Pride and Prejudice - Classics Reimagined
I am loving the resurgence of classic books with modern illustrations! I was at Barnes & Noble last weekend, and saw this edition of Pride and Prejudice, illustrated by Alice Pattullo, an artist and printmaker based in East London. This edition was published in 2015 with Rockport as part of their 'Classics Reimagined' series. (Also check out on the right some pretty cover illustration & design for Austen's Emma, art by Dadu Shin.)
It really made me want to pick the novel back up and give it a re-read, as I stumbled through the text only once in high school, and until now felt no inspiration to revisit it. My 5-year-old has the patience to sit and listen to longer chapter books as long as they have some art every couple of pages to refocus her attention. She'll study the image as I read aloud, and though I'm sure some of the language is lost on her, she's absorbing it and tackling something a little beyond her depth - great exercise for expanding the mind. I feel like these illustrated Classics do the same for me. They pull me back in to a text that might be a little challenging to my work-exhausted-end-of-day-brain. The art gives a little charge to my battery, making me feel up to a yummy reading challenge that could otherwise feel less enjoyable than binge watching instant streaming television. I do, however, know plenty of ladies who do love this novel very much, and with the new Bridget Jones movie on the way, what a timely present this would be for any of your friends that are Austen fans.
I'm also excited to be introduced to Alice Pattullo, and her blog! Looks like she has an animal ABC book coming out in October featuring her brightly colored screen-print style illustrations that I'll be on the lookout for.