Happily Ever After

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inJane Austen, Love, St. Valentine's DayTags:, ,

Yellow & Red

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

And so begins the story of the love between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, one of the most famous romances in English literature.  Mr. Darcy, an educated man high on the social ladder, falls irrevocably in love with Elizabeth, the second daughter of a gentleman of modest means.  It is one of those great stories where they live happily ever after once they triumph over a few bumps in the road to perfect understanding.

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

 Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice

Jane Austen had a clear understanding of a woman’s position in her day.  There was good reason to be genuinely concerned if marriage prospects were limited. Without doubt, Jane Austen gave us a window into the social climate of her time. Yet, it was her ability to combine romance with clever insight into being human that keeps us ever entertained.

 “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?” 

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

33 thoughts on “Happily Ever After”

  1. That photo is STUNNING! Austen is remarkable. Did you have a chance to read PD James “Death Comes To Pemberly?” She continues Austen’s work and I had a lot of fun with it. James is incredbile also.
    “Me thinks you were a lit major…” I was too and Psych. Great, informative post, as usual from you. thank you.

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    1. Thank you, Cindy for your encouraging comments. I confess that I am only a wannabe lit major. Over the past years, I have turned my focus on non-fiction, but I have had this hankering to go back to the classics. Thank you for the recommendation for PD James. I just looked it up on Amazon and will be ordering a copy. Sounds “frightfully” exciting.

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      3. Victor Hugo wrote Le Mis that way, with the exception of his periodic twenty page digressions on the slang of the lower class, or political imperatives.

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      5. It’s a long book ~ 1,300 pages but well worth the read.

        any other favorites you have? I am doing a little SciFy fantasy “The Warded Man now”

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      6. I am starting “Arguably” by Christopher Hitchens and am in the middle of reading “Retirement Heist” by Ellen Schultz! I will be hard pressed to get through my 2013 reading list. I am starting to realize that I won’t be able to read everything. Alas…

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  3. Dear friend, what a wonderful book !
    I read this book many times and I was sad and I was happy … I ask myself a thousand questions and I found a million answers. Finally, after pride and prejudice, what matters is “Happily Ever After” … with other ingredients …

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  4. Ha ha, I had made a similar comment re: this famous saying in Pride and Prejudice , when I communicated on the FP post the other day. She is a big fan of Jane Austen and also a scholar on the same subject. This is one of my favorite novels too. Nice post featuring Jane Austen on Valentine’s week! Thanks.

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    1. Valentine’s Day would not be the same without Jane Austen. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

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    1. I agree – of all of Jane Austen’s books, I find that I identify the most with Pride and Prejudice the most. But then, maybe it’s time to reread them all. If only there were more hours in a day.

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    1. A very, very good question. I am certain she didn’t think that her writing would span the centuries. You have given me something to think about….hmmmm….

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  7. So many books out there……….read them once and there is no reason to look again.
    Jane Austin…..I reread and have the feeling I have never read it before. Always something new to think about.

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    1. I agree – Jane Austen writes about universal concepts. Love, marriage, betrayal, hope, human rights, parenting. The older I get, the more I understand Mrs. Bennett’s fears.

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    1. In my opinion, the photography in Joe Write’s 2005 Pride & Prejudice film was outstanding, I was amazed by the colour, lighting, and the way in which he presented the Bennett home. Thanks for your comments about the tulips. They were part of a sidewalk display – I couldn’t let the moment pass…

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  9. Jane Austen is wonderful isn’t she? And one of the iconic moments of British TV was the emergence of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy emerging from the lake in a sodden white shirt. It set the pulse rates of a whole nation racing!

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  11. What a fitting tribute in this, the 200th anniversary year of the publication of the magnificent P&P. A desert island book if ever there was one, although I must confess to Persuasion being my favourite JA – the exquisite torture, pain and agony of love and life in all her books is captured at it finest here in my view.

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    1. And it will probably be celebrated again in the next century. I can see why you enjoyed Persuasion!

      “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.” ― Jane Austen, Persuasion

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