Pride, Prejudice and Print
Published on 28th January 2013
Celebrating 200 years of Jane Austen’s masterpiece
On 28th January 1813, Jane Austen’s second novel was published. Pride and Prejudice, for which Austen received a single down-payment of £110, was originally called First Impressions, and had been started when the author was only twenty-one. It was to become one of the best-loved books ever published. Its themes have inspired writers from all over the world and it has been the subject of countless adaptations in films, plays, musicals and TV series.
The characters in the book, especially Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, have almost taken on a life of their own, appearing in countless sequels and under various guises, including that of amateur detectives - (Death at Pemberley) and zombie-hunters – (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). Yet unlike many novels of the 18th and 19th centuries, which grip the public imagination yet are now rarely read in the original, Pride and Prejudice continues to fly off the shelves of libraries and bookshops and is in constant demand as a download. During 2012, over 25 people a month borrowed the book from Dublin City Library Branches, and this figure does not include those copies of the novel published as part of omnibus editions of Austen’s work. Much of the novel’s appeal lies in the author’s psychological acuity - her characters are still eminently recognisable today. One can imagine Lydia and Kitty giggling hysterically as they send the news of the arrival of the regiment in Meryton via Facebook and Mrs Bennet trying desperately to get onto a reality T.V. programme aimed at finding each of her daughters a husband.
This Image Gallery is a tribute to the phenomenon which is Pride and Prejudice. It highlights books held in the Special Collections of Dublin City Public Libraries which are by authors read by Jane Austen, herself a voracious reader, but it also attempts to give a broader picture of reading habits of the time. Those interested in finding out more about Jane Austen’s reading habits should have a look at the Chawton House Exhibition website, which acted as the source for many of the references to this subject in the Image Gallery text.
Check the library catalogue for 'Pride and Prejudice'.