傲慢与偏见读书报告(英文)

Pride and PrejudiceI. IntroductionPart One: About the Book.Name: Pride and PrejudiceAuthor: Jane AustenMain characters: Mr. and Mrs. BennetElizabeth BennetMr. DarcyMr. BingleyJane BennetMary BennetCatherine BennetLydia BennetMr. WickhamMr. CollinsNarrations: First and third person narrationTime: Pride and Prejudice was first written in 1796 as First Impressions. It was rewritten (and retitled) in 1812 and published in 1813.Part Two: About the Author.Jane Austen (1775-1817) was born at Steventon rectory in Hampshire, England. Austen was the youngest daughter of the large family, with six brothers and one sister. Her father is a clergyman. When Austen was eight years old, she was sent to Oxford to be educated. Because of some accident, she returned home to continue her education. From 1785 to 1786, Austen and her sister attended the Reading Ladies Boarding School, where they studied French, spelling, needlework, music, and dancing. Forced to return home for economic reasons, Austen continued to develop her literary mind under the guidance of her father.Beginning in her teen years, Austen wrote poems, stories, and comic pieces for the amusement of her family. She compiled several of the pieces written between 1787 and 1793 into three bound notebooks, which are now referred as Austens Juvenilia. Austen was also exposed to drama and comedy. Austen also became to sketch out ideas for the novel that would later become Sense and Sensibility. In 1795, Austen met Tom Lefroy, the nephew of their neighbors at Steventon. Austen spent a great deal of time with Tom Lefroy and had romantic feelings with him. Unfortunately, a marriage between the two was impractical, and Lefroys family soon sent him away. After her brief romance with Lefroy, Austen began work on a second novel called First Impressions, which would later become Pride and Prejudice.While living at Chawton, Austen saw the anonymous publication of four of her novels: Sense and Sensibility in 1811, Pride and Prejudice in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814, and Emma in 1815. In July 1816, Austen completed the first draft of her next novel, titled The Elliots, which would later be published as Persuasion. In early 1816, Austen suffered an illness (Most biographers believe that she suffered from Addisons disease) that led her to death the following year. Despite her illness, Austen continued to work on her writing. She revised the ending to The Elliots and started work on Sandition. She died on July 8, 1817, leaving Sandition unfinished, and was buried at the citys famous cathedral. The two novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously as a set in 1817. Jane Austen never married in her whole life. She lived most of her life in a community much like the one we find in Pride and Prejudice. Austens novel, focusing on courtship and marriage, remain well-known for their satiric depictions of English society and the manners of the time. Her insights of the lives of women during the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century in addition to her ability to handle form, satire, and irony have made her one of the most studied and influential novelists of her time. II. Summary of the BookThe narrative opens with Mr. Bingley, a wealthy, charming and social young bachelor, moving into Netherfield house in the neighborhood of the Bennet family. Mr. Bingley is soon well received, while his friend Mr. Darcy makes a less favorable first impression by appearing proud at a ball that they attend. Mr. Bingley singles out Elizabeths elder sister, Jane, for particular attention. And it soon becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to each other. By contrast, Darcy and Elizabeth do not develop a good relationship with each other.On paying a visit to Mr. Bingleys sister, Jane catches a cold and is forced to stay at Netherfield for several days. Elizabeth arrives to take care of her sister. Mr. Darcy begins to perceive his attachment to Elizabeth.Mr. Collins pays a visit to the Bennets. It soon becomes apparent that Mr. Collins has to choose a wife from the Bennet sisters and Elizabeth has been singled out. At the same time, Elizabeth forms an acquaintance with Mr. Wickham, a military officer. From Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth knows something bad about Mr. Darcy, which makes Elizabeth have more prejudice against Mr. Darcy. At a ball given by Mr. Bingley at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy becomes aware of a general expectation that Mr. Bingley and Jane will marry. But the Bennet family, with the exception of Jane and Elizabeth, behave in poor manners at the ball. The following morning, Mr. Collins asks Elizabeth to marry him, but is refused. Mr. Collins recovers and becomes engaged to Elizabeths close friend Charlotte. Mr. Bingley returns to London suddenly, and Elizabeth is convinced that Mr. Darcy separates him from her sister Jane.In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr. Collins. They visit Rosings Park, home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcys aunt. Coincidentally, Darcy also arrives to visit. Darcy again finds himself attracted to Elizabeth and proposes to her. Elizabeth, however, has just learned of Darcys role in separating Mr. Bingley from Jane. So she gets angry with him and quarrels with him. Mr. Darcy responds with a letter, explaining his actions. Elizabeth later came to acknowledge the truth of Darcys words.Some months later, Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner visit Pemberley, Darcys estate, believing that he will be absent for the day. But Mr. Darcy returns unexpectedly. Though surprised, Mr. Darcy shows welcome to their visitation. He treats the Gardiners friendly and introduces Elizabeth to his sister. And Elizabeth begins to pay attention to Mr. Darcy. At this time, Elizabeth knows that her sister Lydia has run away with Mr. Wickham. Lydia and Wickham are soon found, and then married. They visit home, and Lydia speaks carelessly that it is Mr. Darcy who finds the couple and negotiates their marriage at great expense. Elizabeth is shocked at it. Mr. Bingley returns suddenly and asks Jane to marry him and she immediately accepts.Lady Catherine de Bourgh later shows up in Longbourn. She warns Elizabeth not to marry Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth refuses her demands. Angrily, Lady Catherine leaves and tells her nephew on Elizabeths bad behavior, hoping that Mr. Darcy will not marry her. However, this brings hope to Darcy that Elizabeths opinion of him may have changed. He visits Longbourn and proposes again and now Elizabeth accepts.III. My Comments on the BookPride and Prejudice was the representative work of Jane Austen. It gives a vivid expression of the reactionary and traditional country life and peoples minds during the 18th centuries and the 19th centuries in Britain to us. This great novel not only attracted thousands of readers in Austens time, but also gave a special feeling to todays people. I like this book very much. I always think why the title is Pride and Prejudice. I have been confused for a long time, but now I understand. Pride and Prejudice are the things that help determine the actions of the two main characters and the development of the plot. In this sense, the story is about pride and prejudice, about the effects of these vices on people and events. Pride refers to Darcys behavior, and prejudice links with Elizabeths view on Darcy. Pride produces prejudice. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Everybody knows the first sentence of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice. The famous opening sentence, which is humorous and famous, represents the perfect marriage between the content and style. I can find the same echo from this opening sentence in many parts of the novel. In the whole book, various combinations, comparison and contrasts of different characters and situations are presented by the author.Some people hold the view that the author failed to narrate several of the characters, such as Lydia and Mr. Wickham. It is no doubt true that the novel would be richer if we know Lydias and Mr. Wickhams experience. And so on. As to my own conclusion, I do not agree with this point of view. I think there should be main characters and other characters in a novel. If the author writes too much about other characters, then main characters will fade. At the same time, leaving s