‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ Thus begins Jane Austen’s most beloved and celebrated novel that has delighted and enthralled readers ever since its anonymous publication in 1813. In Austen’s time, Mr. Bennet’s estate can only be passed down to a male heir-a circumstance that will leave his five daughters destitute. To escape poverty at least one of sisters must make a wealthy match to support the others. Despite this pressure, the spirited Bennet girls are determined to marry for love rather than for money and prestige. Austen’s humor, wit, and narrative prowess infuse this highly entertaining story that offers, along the way, a keen examination of the nature of true happiness and independence and has served as inspiration for countless retellings up to the present time. This authoritative edition includes a new afterword, Virginia Woolf’s seminal essay Jane Austen, and a detailed timeline of Austen’s life.
Зміст
Contents
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 1
Afterword by Ulrich Baer 274
Jane Austen by Virginia Woolf 282
Biographical Timeline 290
Про автора
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) ranks among the major literary figures of all time. With her novels, including To the Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Waves, she reinvented the art of story-telling and shaped modern culture’s self-understanding to the present day. In landmark essays, letters, and diaries, Woolf insisted on a woman’s right to tell her story on her own terms.