Pride and Prejudice: in Modern English

by Joy Anne Bennet (Editor), Joy Anne Bennet (Editor), Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman, Mr. Bennet, living in Longbourn, in England in the late 18th century. Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's five unmarried daughters after two gentlemen have moved into their neighborhood: the rich and eligible Mr. Bingley, and his status-conscious friend, the even more rich and eligible Mr. Darcy. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy is disdainful of local society and repeatedly clashes with the Bennets' lively second daughter, Elizabeth.

Genres: Romance

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 23, 2016

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was ashamed for needing to read a "translated" version of 1800s English. BUT the editor, Joy Anne Bennet, added SO much explanations on the culture and the inside jokes of the era that I feel like I was immersed into the very time period itself. I wouldn't have been able to learn any of things anywhere else without those footnotes. I am BEYOND grateful that the editor took the time to not only translate, but to educate as well. She has truly lived up to her wishes to inspire readers to read the original version of the text. Now, I'm more curious to see what the original text is like now that I can actually understand the story.

[april sumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic

I really liked the way the author broke down the meaning of such a difficult language. I of course enjoyed the story as well

[Jananee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favorite book. After several years, I decided to reread it and dug out my old copy last month. As a non-native English speaker, I found the Regency-era English somewhat difficult to grasp. I especially struggled with the chapter where Lizzy, Darcy, and Bingley discuss their personalities. I suppose in the past I was more focused on the overall story than on truly understanding the nuances.

So, I searched for an easier version on Amazon and came across this edition. I compared the sample chapters with my copy and was delighted to find that it retained the original text as much as possible, only replacing parts of sentences that contained outdated language. Also, the extensive notes added by the editor provided valuable insights into how people lived during that era.

I highly recommend this edition to anyone who wants to enjoy Pride and Prejudice without having to struggle with the older language.