Pride and Prejudice

September 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up- Les Miserables relates the tales of those who suffer the injustices and moral qualms of life. The manga primarily focuses on the love and struggles of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, and Marius, before and during the Paris Uprising. While some attractive art nicely expresses their plights and eventual ascent, certain design choices gives the atmosphere too pleasant a feel. A similarly upbeat style works much better for Pride and Prejudice, which takes full advantage of manga's characteristics. The flowery decorations, screentones, chibi form create a fun and charming tone for this love story and work of social commentary. When Elizabeth encounters Mr. Darcy, they hardly get along, yet slowly their original perceptions change. Sadly, much of their witty dialogue is condensed because of the limited space. King successfully refines these hefty texts down to their core elements. Although both have specific problems regarding characterization, the emotions remain true. Between a quick pace and the use of common English, these adaptations are a much easier format for the reluctant reader, and teens, to enjoy. A few minor issues hardly mar what are faithful translations of the originals, making both of these titles worthy of their esteemed names.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 4, 2018
Collagist Fabe adds flair to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with 39 original illustrations that accompany the unabridged text. Fabe’s collages overlay bright, watercolor-washed scenes with retro cut-paper figures and objects sampled from fashion magazines from the 1930s to the ’50s. Accompanying each tableau is a quote from the Pride and Prejudice passage that inspired it. Like Austen’s book, Fabe’s work explores arcane customs of beauty and courtship, pageantry and social artifice: in one collage, a housewife holds a tray of drinks while a man sits happily with a sandwich in hand in the distance. While tinged with irony and more than a dash of social commentary, the collages nevertheless have a spirit of glee and evidence deep reverence for the novel. As Fabe describes in a preface, Austen “was a little bit mean—the way real people are mean—so there are both heroes and nincompoops. Family is both beloved and annoying. That is Austen’s genius, her ability to describe people in all their frailty and humor.” This is a sweet and visually appealing homage.