Why Is First Impression Important In Pride And Prejudice

Since its publication, Pride and Prejudice has become one of the most popular books in English literature. According to the idiom ‘’Don’t judge a book by its cover’’ it is understood that a title of a book plays an important role for the readers even though one should not form an opinion on a book by its title. A title must be attractive and stick in the minds of prospective readers. Jane Austen first entitled the book ‘’First Impressions’’ but then altered it to ‘’Pride and Prejudice’’. But why did Austen change it and was it a successful decision? In fact, it was.
To start with Pride and Prejudice is ‘’a novel of manners’’ (Huston, K.). This novel is about marriage and focuses on the social characteristics and the significance of social groups. …show more content…
According to Alexander Todorov, first impressions cannot be trusted and are not accurate assessments. First impressions sometimes can be detrimental and leading to prejudice. To continue with the role of first impressions in Pride in Prejudice, they are the most crucial themes. As the story continues first impressions turn out to be remarkably opposite. For example, Mr. Wickham’s gentlemanlike appearance seems to also make him a gentleman (?) in manners too. In fact, once his true behaviour is recognized, he appears a womanizer bringing damage to Bennet’s family. Furthermore, the main characters Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are both affected by first impressions, which results in the destruction almost of their relationship which will occur later. Both characters start judging each other because of first impressions but at the end as they get to know each other better, they develop another …show more content…
Obviously, title matters. A tittle should arouse reader’s interest and be suitable enough in order to describe as much as possible the content of the book and story. As it was mentioned above, Pride and Prejudice is about marriage and initial impressions. Then, why would it be more sufficient to be titled ‘’Pride and Prejudice’’ if it refers to first impressions? Indeed, the author aims to express a deeper meaning. With ‘First Impressions’, readers are directly focused on the characters’ position. A novel called First Impressions reminds of manners, behaviour and appearance and people interacting with other people. On the other hand, Austen describes also the pride and prejudice of the leading