Annonted Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pages: 816
Published by Anchor
Publication Date November 13, 2012
Source: Gift
Genres: Classic
Goodreads
This Revised and Expanded Edition contains hundreds of new notes and illustrations.
The first-ever fully annotated edition of one of the most beloved novels in the world is a sheer delight for Jane Austen fans. Here is the complete text of "Pride and Prejudice "with thousands of annotations on facing pages.
Of course, one can enjoy the novel "without "knowing the precise definition of a gentleman, or what it signifies that a character drives a coach rather than a hack chaise, or the rules governing social interaction at a ball, but readers of "The Annotated Pride and Prejudice "will find that these kinds of details add immeasurably to understanding and enjoying the intricate psychological interplay of Austen's immortal characters.
I won’t bore you with how wonderful I think Pride and Prejudice is, or my fictional crush on Mr. Darcy, or that I want Elizabeth Bennet as my BBF. You can read about that here
Instead, I am going to discuss the Annotated part of the novel. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about it. To a certain degree, it was interesting, showing insight into what might have inspired Jane Austen such as Mr. Collins rectory could have come from her own father’s parish. Another note was that she had written what Kitty and Mary’s marriage prospects were (Kitty marries a clergyman and Mary her Uncle Gardiner’s clerk) Despite these interesting tidbits it was actually a little annoying, the novel was only on one half of the page the other consisting mostly of definitions or summaries of what I had just read so I felt like it was almost in the way. I think if you want to be one with the novel than this perfect, but if you just want to read a good olde story then head to the Barnes and Noble Classics.
Dropping by after what seems like ages to say hello 🙂 Your blog looks lovely and I love the P&P quote you have for commenting!
I've always wanted the annotated edition, but I can imagine it being overwhelming or annoying.
You're such a huge Austen fan that I think you'd enjoy it. I really liked all the interesting facts it held, it was just irksome that I had to turn pages more frequently. Maybe that's me just being lazy.
This is good to know as I have yet to read this (shame on me that I haven't read it yet).
I really loved this annotated version…much better than one that came out this past year. The pictures in the newest one by a different author are nice but I really prefer Shapard's work.
I adore the annotated version. I actually read it every year. It's amazing how much more interesting and important this book seems when you read it with notes. I liked seeing info about the carriages and definitions of certain words that have changed.