Why Farah Heron adores Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
This interview originally aired on Sept. 14, 2019.
Farah Heron is a Toronto-based author whose latest novel, The Chai Factor, is a romantic comedy that riffs off of the work of Jane Austen.
Heron is a fan of the Georgian-era author, particularly the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. The classic comedy of manners is a book that she returns to on a regular basis. Heron dropped by The Next Chapter to share why.
"The book that I always go back to is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This is the ultimate love story of two very different people learning about themselves as much as they're learning about each other. I first read the book when I was 13 years old, when my mother gave me a copy. Over the years I think I've probably read it more than any other book.
"The characters Elizabeth and Darcy are both very sure of themselves and of what the world around them is like. As they are thrown together in different balls and parties and things like that, they learn about seeing the world through the other person's perspective.
"I absolutely love the language used in it. I love the social class discussions between the Bennett family, who are probably middle class, and Darcy, who comes from so much money, and yet they're still able to see through those perspectives by the end of the book."
Farah Heron's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
