Hi friends, happy Friday I hope you’re all well! I’m here with a new project; new year, new project! The Classics project is a way for me to read more classic literature and today I’m going to be talking about Pride and Prejudice by: Jane Austen.

The way this project works is I’m planning to read a chapter a day of a classic novel. If you already follow me on Instagram, you’ll see that every Friday I do a little reading update on where I’m at. The blog posts are going to contain all those updates in one big wrap-up. It’s a place to read them all together and makes it easier for me to keep everything contained. Welcome to The Classics project!

The first book up is a re-read. I first read Pride and Prejudice back in 2013 and it was so much fun being back in this world.

Reading Update: I haven’t made it too far into my re-read, but it’s been 10 years so everything feels slightly fresh (aside from the fact that the 2005 adaption is playing out in my head as I read 😂). This has started out slow, but it’s quickly gained traction and I love Elizabeth. She’s so bold and sure of herself, even in these early pages. I have to admit, I didn’t quite see the allure of Mr. Darcy… *don’t hate me* but he has these moments where he cracks and you actually get to see some of his personality, which leads me to wanting more. Excited to continue on!

Reading update: I’m still slowly making my way through my re-read of Pride and Prejudice. I’ve come to meet Mr. Collins and I’m not sure if we’re supposed to like him or not? He’s just kind of around right now. The quick glances that Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth keep giving each other.😏 He’s still a completely mystery but I think that’s supposed to be part of his allure. This has been an enjoyable re-read so far! 

Reading update: So this Mr. Collins guy feels mighty desperate. We find out that he’s Mr. Bennet’s cousin… and he’s asking his cousin’s daughter’s hand in marriage… ok that’s not weird at all – I guess for the time period it’s not. So he asks Elizabeth to marry him and she flat out says no (you go girl!). He’s so hard pressed to take no for an answer (ugh) but when he finally does he goes and asks her friend Charlotte to marry him (seriously?!). Of course Elizabeth is shocked and Charlotte is all like don’t be mad. It’s not that she’s mad about the guy, but the fact that her friend is only marrying to be married… which is so sad and Elizabeth sees that, which makes her such an interesting character because she’s not like everyone else in her little town. Can’t wait to read on!

Reading update: I feel this will be short and sweet since I didn’t read too much this week. We see Elizabeth getting used to the fact that her friend has gotten married and is possibly enjoying it – who’s she to judge (that’s the impression I got). I didn’t really understand why she was invited to a dinner with the Collins where she was basically on trial about her family and why she, specifically, wasn’t married. I loved that Elizabeth stood her ground and by the end started giving these sly answers – she’s so fun to read! 

Reading update: Well, Mr. Darcy is back and how did I not know his first name was Fitzwilliam?! I feel like that would have been something I remembered, yet clearly I didn’t. Then I got all confused with him and Colonel Fitzwilliam who is his cousin (yes I had to Google that! 😅). That aside, wow he and Elizabeth really have it out and he writes her a whole letter (like wow!) and her outlook on him and a few others starts to change. I like that we’re getting the meaning behind the title of the book start to play out in these chapters, like it’s all coming together.  

Reading update: I don’t have too much to say this week; I’ve been enjoying reading all the feelings that Elizabeth has been going through after her row with Mr. Darcy. We get a nice long chapter where the two meet once again (ok more like see each other, they don’t talk to one another) and it becomes a will they/won’t they sort of dance that is achingly beautiful to watch play out. 

Reading update: The chapters have gotten a little longer and we’ve moved away from the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy drama to even more drama… Elizabeth’s sister Lydia has run off to get married with what we’re led to believe is a wicked man who has no money? I’ve been trying to follow this along, but this turn of events felt like it came out of left field a bit. I get that the Bennets are trying to marry off all their children, but they seem to be overtly excited about Lydia and her choices. After some googling to make sure I understood everything 😅 – I was right and I can see why they’d be overtly excited Wickham is a dud and a loser. Also I can truly see why Elizabeth is mad at Darcy because he helped make this happen… even if his intentions were good. The push and pull of it all has been very intriguing, Austen has such a way of capturing her audience. I am interested to see how this ends. From what I remember from the movie it was bittersweet. 

Reading update: I love the way Elizabeth has a way of telling people how she feels without getting flustered or losing her point; she just says it like it is and that’s that. She gets into it with Lady Catherine and wow – that whole scene was just so good the way Elizabeth handled herself, stood up for herself and let Lady Catherine get tied up in her own words, so so good! Then the cherry on top was the letter from Mr. Collins about Darcy’s engagement to Elizabeth, after Lady Catherine forbade Elizabeth to marry Darcy, the drama! I can truly see why people love this book. I can’t wait to finish, but I’m also sad for it to be over.

Final thoughts: I can honestly say that I didn’t remember the ending and I’m very ok with that because it gave reading for the first time vibes and I loved it. This novel is so full of drama and the will they won’t they dance that is so fun to get tangled up in. I can understand why people reread this over and over, it’s a truly magical tale that gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. Elizabeth is such a wonderful character; her willpower to know what she wants and knows what she deserves is inspiring. I can see why people also like Mr. Darcy – even through his faults… and pride, at his heart he’s a good guy who just wants to do the right thing. This novel is definitely worth the read or reread. 

Have you read Pride and Prejudice? Let me know in the comments below!