Today is a special one in the heart of this voracious bookworm and devoted Austenite. Today, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice turns 200. That’s two hundred years of Lizzy. Two hundred years of the quirky Mr. Bennet and the hysterical Mrs. Bennet. Two hundred years of Jane and Bingley. Two hundred years of Wickham’s charm and Lydia’s foolishness. Two hundred years of Mr. Darcy (swoon.)
On January 28, 1813, Austen’s second (but first written and most beloved) novel was published. Pride and Prejudice is timeless, its characters and story as bewitching as the day they were written. Today, it is still one of the world’s most popular books, continuing to take the world (and the internet!) by storm.
[If you’ve never read the book or seen any of the adaptations, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of twenty-year-old Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a gentleman, with four sisters and a mother desperate to see them all married off. Shortly into the book, two new gentlemen arrived in town: the affable Mr. Bingley (who quickly falls in love with Lizzy’s kind and beautiful older sister Jane) and the proud—and extremely wealthy—Mr. Darcy (who slights everyone he meets and leaves Lizzy with a terrible first impression). Jane and Bingley’s romance is soon interrupted, while Lizzy and Darcy’s acquaintance is one of repeated chance encounters, awkward dances, and misinterpreted emotions. But I shall go no further! Go read the book or watch an adaptation, and come back and finish this article once you’ve fallen in love.
Over the years, many have tried to figure out what it is that makes us love Pride and Prejudice so much. The BBC recently ran an article on the subject, suggesting that it’s the reality tv of the 1800s, that it’s “an escape,” that it’s just plain fun. I like their final suggestion, that, “it’s a truth universally acknowledged that women want to read about relationships”, whether those relationships are romantic or between sisters and friends. But I’m not here to analyze our favorite novel. I’m here to tell you how to celebrate it.
- Read the book. If you’ve got some time on your hands, pull out the real deal and page through it. Read it from cover to cover, or just read the scenes with Darcy in them. Either way, savor Austen’s beautiful language and spend a moment or two the old-fashioned way, sans computer screen.
- Watch an adaptation. Spend two hours with the beautiful Keira Knightley in the 2005 movie, or idle away five on the long-time darling of true Austenites, the Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle BBC miniseries. (If you don’t have time to watch the BBC miniseries today, make a promise to do it the next time you have a break from schoolwork. You owe it to yourself.)
- Discover the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Produced by Hank Green (of Nerdfighter fame) and starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Gordh, this new video blog webseries places our favorite characters in a very modern context. The acting is excellent and the interactive media provides a refreshing new take on the familiar plot. The story has been told in real time over the course of the past year; we are now over 80 episodes in, with new ones released every week.
- Watch or read a spin-off. This category includes (and is certainly not limited to): Bridget Jones’s Diary, Lost in Austen, and Bride and Prejudice.
- Read the other Austen novels. While Pride and Prejudice is by far the most famous, it’s certainly not the only one worth reading. All of Austen’s novels have delightful plotlines starring wonderful characters. If you’re looking for something with a very Pride and Prejudice feel, try Sense and Sensibility.
- Be British for a day. Drink tea. Talk in funny accents. Eat some scones. (I’ve been meaning to try these.)
- And most importantly, spread the love. Today’s the day, if there ever was one, to sit that Austen-deprived roommate down, and introduce them to a love affair they’ll never forget. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that there is no love story quite like Pride and Prejudice.