Its not a crime for a book to have a happy ending, says John award winning author of the saddest book

It is not Pemberly that changes Elizabeth’s mind, but rather the people in it. She hears his housekeeper’s account of him. You can learn a great deal about a person’s character by seeing or hearing how they treat those in their employ. She hears and sees how he treats his sister, not to mention his respectful, kind behavior towards her aunt and uncle, whom previously, by dint of his social standing, he would never have received. She sees that he is a man of character, who has been known to be kind and warm to family, friends and servants in the past, and who though prideful, is showing that he can humble enough to see where he has been wrong, and change his behavior. She eventually learns that he has gone to great trouble, and great personal discomfort to save her family’s reputation, and to amend what he sees as the harm done by his not making Wickham’s character known. That though he despises Wickham, that being in Wickham’s presence and giving him money cause Darcy great personal distress, he does it, for Elizabeth. To suggest that it is merely the charms of Pemberly that change Elizabeth’s mind does her a great dis-service, and would make her the opposite of someone who could draw Darcy’s interest and affections.

I'd say the novel is also quite radical in it regards of respect towards women. It is only the man that respects Elizabeth right to choose her future that she falls in love with. Even after his horrible first proposal Darcy, unlike Mr. Collins, knows that Elizabeth will not accept him and never tries to convince her otherwise. I mean after he gives her the letter he doesn't see her until SHE visits his property and even then remains respectful, showing her he's listened to her reproofs and learned from them but not pushing on her the fact that he's changed and should like him now. He genuinely wants her to love him for him. And during his second proposal he makes it super easy for Elizabeth to say she's not interested and that if she does he'll leave her alone forever. He is aware of the fact that she might say no and is alright with that. That shows a great deal of respect towards Elizabeth, which is something she needs in her marriage.

Hey! Is it just me or Mary was NOT portrayed as a horrible person. She was introvert bookworm. She was ignored in most of the book. She didn’t do anything significant . Kitty was definitely worse than her.

"Large and handsome and not artificial" might be my favorite description of Mr. Darcy.

While a lot of beginning analysis of P&P tends to look at Elizabeth's prejudice and Darcy's pride, I think one of the beautiful things about Austen is that it's also Elizabeth's pride and Darcy's prejudice that are working against the two. Pretty much the first thing Darcy does is hurt Elizabeth's pride with his comment about her appearance at the party in the beginning. She may try to laugh it off, but his insult leaves a mark. And later, when he first proposes, Elizabeth doesn't hold back in spewing vitriol towards Darcy, something that she's more inclined towards based on how insulting Darcy's proposal is. (One can argue his initial proposal is basically unintentional negging: "I really didn't want to like you because your family is a nightmare, but I can't help it.") Darcy, meanwhile, doesn't want to have his life entangled with people he sees as so beneath him, even if through indirect connections, so he allows that prejudice to persuade him that Jane doesn't have much affection for Bingley so that he can justify convincing Bingley to leave and stop pursuing Jane.

Mr. Collins was worse than Mary. Mary was tedious and sanctimonious. Mr. Collins was tedious, sanctimonious, obsequious and unkind.

SOMEONE TELL ME WHY JOHN HATES MARY SO MUCH

Did we read the same book? She fell in love with Mr. Darcy because of his willingness to change and take direction/criticism. Had he not done that, seeing his home would have done nothing for her. The reason she even entertained the fantasy of being mistress of his house was because his letter had already begun the process of changing her mind about who he was through showing her how wrong her perceptions and biases were. To say his wealth was a huge factor really flies in the face of who Elizabeth was; the book even goes out of its way in implying her embarrassment at being caught at his estate was due to how it must have made her look-like some money hungry girl eyeing up all his estate.

Argument for a progressive Darcy: (Chapter 8) As Elizabeth has just walked 3 miles to see her sick sister, Jane, who is stuck at Bingly's estate, Elizabeth's shoes and pettycoat's are caked in mud. Caroline Bingly is attacking Elizabeth's appearance behind he back in an attempt to gain Darcy's attention. "It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country two indifference to decorum.... I am afraid, Mr. Darcy," observed Miss Bingly, in a half whisper, "that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes." "Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the exercise." It is precisely Elizabeth's wit and independence that Darcy most treasures.

I think Jane gives us an answer on the "how to know people" question, and it is time. All her happy couples marry after taking time to get to know one another and all her unhappy ones marry in haste. This is true not only in P&P but across all her books. In some of her books, we even see women reject the richer suitor in favour of the one whose character they know they suit best. This is Fanny Price in Mansfield Park and Anne Elliot in Persuasion. I hope you're going to cover more Jane Austen in future Crash Course seasons. She's so important as a writer, and so underestimated because of her sex.

I don't think it was the monetary value/safety of pemberley that made Elizabeth like Darcy. There is a lot about him being nice, being nice to her aunt and uncle (even though they're not as high class as Darcy), Darcy being so nice to his sister, and the housekeeper praising Darcy so much about being good to his servants etc.

I always just thought Darcy fell for Elizabeth because she was independent minded and didn't just go along the way everyone else goes. That being said I have to wonder how to take the fact that pretty much every romantic and romantic comedy has more or less stole from Austin for years. I mean the whole hate at first sight makes sense in Pride and Prejudice when you understand what Austin is getting at when she wrote the novel, but there's now been thousands of romantic comedies have taken that just so they don't have to work so hard and come up with something new. I can't count how many times I've came across female lead that's a wannabe Elizabeth.

"It is no sin for a book to have a happy ending," said the man who has literarily MURDERED people in his novels!

"Some sexy, sexy landscape discription." Wow, bet you've never heard that before.

Lay off Mary! Look again at her place in the family dynamic: she's not pretty; she's not vivacious; she's not a boy. Her parents already have their favourite daughters, and being a third child, she's no longer a novelty. They're looking to the next pregnancy, still hoping for a son. She's a disappointment in every way, and she knows it. By being totally obedient to parents and church, she's hoped to gain a little attention and respect from her parents. That she turns into an odious prig is hardly a surprise.

Elizabeth is faced with the dilemma of personal happiness and financial security, twice. Once in a proposal from Mr. Collins and again in the first proposal from Mr. Darcy. She only accepts financial security when it comes with personal happiness.

I thought it was a truth universally acknowledged that not everyone gets married: Kitty and Mary don't.

I don’t think it’s fair to say that Elizabeth really fell for the idea of Pemberly rather than for Darcy’s actions to gain her affection; she knew he was very wealthy when he first proposes, and still, she rejected him. I’m not saying that she didn’t liked Pemberly, anyone would; but if Darcy had acted only courteous towards Elizabeth and did nothing to win her good opinion she would’ve never accepted another proposal from him. As her father said, she would never be happy with a man that she don’t respect, so his fortune come as a bonus. At least that’s how I felt Elizabeth’s change towards Darcy

He's evolving.. once a skinny nerd now a plump dad

Mmkay, I love this book! And I feel like this is the right place to comment on everything that is perfect about Pride and Prejudice. And so I shall. - Elizabeth Bennet can snark like it's nobody's business, and it's hilarious. - Jane. Just, Jane. Everything about her screams sweetness. Lizzie's comment about her seeing the world through rose-colored glasses stuck with me, and now when I draw her, she's always wearing something light pink. - Both of Mr. Darcy's marriage proposals, the first because it emphasizes his pride, and the second because it's both of them letting go of their prejudices. See what I did there? - The title. It leaves you wondering: who's who? And it turns out, they're both both! - Darcy and Georgiana's relationship. It's so sweet, and he's an awesome older brother. - Lizzie's roast of Lady Catherine towards the end of the book. There's nothing more satisfying, seriously. - How Mr. And Mrs. Bennet's marriage is both comical and foreboding at the same time. - The character development. There's so much of it, and it happens to even the most minor of characters, like Kitty. - The witty narration overall. - Lizzie being introspective. - Darcy being introspective. - Both of them fixing their mistakes. - Jane and Bingley, and Lizzie and Darcy. When both of them finally do get together for real, I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news (catch that reference)! Jane and Bingley, you can tell they have that fairytale romance nailed down, and Lizzie and Darcy, we get put through so much heartbreak and tension, that when they finally tie the knot, nobody in their right mind is not screaming with delight! They are some of the cutest couples in history. - Charlotte Lucas and how she was able to rig the system to see her less-than-stellar husband as little as possible. - Catherine Bingley's terrible attempts to get Darcy to give her the time of day. - The magic of the English countryside. Really, the magic of Jane Austen's English countryside. You get this feeling that it's just so above everywhere else, and so peaceful, despite all the running off with dishonorable blokes going on within. - The fact that Jane Austen wrote it. - The 2005 film. Really, it's a work of art. - This book smacks you with its themes in the literal title, but you have to actually read it to understand. Not to mention you pick up on the follies of eighteenth century society and the importance of class and reputation, and also a woman's position at that time, it's wonderful. - The ending, which addresses everyone's ever after, basically saying that everyone learned to be a better person. The Bennet parents hearted how to parent, Kitty and Mary learned to be more acceptable members of society, Jane and Lizize got to live in big fancy houses with loves of their lives, the Gardiners are basically the parents they both wanted but never got, Georgiana now has an older sister, and even Lady Catherine swallows her pride and makes peace. Actually, the only people who don't get a happy ending are Lydia and Wickham, who are stuck freeloading and in a loveless marriage, and the Bingley sisters, who everyone forgets about by the end of the book anyways. Wow. This got really long. In my defense, it is my favorite book of all time, and like, the only classic I've read where nobody is actively dying. It's got vibes of silly aristocratic squabbles, while also discussing a serious issue plaguing women for centuries, both warns of how a bad marriage situation is bad for everyone, but also showcases some of the sweetest love in history, and okay, I'm starting again. I should really stop, but I can't. There's just too much to love about this book. It's on the lighter and softer side of novels, and is essentially a love story, but the deep themes combos with the satire perfectly, making it the best thing since sighing deeply.

One theme I would have loved to see investigated was Elizabeth's relationship with her father vs her relationship with her mother. Spoilers When Elizabeth turns down mr. Collins proposal her mother is shocked and goes on a bit of a rant about how she shouldn't expect a better offer. Her father on the other hand says something to the effect of "if you dont accept his offer your mother wont speak to you again. But if you do accept, then I will never speak to you again." I think this ties in really well with the dilemma of personal happiness and security (what Elizabeth wants and what her father endorses) vs security for the family (her mothers oppinion)

To me, the most consistently intelligent, mature, and respectable character in the novel isn't Elizabeth (who thinks for herself, and falls for a con man), isn't Darcy (who has all the wealth and sticks his nose up at anything beneath him), isn't Lady Catherine (who has all the breeding and none of the humanity), and isn't even Collins (the clergyman and toady). Collectively, it's the Gardiners, who are supposed to be hopelessly vulgar. Mr. Gardiner works for a living; he's a businessman who lives (and probably works) in the City of London in the financial district. Being "in trade" (as several characters bring up), he actually does the day to day business of, well, running a business. He's not rich; he and his wife are comfortably dead center of the middle class; able to take vacations, but having to change their vacation plans because of the needs of business. In a time period when the entire point of the upper middle class and the upper class is to not work, to never work, to pay servants and "men of business" to do the work for you, anyone who worked, even with an account book, was seen as vulgar. And yet, Gardiner and his wife are the kindest, friendliest, and most respectable people in the whole book. Their marriage is strong; they love and respect each other. When Lydia runs off, the Gardiners take over the roles that Mr. and Mrs. Bennett should be taking; taking care of the other girls, and trying to track down and protect Lydia. They don't spend time bemoaning the situtation, or wave at a solution; they take care of the problem. Taking care of the problem would stretch their resources and means, could even risk bankruptcy or damage to their reputations (which are absolutely essential for Gardiner to DO HIS JOB, to say nothing of taking care of his own children's future), but they do it anyway. Of course, it turns out they had a guardian angel standing behind them, but had Darcy not intervened...things could have ended very, very badly for everyone. In short, the middle of the middle class models the behavior that the rest of characters, that the rest of England, should try to match. This is a very radical thought for the time. Yes, it is a very middle class ideology and a very middle class model for behavior, but remember that the middle class was itself a radical idea bought on by the industrial revolution. The idea that working people could think and reason for themselves, that they could identify and model moral and ethical behavior, and not be lead by the aristocrats and upper classes like cattle, was revolutionary. The idea that they could intermingle and intermarry with the upper classes and the whole house wouldn't burn down, was revolutionary. So, yeah. For it's time, this book is pretty far left of center.

Hello? Have you completely forgotten Mr. Bennet and the fact that he is probably the greatest influence on Elizabeth's character? Her father, as opposed to her mother, insists on self-respect. Elizabeth does the best in the end because she clung to her self-respect, and her wit obviously derives in great part from her father, as well.

Jane Austen appears on the back of the English £10 note.

I always thought of Darcy as representing prejudice and Elizabeth as pride, it seems to be set up that way when they first encounter each other at the dance. Darcy turns his nose up at country society due to his classist prejudice while Elizabeth is set against him because of her wounded pride.

Are we getting a season 5 of this? It's, by far, my favorite crash course series and it's highly valuable to many young people just getting their feet wet in classic literature.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a crash course video is in search of a viewer

Thanks as usual for the interesting piece. I believe Charlotte's marriage is the emblem of the marriage of rational choice over happiness... And we worry about her, even though she makes that choice deliberately.

Coming back to this video after 4 years. It helped me graduate college back then and now it's helping me with my masters essays. Such a great series.

I LOVE YOU CRASH COURSE ❤️

I enjoyed this so much. Even after having read the book multiple times over the years, I gained some new perspectives from your crash course. You may be changing my mind about literary analysis, which was severely prejudiced (see what I did there?) by the deconstructionism prevalent in my school years and focused on taking works of literature out of context and using them to grind one's own ax. This literature crash course puts the work in an historical context as well as seeking out themes more universal in time and human experience.

Please make a season 5! I love Crash Course Literature, it’s one of my favourite video series. Come back John!

I'm so so grateful for your videos. It's nice to read a book and then come here afterward to listen and think.

All the unresolved debates and questions i have had about P&P since I was a teenager were explored in this video - thank you!

I'm inlove with his speaking voice! Thank you for explaining it so fully, Mr. Green.

I absolutely love how you laid it John.

I watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, for the first time, after watching part 1. Thank you!!!!! 😘

I also think that the book ending in the happiest way possible for Elizabeth (married to a man she loves who loves her back AND is super rich) is also a way to reward her for being rebellious (like seeking her own happiness and interest over financial stability). She gets to have it all precisely because she is the way she is and not because she is pretty or agreeable or simply lucky. And Darcy saying that her looks are "tolerable" is a big hint to that as well! He only started to fall in love with her when he learned more about her and her personality.

After last week’s video I watched all of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and they were AMAZING and now I need to reread Pride and Prejudice

i love literature and i love this channel... keep going crashcourse!

I have so much to gush about pride & prejudice, but I love the focus the novel gives to change. Lizzie hates Darcy & eventually makes her feelings known about what she thinks of him, since she has been insulted - he claims to love her but makes clear he hates her status in life & yet still expects her to be (at the v least) obliging to him! (No wonder lizzie's mad 😂) after serving back a burn his way (albeit a little misinformed by Wickham) he is shocked, and through the rest of the novel you see him make changes cause he is not happy with this account of himself & strives to become a better person. Lizzie does too, she learns the truth of Wickham & the bitchy gossipy nature of her friend Charlotte who she trusted & ultimately becomes less prone to judge others so quickly.

I've always found it strange that Jane Austen chose to give her name to a character who was quite unlike how she herself seems to be. I would feel strange calling any character I wrote Jenny and if I did I'd feel even stranger if I had nothing else in common with her personality wise.

Jane Austen is one of favorite authors and Pride & Prejudice is my favorite book of hers.

JOHN YOU’RE MY HERO NEVER STOP BEING CREATIVE AND SMART AND MAKING VIDEOS💗

Great analysis for great novel! Thanks.

we miss you!!! More books, please!!!!

I LOVE the thought bubbles!!

You guys are AWESOME!

Excellent video, thank you

Hey, John; I'm an English teacher, and a long-time subscriber. I don't always agree with your takes, but I always enjoy hearing them. I thought you hit a home run with this analysis of P&P. What are the odds of your doing something on Transcendentalism or American Romanticism in Season 5? My explanations and discussions tend to put the kids to sleep, so anything you might produce would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work!

We need more writers like you John Green!!

Could you guys do an episode on Edgar Allan Poe please, I realy think it would be an interesting episode.

still thanks for making this... ive been waiting

NICELY DONE

Continue this series please!!!!

Another great season of Literature!

Can you do Great Expectations if you do another series - it's taught all the time

I really enjoyed listening to this. I am playing Mrs Bennet in the play and was really interesting.

Wow John looks good for 200.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, please!

Love a season two of this...Since schools change up what literature gets done now and again. Namely Life of Pi as an example.

My favorite author. Well done, too.

I'm from Brazil and I love this channel

Welcome back GG!

If we ever get a season 5 I'll pledge my support on Patreon immediately

patiently waiting for season 5

Have you by any chance read "Longbourn" by Jo Baker, where we get the servants point of view? It is not great literature, perhaps (at least not the Norwegian translation that I read, but that might not be the fault of the English original), but it still gives some really interesting comments on "Pride and Prejudice". It was sort of refreshing, and I must admit I definitely didn't like Elizabeth quite as well after having read it ... To my surprise it actually did make a lasting impression on me, because it made me see more clearly how P&P is concerned about the injustice women (and some men) in the middle class are subject to, but doesn't seem to give a darn about the injustice in the lives of the servants and other poor people

Would love to see Persuasion on here sometime!

Hope we get a season 5

Can you do more Jane Austen please? :) I would love to hear about Northanger Abbey, especially given how differently it reads to the rest of her books.

I understand struggling with the fact that Elizabeth wanted to marry for live, and ends up with money as well. And is attracted to that money. But would it be fair to say that he sticking to her conviction she got *rewarded* with both?

I adore the animation.

“We just learned what epistemological means” You’re fulla beans, John! Considering how much Rugnetta is hanging around you had to have heard the term before now! 🤣

You are so witty and funny.

Man it's been years since I read Pride and Prejudice. Definitely needed a refresher!

Once again, an amazing crash course literature from John Green!! Do make more!! If possible, on Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Thanks!

It was the conversation with the servant about Mr Darcy that changed Elizabeth's mind, not her viewing of the estate!

I love the book so much that even hearing another person summarizing it makes my skip a beat. 😖💓 I cannot tell you how jealous I am of those people that haven’t read it yet, because they’re in for something so so wonderful. 😔😭 Great job John, love the choice of quotes and your sense of humor 😂❤️

How have we not been graced with you talking about Tolstoy's War and Peace?

"Sexy Sexy Landscape Description' may be my favourite thing John Green has ever said.

Wow!! I just came a about this channel, and I love it!!!!

An amazing video

Listening to this book on audio right now (a long time after first reading, I'm not far off Austen's age when she died either) and I think the happy ending is completely necessary - Elizabeth must be rewarded for her strength of mind and pursuit of happiness, otherwise we have no incentive to follow her example. My favourite Austen novel is Persuasion though, I find it fascinating that really it's all about living with heartbreak.

Great literary dissection! Now please do one on Emma.

Crash Course has to begin the Literature Season 5 with Emma.

Please do a Crash Course episode on grammar. Thank you 😊

Love Crash Course I was so excited to wtch this so awesome and interesting

Could you guys do Animal Farm?

Cool video!

I have the painting at 5:57 as my phone background!

Can you plz do a video about Othello next. Your videos are some of most entertaining and educational out there.

Just learned the meaning of...?! WHAT? You did a Philosophy Crash Course!!!! Come ON! ;)

could you do Sherlock Holmes someday?

Elizabeth sees Pemberly's beauty and realizes just how rich Darcy is. At this point she also realizes that someone as rich as him might actually have a right to be prideful among lower class people. It helps her understand his pride that he has displayed earlier, but at the same time she finds that he is actually really nice to lower class people such as his servants and her aunt and uncle, meaning that perhaps he isn't as prideful as she once thought. Visiting Pemberly alone doesn't help her see this though, the letter does too, and she sees that even though Mr. Wickham really wronged him, Darcy never told her when he had the opportunity to because that's just not who he is. Mr. Wickham took every chance he had to speak poorly of Mr. Darcy even when it was all completely false but Darcy never did the same even though he definitely had more of a right to speak poorly of Wickham. She was able to look back on their conversation and understand his nature more clearly.

I hope they make an episode of "A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens" sometime in the future.

SO easy to say happiness over security. What is not really spoken of is the harshness of not being secure. Hunger, disease, violence...personal happiness on an empty stomach is not possible.

THANK YOOU

At 8:03, the song Gold Digger starts playing in my head