Letter to Elizabeth Bennet, protagonist of ‘Pride and Prejudice' written by Jane Austen.
My reading nest,
Dear Elizabeth,
For someone who’s first romantic novel was ‘Pride and Prejudice', I couldn’t have been more lucky. I had picked up the book with great trepidation, I remember. Girls are expected to enjoy romantic novels simply because they are girls. I had, up until that point avoided the book because of that very preconception held by other people.
When I delved into the pages of ‘Pride and Prejudice', I was mesmerized. The world of Regency era unfolded before me; with green fields and tea parties, and chatter and enthusiasm of young people and society alike. The gossamer dreams of the youth are just the same as they are now, which fortifies my belief that people through time and ages, are just people. Not much has changed, I think. Your story expresses the most quotidian of our own life experiences, that of traversing the road of familial and romantic love.
The Bennet family, your family, are central to the story. The mother of five daughters intent on marrying them off to well off husbands is both funny regarding Mrs. Bennet’s character and poignant as to what was expected of women. While I liked Jane, was amused by Mr. Bennet’s idiosyncrasies, it was you I gravitated towards. Much like Mr. Darcy, I guess. I don’t mean to say that I am every bit like you. I am not. While you are cheerful, talkative, social- I am taciturn and an introvert, and disinclined to dance. While writing this, I am beginning to think that I am more like Mr. Darcy. But the traits which did resonate with me were your insistence on being your own person and your preference for books over people. You are a loyal sister, caring daughter and a good friend. A keen observer, you think before you act. You look out for people you care about. Your insightful, vivacious temperament drew you apart from the crowd.
There were instances where I was amused by your repartees. I was supportive of your choices but I couldn’t help being appalled by your naivety regarding Mr. Wickham. You and I we both know how wrong you were about him. But then, who doesn’t make mistakes? It’s our willingness to accept and rectify them that shows our character. You did that quite well. Perhaps the most optimistic part of your story was, understandably, your interactions and subsequent love with Mr. Darcy. While you didn’t put up with his haughty attitude, you were willing to change your purview of things. In doing that, you changed your opinion about him, who in turn changed himself to become a better suitor for you. With mutual respect, admiration and love being the touchstones of the relationship, it was a relationship between equals. Who doesn’t want that? And you showed that the only way to get what you want from life is to stay true and authentic to yourself.
In the end, one is compelled to ask, what is love? Being bewitched body and soul, maybe. For all of that, thank you Mrs. Darcy.
Yours truly,
Aahana Sharma
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