Pride and Prejudice and its domestic satire was what reeled me into reading every bit of it; but what truly blew me away was its incredible play and heavy reliance on what the characters didn't say. Their body language and nonverbal affectations were as powerful as Jane Austen's critiques of social norms and gender roles - and I was on the look out for these bodily expression of emotions the whole time!

Lizzy describing her sister, Jane, as "never seeing a fault in anybody," for she sees the world in her eyes as good and agreeable;" was a great starting point on how important perception is early in the novel and how Lizzy's description of her sister is the exact opposite of how her own eyes work.

Lizzy's eyes are the medium of her own prejudice. Not only that but her use of visual vocabulary throughout the first two parts of the novel in defining people was a reflection of how she chooses to perceive people.

Seeing the change in how Lizzy perceived people at first as plain social creatures to complicated individuals with their own complexities was truly satisfying.

Pride and Prejudice now takes shelter at a special place in my heart.

(p.s. My favorite Bennet sister is Mary! The unattractive bookish sister who hates social gatherings! That's me!! 😝)