Read more
Informationen zum Autor Jane Austen (1775–1817) was born in Hampshire, England, where she spent most of her life. Though she received little recognition in her lifetime, she came to be regarded as one of the great masters of the English novel. David M. Shapard is the author of The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, The Annotated Persuasion, The Annotated Sense and Sensibility, The Annotated Emma , The Annotated Northanger Abbey, and The Annotated Mansfield Park. He graduated with a Ph.D. in European History from the University of California at Berkeley; his specialty was the eighteenth century. Since then he has taught at several colleges. He lives in upstate New York. Klappentext 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, including: • Explanations of historical context Rules of etiquette, class differences, the position of women, legal and economic realities, leisure activities, and more. • Citations from Austen's life, letters, and other writings Parallels between the novel and Austen's experience are revealed, along with writings that illuminate her beliefs and opinions. • Definitions and clarifications Archaic words, words still in use whose meanings have changed, and obscure passages are explained. • Literary comments and analyses Insightful notes highlight Austen's artistry and point out the subtle ways she develops her characters and themes. • Maps and illustrations of places and objects mentioned in the novel. • An introduction, a bibliography, and a detailed chronology of events 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. (Note: In the printed book, annotations appear on pages facing the text of the novel.) Volume I, Chapter 1 1. The famous opening line, with wonderful economy, accomplishes two main purposes. It indicates the novel’s central subject of marriage, along with the financial considerations usually involved in it. It also sets the tone of irony that will pervade the book, for in fact, as we immediately see, it is the single women in this society who are truly in want, or in need, of a man of large fortune. 2. Netherfield Park is the name of a house in the local area; it is later described as three miles from the Bennets’ residence. It was common for houses, if grand enough, to be given a name, often including words such as “park” to indicate their attractive and rustic character. It was not unusual for large houses to be rented out, for it cost a substantial amount of money to staff and maintain a grand home, and many landowners were unable to afford it. In Jane Austen’s Persuasion the heroine’s family, thanks to the father’s extravagant spending habits, is forced to let their house and move into apartments in the resort city of Bath. 3. Until its concluding paragraph, the rest of this chapter consists entirely of dialogue between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Dialogue occupies much of Jane Austen’s novels, and presentation of character through dialogue is one of her fortes. In this case, Mrs. Bennet’s excitable exclamations and exaggerated phrasing reveal her flightiness and impetuousness, while Mr. Bennet’s terseness and irony reveal his cool detachment. 4. A chaise...
