Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Published by Penguin ISBN 9780140620221 You could not be blamed for disliking someone who said you weren't pretty enough to dance with, and you would be forgiven for thinking the feeling was mutual. But then relationships are never easy to understand. Everybody has heard of Jane Austen and her most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. She is widely considered one of the greatest writers in the English language, even if some do not appreciate her biting comedies of manners and find her subject matter boring. While being refused a dance might sound like a small incident in a person's life, it is from such simple beginnings this novel becomes one of the most famous English-language love stories. Set in the late 18th century, this is a story of mistaken first impressions and half truths, about how people judge each other without knowing the facts. This subtle social satire, with its engaging heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, reveals how often our own pride and prejudice lead us to misunderstand those around us. And the consequences of these misunderstandings may last a lifetime. Austen uses different literary techniques to tell the story, including mirroring characters' emotions in the weather. She is also famously credited with refining the technique of free indirect speech - a narrative form in which readers recognise the words to be the character's own thoughts without being told. In Pride and Prejudice, there is far more to the plot than a simple love story. This is a story about the complexity of human feelings and emotions. Reading the book is also an engrossing way to improve your understanding of the English language.