Dear my daughters…
I am not yet sure whether you will turn out like your mother- a hopeless romantic ;). As you might remember when you were kids (currently: aqish 4, busyra 2, hailey- u wouldn’t remember…) mama spends lots of her time with a book in her hands.. one book in particular really caught mama’s attention. Ask abah why so… J. Oklah, just ask me (if you don’t mind the long winded version…)
Anyway, the book is called Pride & Prejudice. I really hope you girls love it. Read the original classic when you’re older. Nevertheless, here’s a summary for you to understand why mama loved it so much.. (from http://www.myprideandprejudice.com)
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live with their five daughters in Meryton. Meryton is a small town in England. The family have servants and land, but they are not really rich. The Bennet’s house is called Longbourn. When Mr. Bennet dies, Longbourn will be given to a distant family member. Mrs. Bennet wants her daughters to marry wealthy men soon. If they do not, they could become poor, or even homeless.
Mrs. Bennet is excited because a rich, young, single man has moved into the area. He is called Mr. Bingley. He has come with his even richer friend, Mr. Darcy. He has also brought his sisters, Caroline Bingley and Mrs Hurst. Mrs Hurst’s husband is there too
At a town party, Mr Bingley meets Jane Bennet. Jane is very beautiful. She is the oldest of the Bennet sisters. Mr. Bingley is kind and friendly to strangers. Jane and Mr. Bingley get on very well and dance together. Mr. Darcy is very different. He is not friendly, and he refuses to dance with Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth is the second-oldest Bennet sister. She is the most important person in the story.
Jane visits Mr. Bingley’s house, which is called Netherfield. On her way, it rains and Jane becomes very sick. She stays at Netherfield until she is better. Elizabeth visits her sister at Netherfield. Mr. Darcy is there too. Mr. Darcy starts to like Elizabeth. Elizabeth is very smart and good with words. She always stands up for herself. Mr. Bingley’s sister, Caroline, wants to marry Mr. Darcy, so she does not like Elizabeth very much.
Mr. Bennet gets a letter from a man called Mr. Collins. Later, Mr. Collins visits them. He is a very strange, stupid man. Mr. Collins will be given the Bennets’ house when Mr. Bennet dies. Mr. Collins always talks about Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Lady Catherine is a rich woman who has given a lot to Mr. Collins.
A group of soldiers comes to Meryton. One of the soldiers is called Mr. Wickham. Mr. Wickham is handsome and seems friendly. Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy is a very bad man. He says that Darcy did not give him any money, even though Darcy’s father wanted him to. Elizabeth feels sorry for Mr. Wickham. She doesn’t like Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth hopes that Mr. Wickham will be at a party. She is sad that he is not there. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy talk for a short time. Elizabeth’s family behave very badly at the party. Elizabeth is embarrassed.
Mr. Collins asks Elizabeth to marry him. She says no. Three days later, Mr. Collins asks another lady, Charlotte Lucas, to marry him instead. Charlotte is a close friend of Elizabeth. Charlotte says yes to Mr. Collins. Elizabeth is surprised.
Mr. Bingley and his family and friends leave Netherfield. They go to London. Jane Bennet is very upset because she loves Mr. Bingley. She thinks Mr. Bingley doesn’t love her. Elizabeth thinks Caroline Bingley is trying to keep Mr. Bingley and Jane apart.
Elizabeth goes to stay with Charlotte and Mr. Collins. Elizabeth also meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Lady Catherine is very bossy and quite scary. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth meet at Lady Catherine’s house. Mr. Darcy’s friend, Colonel Fitzwilliam, tells Elizabeth some news. He tells her that Mr. Darcy tried to keep Jane and Mr. Bingley apart. Elizabeth is angry.
Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to marry him. Elizabeth is surprised. Mr. Darcy says he shouldn’t really marry Elizabeth because her family is not rich or important. He says can’t help loving her, so he’s asking her anyway. Elizabeth is angry at Darcy’s words. She also doesn’t like him because of what happened to Mr. Wickham. Also, she is angry because Mr. Darcy separated Jane and Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth says she won’t marry Mr. Darcy.
The next day, Mr. Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter. The letter says that Mr. Wickham was lying. It says that Mr. Wickham took lots of money, but spent it all. It even says that Mr. Wickham tried to run away with Georgiana, Mr. Darcy’s younger sister. Georgiana was only 15. Elizabeth is not sure what to think.
The youngest Bennet sister is called Lydia. She is 15 years old and she thinks about men all the time. Lydia goes to Brighton, another town in England, to follow the soldiers. Elizabeth thinks this is a bad idea. Lydia might do something to shame the family.
Elizabeth visits the north of England with her aunt and uncle. They go to Pemberley. Pemberley is Mr. Darcy’s big, beautiful house in Derbyshire. Mr. Darcy’s housekeeper says that he is a kind man. Darcy and Elizabeth meet in Pemberley. Elizabeth is very embarrassed, but Mr. Darcy is friendly to Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle.
Elizabeth begins to like Darcy more and more. Maybe she loves him. Then, a letter comes from Elizabeth’s sister, Jane. It says that Lydia and Mr. Wickham have run away together. Lydia is only 15. If they do not marry, the family will be shamed. Nobody will want to marry Elizabeth or Jane, or any of the other sisters. Elizabeth is very worried. She goes back to Longbourn.
At Longbourn, Another letter comes. It says that Mr. Wickham will marry Lydia. This is good news. Mr. Bennet thinks that Elizabeth’s uncle must have paid Mr. Wickham. He doesn’t know how to pay him back. Lydia and Mr. Wickham come to Longbourn. Lydia doesn’t care if she upset anyone. By mistake, she says that Mr. Darcy was at the wedding. Elizabeth finds out that Mr. Darcy set up the wedding. Mr. Darcy paid for it too!
Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come back to Netherfield. Mr. Bingley asks Jane to marry him. Jane says yes. Mrs. Bennet doesn’t know that Mr. Darcy set up Lydia’s wedding. She is rude to him. Elizabeth knows the truth, and she is embarrassed.
Lady Catherine de Bourgh comes to Longbourn. She tells Elizabeth that she cannot marry Darcy. Elizabeth does not know what Lady Catherine is talking about. Elizabeth does not promise anything to Lady Catherine.
Darcy hears that Elizabeth did not say she wouldn’t marry Darcy. He asks Elizabeth to marry him. She says yes.
Mr. Bingley and Jane, and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy get married all together.
Don’t you think that was a lovely story? That’s why mama kept on bugging abah to buy the dvd… ;)
