Why do we still read Jane Austen today, and why do we consider Pride and Prejudice to be one of the greatest English novels?
Countless movies are made adapting the book. So many re-tellings are written. And even imaginings of the story expanding the book itself or exploring the other characters are written. For modern readers, the language may seem outdated, being written during 1796-1797, but published after revisions in 1813. Yet even though words and structure are not modern, we embrace it today with delight. Some of us dream about people talking today with such elegance.
Austen herself has an elegant way of writing subtlety in her stories which leaves the reader with the ability to imagine and fill in the blanks. It's not that the story is missing anything, it's that she exhibits restraint, letting the reader read between the lines. The result is that every reader can imagine themselves into the story (as a sort of mirror to view themselves) - this contributes to why it's still so good today.
If every single detail was locked tight, the reader would have fewer opportunities for using their own imagination, and would feel much less empathy and connection toward the characters.
Instead, we become attached quickly to Elizabeth, noticing how her wit and intelligence separate her out as one of the only truly sensible members of her family. And we cheer for her in her bright comments. We wait to read what she'll say because she shows how wise she is. And even so, she is still caught in a misjudgment of Wickham and Darcy, setting her up for humble moments of realization, thanks to Darcy's long letter of elegant explanation to clarify. This encourages the growth of her character as she reflects on how she was wrong.
Speaking of Darcy, we view him from the start as prideful and rude, with no regard for the feelings of others, yet something happens as Elizabeth softens him by his interest in her. Through her sharp, honest refusal of him he awakens to a humility he probably never saw coming, but essential to his growth as a character, as he takes to heart the errors Elizabeth presented, needing his correction.
Is this not the re-alignment of the Christian virtues? When we get out of alignment, we need to be rebalanced. Sometimes that comes with the difficult task of examining how you need to change, and recognizing humbly that you may have been wrong.
Austen did not write romance. It leaves all of that for between the lines. Most men out there probably never attempted to read this book assuming it was sappy and romantic. It's actually the opposite - ironic, sharp, witty, and filled with sparkling dialogue and difficult situations with people. This is timeless material. We can fit it into our day today. It's a huge part of why we love it so much and why I am re-reading it again (for the 5-6 time? I've lost track). I also love that C.S. Lewis read all of Austen's novels and he wrote an essay ("A Note on Jane Austen") that ends with a brief description of the cheerful moderation of the favorite characters:
She has, or at least all her favourite characters have, a hearty relish for what would now be regarded as very modest pleasures. A ball, a dinner party, books, conversation, a drive to see a great house ten miles away, a holiday as far as Derbyshire - these, with affection (that is the essential) and good manners, are happiness. She is no utopian.
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