Letter to "Pride and Prejudice"

Dear "Pride and Prejudice",

You are a wonderful book. An excellent book, with an incredible story, which also makes a great movie, play, Bollywood musical, and (as I can only imagine) opera.

There is just something about you that I can't put a finger on. Something about you that makes everyone love you. (People who don't love you just don't understand you yet.)

One of the things I love about you is the use of letters in your story. It's amazing how much of the story takes place in, or is told through, letters. So many of the important events in your plotline come out in letters--the scandals, romances, important bits of gossip... It's all there, in the letters. (Another thing I love about you is how regular every-day gossip is turned into a very important and relative aspect of life. I get a great deal of enjoyment out of that.)

Some parts of you just stick out. Little lines are excellent when applied in modern life. Most of your content is applicable in any period of time, as evidenced by the many adaptions available.

I think it would be interesting to see an adaptation of you taking place before your time, instead of after it. What if there was a version of "Pride and Prejudice" that took place during, I don't know, the American Revolution? Or maybe Ancient Greece. That would be fascinating, and I would definitely read it.

It's not just the story or the plot that is timeless. The characters are so humane. Mr. Darcy could be a proud, haughty British actor, or a top barrister, or an American hotel heir (just to name a few of the characters that have already been based on him). The qualities that are so important to the story, namely prejudice and pride, are still at large in the world, and I imagine will continue to be for quite some time. You could take all of the qualities of Lizzy Bennett and find them in women of all ages around the world. The same goes for Mr. Darcy.

Thank you for existing, "Pride and Prejudice". You are a great read and a great friend. You are the book that keeps on giving, in many different ways, and it is on behalf of many, many people that I thank you. Because we all love you.

Your faithful reader,
Grace Zivny