Audiobook · read by volunteers
Pride and Prejudice (version 3)
Jane Austen (1775–1817)
Read by Karen Savage · 61 chapters · 10 h 23
About the book
It is a truth universally acknowledged, and Jane Austen's most famous novel begins with it. When a wealthy bachelor moves into the neighbourhood, the Bennet family is thrown into excitement, and none more than Mrs Bennet, who has five daughters to marry. The sharp-minded Elizabeth Bennet meets the proud and reserved Mr Darcy, and first impressions prove to be anything but reliable. Through balls, letters, visits and misunderstandings, Austen weaves a comedy of manners that is also a study of character, pride and the courage to change one's mind. The dialogue sparkles, the minor characters are unforgettable, and the romance unfolds with a perfect sense of timing. This is the third LibriVox version of the novel, read in sixty-one chapters by Karen Savage over about ten and a half hours. It is a gloriously companionable listen, whether you are meeting the story for the first time or returning to a beloved favourite.
Introduction
Jane Austen (1775-1817) published Pride and Prejudice in 1813, and it has become one of the most widely read novels in the English language. Its opening sentence, about a single man in possession of a good fortune being in want of a wife, is among the most quoted lines in English literature. The manuscript was first written in 1796 and 1797 under the title First Impressions, but it was not published in that form. Austen revised it substantially before it finally appeared.
The novel belongs to the tradition of the novel of manners, in which the details of social life, such as visits, dances, letters and carefully weighed remarks, carry the weight of the drama. At its centre are Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, whose relationship is shaped by pride on one side and prejudice on the other. Around them Austen arranges a lively cast of relatives, neighbours and rivals, and she treats them with a mixture of affection and irony that has delighted readers for more than two centuries. Beneath the comedy, the book also pays serious attention to the limited options open to women of the period, and to the importance of marriage as a matter of security as well as feeling.
This is the third version of the novel recorded by LibriVox volunteers. It is read by Karen Savage, runs for around ten hours and twenty-five minutes, and is divided into sixty-one files, one for each chapter. Having several versions allows listeners to choose the voice they like best. Today the book still feels fresh, and its humour, warmth and intelligence make it as rewarding to hear as it is to read.
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