. The additional essays of the Norton Critical edition provide a sound critical foundation for study and discussion of the work that are missing from "everyday" editions. P&P is a fine novel from an important English writer. The Norton Critical Edition is the recommended edition.