pride & prejudice

For Golden's birthday we watched Pride & Prejudice.  The version we saw was the two-hour one with Keira Knightley rather than the the five-hour one with Colin Firth.  Obviously, the book and the movies were not made with me mind, so my opinions on the story are probably of little consequence.  Also, I can only truly comment on the shorter movie because I have never seen the longer one, and I gave up on the book four chapters in the one time I attempted reading it.

Back when I attempted to read the book it was because I had been told it offered insight into a woman's mind, and I am always interested in understanding how others think.  It took me little time to realize that I was not capable of discerning what insight was available. There was too much about the story that was supposed to resonate with the audience that failed to resonate with me simply because I am missing the part of the brain that is supposed to resonate.  Also, I couldn't keep the sisters' names straight.

One thing about the movie that perplexed me a bit was how much of the story was intended to be social commentary of the society in which Jane Austin lived.  Elizabeth, The main character, is largely defined by how much she is not like her off-kilter family members on one side and the members of proper high society on the other.  At least in the movie, is Elizabeth supposed to be the character with modern sensibilities surrounded by people who are at least a little bit off-center, or is she simply supposed to be a participant in her environment who actually does fit in just like everyone else?

This idea of social commentary stuck out to me because I think that one of the greatest appeals to the story to modern women is that it hearkens to a time that many find easy to idealize.  If the story is actually supposed to negatively reflect certain aspects of that time period that is an interesting contrast the people who on some level wish they lived in that time period.

Like everyone I have my own escapist entertainment as well, so I am not one to judge.