Jane AUSTEN : Pride and prejudice

'No sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes...'

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited ; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

Of course, it's a 5 stars. And do I really need to tell you how wonderful, witty, funny, brilliant this novel is ? I think that for a book that was published more than two hundred years ago, it has wonderfully stood the test of time !

Yet this is only the second time I've read it. The first time was in French, last century, this time was in English. It was interesting to re-read this because, as with every great book, you always find something new that you hadn't noticed before, or you have different opinions on the characters because your own life has changed in between.

As with Mr Bennett. I remember loving his sharp comments so much and now... I still think him witty, yes, but I find him more selfish. He married Mrs Bennett and his nerves and has since lost every respect for her, but he never tried to remedy that and influence his daughters : he just locked himself up with his books (I can relate). His remark to Elizabeth about marriage and respect was very touching. I also think that given the family's situation, Mrs Bennett is right to want to marry her daughters, silly as she may be in general.

I still adore Elizabeth, she's so much fun, so lively ! So conventional, contrarily to all that has been said recently, but she makes me smile and laugh so much ! And Mr Collins, ah, Mr Collins ! Even Mr Bennett keeps writing to him because his answers amuse him so !

Such a wonderful, brilliant, funny book !

Mr Bennett (he has the best lines, I had to choose) to Kitty, talking about going to Brighton :

"You go to Brighton ! - I would not trust you so near it as East Bourne, for fifty pounds ! No, Kitty (...) no officer is ever to enter my house again, nor even to pass through the village. Balls will be absolutely prohibited, unless you stand up with one of your sisters. And you are never to stir out of doors, till you can prove that you have spent ten minutes of every day in a rational manner."

Kitty, who took all these threats in a serious light, began to cry.

"Well, well," said he, "do not make yourself unhappy. If you are  a good girl for the next ten years, I will take you to a review at the end of them."