I Finished Pride and Prejudice

 I Finished Pride and Prejudice And It Wasn’t As Scary As I Thought

I used to think classics weren’t for me.

Whenever someone said “classic literature,” I imagined this big, muscular book looming over me with a condescending stare, whispering,
“You’ll never understand me.”

But I finally faced that fear and finished Pride and Prejudice and not only did I understand it, I loved it.

I didn’t read a physical copy (yet), but I did listen to the audiobook through LibriVox, a free app and website filled with public domain audiobooks. If you’re interested in exploring classics without spending money, LibriVox is a fantastic place to start. Volunteers from around the world read the books, and it kind of feels like you’re part of a global book club.

I’ve wanted to read Pride and Prejudice for a while. I remember hearing about it from my high school AP Lit class it sounded like a literary rite of passage. I was taking AICE at the time, so a different track than AP. And now, after finishing it, I get why it’s so beloved. Elizabeth Bennet is quick-witted and fiercely independent, and Mr. Darcy… well, let’s just say I now understand the hype.

But the part that stayed with me most was how Jane Austen used the ideas of pride and prejudice as both flaws and lessons. It’s inspired me to dig deeper. For my next step, I plan to explore the questions:

• What does it really mean to be prideful?

• What does it mean to be prejudiced?

• Do the two go hand in hand?

I’ll also be rewatching The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (available here on YouTube)—a modern vlog-style retelling that’s so clever and surprisingly faithful to the original. Watching it after finishing the book feels like catching up with old friends in a new world.

Finishing Pride and Prejudice reminded me that sometimes the books we fear the most are the ones we end up loving. So if you're nervous about reading a classic, try easing in with an audiobook. You never know you might fall in love with 19th-century sass and subtle social commentary.

Next up: deeper thoughts on Pride vs Prejudice. Stay tuned.