Jane Austen, aka the Queen of Romance, wrote our favorite Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice, over two hundred years ago on this day! Feels just like yesterday, right?
It’s hard to believe that it’s been so long since Austen came up with the brilliant piece of fiction involving one of literature’s favorite couple. The sassy and dynamic protagonist, Elizabeth Bennett, won our hearts with her outspoken attitude, and put the handsome yet seemingly arrogant, Fitzwilliam Darcy in his place, and we couldn’t love her more for that.
image via deviant art
But did you know that the famous novel was titled as First Impressions originally? If you didn’t, you should check out these cool facts below about the popular book and amuse yourself!
1. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was rejected WITHOUT EVEN being READ.
image via fan pop
Austen finished writing the book at the age of 21 and her father sent it to a publisher and it got promptly rejected and returned! Then, it was shelved for another 14 long years. And after Austen had made her name with the publication of Sense and Sensibility, was only when she could revise the manuscript, and get it published in 1813 when she was 37. Talk about slow and steady winning the race!
2. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE WAS PUBLISHED ANONYMOUSLY.
image via thought catalog
To make things even further complicated, Austen refused to sign her name on the books she published and would only say they were “By a Lady.” And the title page of Pride and Prejudice read, “by the author of Sense and Sensibility.” This may have been because women writers were still not as popular, and it was considered controversial for them to publish. It wasn’t until after her death that her brother revealed her name to the public.
3. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE HAS BEEN ADAPTED HUNDREDS OF TIMES.
image via toledo lucas library
The adaptations of Pride and Prejudice seem endless and ongoing, up until this day. There have been at least 11 film and TV versions of the book, including the 1995 BBC miniseries starring Colin Firth as a memorable Darcy and the 2005 film starring Keira Knightly as the audacious Liz Bennett, which actually garnered her the Best Actress Academy Award nomination. Other adaptations include Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016), the Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice (2004), the mystery novel Death Comes to Pemberley, and the 2012-2013 web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Why so many times, you may ask? We say, why not?
4. Pride and Prejudice was originally told in letters.
image via pinterest
Like many of her early works, the novel was set in a form of letters. This was actually considered a common style at the time and later had to be reworked into a third person style, turning it to the masterpiece that it is today.
5. Pride and Prejudice was the family’s favorite.
image via the rush blog
Austen often read excerpts of the beloved book for feedback to a close group of audience, and over all her other novels, her close family and friends loved this novel the most, perhaps just as much as the public do!
featured image via empire
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