Hornby lauds the old rules

They hark back to a simpler era, in which women were expected to find a suitable husband from the dashing, wealthy men in their social circle. But one writer says classic works by Jane Austen have remained among the best-loved books for one simple reason: their rules. Nick Hornby, screenwriter and author of High Fidelity and About A Boy, says readers embrace Pride and Prejudice because they clearly understand the dilemmas facing Elizabeth Bennet and her family. “People love Jane Austen even though those books are absurd to us: We can see very clearly what Elizabeth Bennett has to overcome,” Hornby says. His latest film adaptation, Brooklyn, is set in the 1950s.