Audiobook · read by volunteers
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen (1775–1817)
Read by Chris Goringe, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Kristen McQuillin, Maureen S. O'Brien, Gord Mackenzie, Mark Bradford, Annie Coleman Rothenberg, Elisabeth Shields, Sherry Crowther, PenelopePitstop · 37 chapters · 13 h 06
About the book
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” With this famous sentence Jane Austen opens the story of the Bennet family, five unmarried daughters and a mother determined to see them settled. When a wealthy young man takes a house nearby, hopes rise, and soon the quick-witted Elizabeth Bennet crosses paths with his proud and reserved friend. Misjudgements, social pressures, gossip and first impressions complicate everything. Austen’s comedy of manners is sharp, affectionate and endlessly quotable, and her heroine remains one of the most beloved in English fiction. This unabridged recording of just over thirteen hours, read by LibriVox volunteers, lets you take your time with a novel that rewards every return.
Introduction
Pride and Prejudice is the most famous of Jane Austen’s novels, and its opening is one of the most famous lines in English literature. Austen, who lived from 1775 to 1817, wrote the manuscript between 1796 and 1797, under the title First Impressions, but it was not published under that name. After revision the novel appeared in 1813 and quickly became popular. It was published anonymously, its title page crediting the author of Sense and Sensibility.
The story takes place among the English gentry in the early nineteenth century. The Bennet family has five daughters and limited means, and the arrival of new neighbours stirs the whole district. At the centre is Elizabeth Bennet, who is lively, observant and ready to trust her own judgement, and the proud Mr Darcy, whose manner puzzles and offends her. Their relationship develops through misunderstandings, conversations at balls and dinners, and a gradual recognition of each other’s true character. Around them Austen places a gallery of unforgettable figures, from anxious Mrs Bennet to the delightfully pompous Mr Collins.
This recording has 37 sections and lasts about thirteen hours. Most sections cover one or two chapters, and a few cover three. The work was shared among LibriVox volunteers, which gives it a variety of voices.
Two centuries after its publication, the book still delights readers with its irony and its warmth. It is a novel about money, marriage and manners, but above all about the difficulty of seeing people clearly, which is why it still speaks to us. A good choice for long walks, journeys and winter evenings.
Public domain
Jane Austen died in 1817: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text