When Jane Austen originally wrote Pride and Prejudice, she meant for her story to show the societal constraints on women, how women were so dependent on men, and the pressure that was put on women to quickly get them married and out of the house for financial security.
Many people focused more on the theme of timeless love and social dynamics, which is the main reason why there are so many adaptations. Each director has a different view of how the story goes, what everyone looks like, the places they’re in, etc. There’s a big difference between the 2005 movie compared to the 1940 movie, many different sets, different treatment of characters, different lines, and much different clothing.
There are many well-known adaptations of the book, such as the Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley, the 1995 movie, a series with 6 episodes, with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and the 1940 Pride and Prejudice movie with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, but why are there so many?
Some see the book and movies as a love story, some see it as about how women were treated during that time, and some see the story of the social dynamics of the different classes during that time; it’s just their perspective of it.
Freshman Amanda DiMichina says, “It seems like a story about injustice because of the word ‘prejudice.’ I’ve never heard anything about this movie before. It kinda seems like it’s about this girl who’s different and quirky and not like other girls because she’s gonna be a lawyer.” It was at this moment she realized she was somewhat describing Legally Blonde; still, she continued, “and everyone denies her because of sexism — How she’s a woman and so, it seems like, that would be the story. She then falls in love with this guy who is like ‘you’ll never make it as a lawyer because you’re a woman!’ but she’s like ‘actually, I am a lawyer!’ and he’s like ‘I LOVE YOU!’ wait it sounds like it would the the same story [as Legally Blond]. It’s by Jane Austen, and she’s all about feminism, and stuff. Wait, Mr. Darcy, is she dating a teacher? Why is he ‘Mr.’? I think that Jane Austen got that sexism on point because she named the guys something really stupid and the girls a pretty name.”
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is quite different from Legally Blonde, but still is similar in the aspects of sexism towards women, many people not accepting women in something they do well, wanting to plan and control a woman’s life, but this story – and Legally Blonde – breaks that.
At the beginning of all the versions and the book, it’s known that the Bennet family (the main characters’ family) will lose their house after their father dies because there is no male heir to take over the house, which is why the mother so desperately wants to marry off her children. Despite Jane knowing all this, she still refuses to get married to those in her town, even if many of them are rich. She would rather stay single and lose her family’s house than marry some random rich guy her parents chose for her.
