One of the things I love most about the book are the various relationships men and woman share throughout the story, and how they change and are influenced by love.
1. Has to be the primary relationship, Elizabeth and Darcy. It isn't as easy to pick out while reading the book, but I can almost feel the sexual tension increasing as Pride and Prejudice progresses. I love how much Darcy is altered by his ardent love for Elizabeth, and how she is almost completely oblivious to his admiration until chapter 34, his clumsy proposal (which I find oddly romantic.) I didn't like how he was portrayed in the (I think 2005?) movie with Keira Knightley. He should be very cold, introverted, dark, and someone that is not easily liked. The movie gave him a more sensitive personality. Perhaps it is more so that way towards the end, but for me, he is generally thought of as a strong, hot-tempered character who isn't ideal to marry, or even be acquainted with. I can feel my own heart stirring when Elizabeth and Darcy fight in the book, because they are both such strong characters that when they are brought together, the chemistry is iminent, and very dangerous.
2. Probably the legendary Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. They can love each other and drive each other crazy at the same time, a hilarious (and sometimes lethal) combination that most people can probably empathize with their own marriages. They are just so tired with each other that they are often driven to madness. I also feel that even though Austen states they have been married for twenty-three years, they still don't really understand the other person and how they act. But above all, they are one of the most caring and determined parent duos, because all they care about are their children and how to make them happy, even if they can be spectacularly ignorant about some matters.
3. Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy. Their relationship is a special one because she worships him (even if she isn't very good at showing it properly) and he barely notices she exists. In Darcy's eyes, Elizabeth is the only creature who could bewitch him, perhaps against his will, but Miss Bingley persists. I think that her coldness towards Elizabeth is what eventually leads Darcy to become in touch with his feelings. He has a constant need to defend her, and if it wasn't for Miss Bingley's haughty cruelty, he might have still only thought of Elizabeth as a pretty girl with dark eyes and a pleasing figure (which is, again, a thought he shares with Miss Bingley herself). Sure, they don't exactly have a relationship, one might argue, but their connection plays a key part in the story, and without it, Pride and Prejudice might turn in a completely new direction.
4. Jane and Charles Bingley. They are the perfect couple, caring and loving. From the moment they meet, they are destined to fall in love. Bingley refers to her as an "angel," which is so heart-melting that any reader has to pause to swoon. In the book, they add a refreshing sense of happiness to an otherwise confusing and difficult variety of relationships. They are the epitome of destiny, the embodiment of true love, and they give Pride and Prejudice that signature Jane Austen swipe, the budding romance you can only find in romance novels.
5. Mr. Collins and Charlotte. An unlikely occurence, but majestic indeed. I've always felt a lot of sympathy for Mr. Collins. He is such a strange man that finding someone to love must be rare for him. Even though some would disagree and say that he is unworthy of Charlotte, I would argue that they are both happy and content in their lives, with each other and their estate, and that's all a marriage really needs, especially with two people whose only wish is to settle down and finally be satisfied in their own circumstances.
So there they are, the storybook couples. I love how Jane Austen can spin so many ideas into one relationship: the struggle, the passion, the hilarity, and the unexpected love. Her books are surely classics that can never be matched or compared to. Her stories are her own, and it is such a privilege and delight we have to be able to share these wonderful tales with us for generations and generations.
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