Pride and Prejudice

I've decided to put the Jane Eyre Post on hold for a short time, because I've just finished listening to Pride and Prejudice audio and have now barely finished watching the Joe Wright version starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. I've always loved the book, though I saw the film first when I was 12. It was the old BBC version and I still like it, though thanks to the A&E and now the more recent one, not as much as I once did.
What I love about the book is how Lizzy, imperfect as she is, still finds happiness in the end. I admire her humility and her self reflection on her behavior and her desire to be better when the truth of the man she's loathed comes out. I think too often, when I make a mistake, I seek to justify my actions rather then humbly admit a fault. This may be just part of growing up, I hope to become better of it in the future. I'm sure I'll have occasion for it.
Lizzy had a great love for her family, she accepts them with their faults and recognizes their strengths. Though she has grief in her parent's marriage, she shows compassion in their times of need. In the recent film, there is a scene where Lizzy comforts her mother after Lydia finally departs. Wright had a different impression of Mrs. Bennet then I originally had, but I enjoy his.
I also like the epilogue, where Kitty is given some redemption and learns to manage herself. I'm not in the habit of reading the fiction that "spins-off" Jane Austen's novels, but I always thought that is Kitty really did improve, she might catch the eye of Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy's cousin. But that is my own conjecture.
I think the message of the novel for me is to school my thoughts and feelings towards others. I am known for a exuberance of emotion, but sadly not always for the common sense that gives emotion deeper meaning. Sometimes, not always. I've learned regret to wain when it's occasion is followed by a renewed effort to overcome the fault.
I also envy Lizzy the house. I think there are few things more satisfying then being able to call one's home thier own.