Week 3 Thoughts: A “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

Week 3 Impressions: A “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

This chunk involved the rest of volume 2, and what a doozy it was! I started to do mini recaps of each chapter, but I found that wasn’t working this time around. I want to resist summarizing, and that’s not easy. In any case, I present a scattered collection of thoughts on this third week of reading.

This volume mostly takes place at the Hunsford parsonage (where Mr. Collins and Charlotte reside). Lizzy takes the time to enjoy the change of pace. It’s a bit of a retreat for her (until it’s not). She keeps bumping into Mr. Darcy or his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. 

We get to meet Lady Catherine in this section. My, she’s a fussy, critical woman.  But also rather funny—in a Lady Bracknell sort of way (that’s for you Oscar Wilde/Importance of Being Earnest fans). Lizzy holds her own with Lady Catherine: “Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with so much dignified impertinence.” 

My new impression is that Mr. Collins and Charlotte are seemingly happy, or at least content? Maybe this wasn’t a terrible match after all?

But that’s just it! That’s the whole point of this book (and part of the fun of reading this in segments with others). Jane Austen sets up a whole spectrum of impressions and expectations. We’re led to believe something about a character and then the reverse happens! (I suppose that’s the mark of any good storyteller.) This book appears to be, on one hand, the dangers of cementing a first impression in your mind. In fact, the original title for this was First Impressions. And that’s mighty revealing, isn’t it?

Anyway, I’m hopeful Charlotte and Mr. Collins can make it work. But who knows. 

Another major theme is that folks should marry for a balance of love and security (money). It shouldn’t tip too far in any direction. And we start to realize that, despite their charm and comic affectations, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are not the paragon of parenting or marriage. And their behavior has consequences! But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to Lizzy and Darcy.

An illustration for “Pride and Prejudice” by C.E. Brock (1895)

Reader, I have to confess my jaw dropped when Darcy strolled into the house and declared his love for Lizzy. I thought there was going to be a bit more preamble. I suppose there was a flirty exchange earlier, when the two  were truly alone together for the first time. It was still antagonistic, but there was a playful air about it? I dunno. Anyway, I wasn’t expecting this Event so early on!

Once Darcy proposes, things go terribly. Lizzy really goes for the jugular here. These two are stubborn, prideful and prejudicial people. (sidenote: I peeked at a blog post that says it’s easy to place Darcy as the proud one and Lizzy as prejudicial, but the post also argues that the opposite is true).

Lizzy: “Long before it had taken place [the Jane and Bingley drama], my opinion of you was decided.”


Darcry (later on): “But perhaps these offences might have been overlooked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest confession of the scruples that had long prevented my forming any serious design.”

Lizzy: “You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it.” (and a bit later) “I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”

Yikes!

Anyway, Darcy writes a very long letter to her, she reads it, and it sends her into quite an awakening. I won’t relay all that went down. But when Lizzy starts to think deeply about the Wickham/Darcy feud, Lizzy starts to understand that “it was impossible not to feel there was gross duplicity on one side of the other.” And this she begins to untangle all sorts of factors.

Maybe Jane and Bingley aren’t quite the match afterall?
Maybe Wickham is a dangerous cad?

Maybe the Bennets, as a whole, are an embarrassing imprudent family?

Lizzy goes into a spiral that would serve as quite an aria if this were turned into an opera:

“How descpicably have I acted! I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! Who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity, in useless or blameless distrust–How humiliating is this discovery!–Yes, how just a humiliation!–Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind. But vanity, not love, has been my folly.–Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment, I never knew myself.”

WHEW!

There is so much more to unpack here, and I guess I’m having trouble resisting the urge to recap and provide a play-by-play reaction to everything that happens in this section. So I’m going to wrap things up for now. We’re in the thick of it. Lizzy is attempting to do some damage control with her family (especially since young Lydia is off to Brighton). She also has to figure out how much Darcy news share with Jane and others. And we end the volume with a visit to Pemberley!

Before leaving with the daily schedule for Week 4, I’d like to share a small list of two-word phrases that work wonderfully together. The sound alone of these combinations gives delight. (And I know at least one of them is from Shakespeare, so you know Austen is thinking about sound and rhythm of language.)

  • Dignified impertinence
  • Restless ecstasy (this is from Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
  • Boundless influence
  • Wild volatility
  • Clamourous happiness
  • Querulous serenity

Which one is your favorite?

Here’s the daily schedule for week 4. After that, there’ll be one more shorter section and we’re all done!

Week 2 Thoughts: A “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

Week 2 Thoughts: A “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

WEEK 2 REFLECTIONS

I’m experimenting with the format here. This is going to be a bit longer, and more of a play-by-play reaction as I go.

Chapter XVI – aka Lizzy’s Crushing Hard On Wickham

Not only is he attractive, but he’s courteous, well-mannered, and a wonderful conversationalist.
And he confirms Lizzy’s prejudice against Darcy with all kinds of details. This is monumental.

“Whatever he said, was said well; and whatever he did, done gracefully. Elizabeth went away with her head full of him. She could think of nothing but of Mr. Wickham, and of what he had told her, all the way home”

I also want to point out a significant plot development (I suspect) is brewing: the daughter of  Lady Catherine de Bourgh “will have a very large fortune.” And there is the not-so-subtle hint that Rosings and Pemberley will be united. We can’t forget that nugget, can we?

We also get more elaborations on pride and the different kinds of pride that exist that are wholly noble (in Wickham’s mind, anyway).


Chapter XVII – Anticipation! The Netherfield Ball is Nigh!

Excitement abounds! The other piece of intrigue is Lizzy now understands that Mr. Collins may be seeking her in marriage, but she won’t entertain that line of thinking until he says it for himself.

So far in this book, the youngest daughters Lydia and Kitty are characterized as almost one entity. I’m not criticizing, necessarily, just observing that they are boy-crazy, especially with those soldiers. 

This bit from Mary about the impending ball made me smile:

“While I can have my mornings to myself…it is enough. I think it no sacrifice to join occasionally in evening engagements. Society has claims on us all; and I profess myself one of those who consider intervals of recreation and amusement as desirable for every body.”


Chapter XVII – Dancing with Darcy and Trying not to Die of Embarrassment from Other Relations

This is the Main Event!

First of all, I don’t laugh out loud when I read all that much, but when Lizzy “danced” with Mr. Collins, I did:

“The two first dances, however, brought a return of distress; they were dances of mortification. Mr. Collins, awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it, gave her all the shame and misery which a disagreeable partner for a couple of dances can give. The moment of her release from him was ecstasy.”

I think “Dances of Mortification” would make a good album title.

A recurring motif for Austen is noting when Darcy smiles. He does at least twice in this chapter and has done so earlier. I have this impression (built up from collective cultural swooning) that he’s a stone cold gargoyle, but that’s not quite right. And even though we spend the most time in Lizzy’s point of view, we get a sentence like the following:

“For in Darcy’s breast there was a tolerable powerful feeling towards her, which soon procured her pardon, and directed all his anger against another.”

Oh my goodness, there’s a bit toward the end when Mary starts singing, and it’s painted as the most painful karaoke takeover possible. But this along with a collection of other events and mannerisms have larger implications. The Bennets (and Mr. Collins) are all guests at this huge private party, and there’s a sense (from Lizzy) that they are pulling focus, possibly jeopardizing any chance of Jane and Mr. Bingley to secure a match. 

Though, it does seem like a done deal, doesn’t it? Jane and Mr. Bingley have eyes only for each other. It’s very sweet.

One final thought on this chapter: Because of that aforementioned cultural swooning of Darcy and working on dialects for Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, I know who is married to whom at the end of this book. Those matches are “spoiled” for me. And I was a little worried that my knowledge of those matches would impede my enjoyment of reading this book. However, it was this Netherfield Ball chapter that sealed the deal, for me, that the twisting journey of how and when we get to those supposed “happily ever afters” is going to be the remaining fun. 


Chapters XIX – XXIII – Mr. Collins Proposes (Twice)

Mr. Collins is, to put it mildly, a windbag. In my edition, his proposal to Lizzy goes on for a whole page in a single paragraph. Then Austen gives the following its own paragraph: “It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him.” I can see how it’s easy to think of Collins as a meddlesome, buzzing fly who won’t go away, but there is a bout of rationality in his argument. Marriage is a financial concern. And he wants to keep his fortune and the estate with the Bennets (or appears to).

Anyway, he ends up proposing to Charlotte Lucas. We haven’t spent a lot of time with her. (There are lots of characters flitting in and around, aren’t there?)
Here’s what we learn about Charlotte:
“Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.” YIKES. But that’s Regency Society, for you!

I’m afraid to report there is now doubt about the Bingley/Jane union. Even Lizzy (privately) believes so.

I loved what Lizzy had to say about weighing personal happiness against that of friends and family:

JANE: “But, my dear sister, can I be happy, even supposing the best, in accepting a man whose sisters and friends are all wishing him to marry elsewhere?”
LIZZY: “You must decide for yourself, and if upon mature deliberation, you find that the misery of disobliging his two sisters is more than equivalent to the happiness of being his wife, I advise you by all means to refuse him.”

This wraps up the end of Volume 1. There’s a sour malaise at Longbourn.


VOLUME 2: Chapters I – V Jane Goes to London and Lizzy Is Sick of All Men

Confession time: I usually read in the mornings, but I wanted to stay on top of the reading and other Commonweal work, so I decided to read this particular chunk of chapters in one sitting, later in the day. There were some occasions when my focus and comprehension were slipping. I am not too proud to say I went over to Sparknotes and got a handle on the goings on. It’s all cleared up. Whew!

My main confusion centered on the Wickham developments. I think my main quibble here is I get tripped up on who folks are talking about sometimes. This Miss King (the young woman who has caught Wickham’s eye) popped out of nowhere, it seems! Did I miss something previously? I’m all squared away, now, thanks to some help (I’m trying, in general, to avoid summaries and blog posts and analysis from others right now–trying to keep this reading as “pure” as possible. I’ll dive into reviews and analysis when I’m done).

It’s also worth noting that Wickham–for all his appeal–does not have a lot of money. So Lizzy’s Aunt Gardiner (wisely?) advises that he’s not worth pursuing.

Lizzy’s own prejudice about Charlotte being doomed for unhappiness with Mr. Collins is tested on her visit to the Hunsford parsonage. Interesting. Interesting. Maybe this match is okay? (I’m so curious about Charlotte and Mr. Collins because I have a friend who wrote a play about Charlotte, and I cannot wait to check it out).

The plot has me a bit more on eggshells now. The book, up until these later chapters, has been relatively bouncy and joyful. Jane Austen knows how to twist and turn. She does it on a sentence level and on a larger scale. It’s fascinating. I’m worried about this Jane and Bingley plot (Bingley’s sisters are wretched, aren’t they?! But will my own prejudice over them be challenged? I’m not sure!).

I think I’ll leave it at that for now.

Here’s this week’s schedule if you’re following along. Read all the way through the second volume.

A couple more things.

  1. I found this at a store the other day: Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alex Lampley. It has lots of graphics and illustrations sprinkled throughout.

2. I’ve been listening to this playlist on Spotify while I read. It’s wonderful. I’m sure YouTube has a host of Regency-era playlists too.

Happy reading, everyone!

Week 1 Thoughts: A “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

Week 1 Thoughts: A “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

Hello, everyone!

Here’s the first of my weekly check-ins on our collective reading of Pride and Prejudice.

If the first section of this book were an animal it would be a…
A hummingbird. The way Austen darts around from character to character, scene to scene is energetic and quick. I don’t even know who’s speaking some of the time! I can usually figure it out, but there are times when I need to slow down my reading. The effect is charming more than anything.

The Point of View in this book is fascinating.
I’m gonna get a little English major-y on you. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that has an omniscient third person point of view. This means that the writing can dart in and out of the minds of any character at any given time. I figured we’d be spending most of the time in Elizabeth Bennet’s head; yet, that hummingbird of a narrator goes from one flower/character to the other quickly, with little notice. And because of that, we get little treats. We KNOW that Mr. Darcy admires Lizzy already. And we also know that Lizzy doesn’t know this. So the book has a secret relationship with the reader. A lot of contemporary authors writing in third person usually stick to a single character to follow in a whole book. OR, if it’s a new chapter, the chapter may focus on a single character and shift to another in the next. But Austen isn’t concerned with that kind of rigid structure. I think it adds to the swirl and bounce of it all, and I’m all for it.

Favorite scene so far:
The great scene (in chapter X) where Miss Bingley comments on Mr. Darcy’s letter writing. It starts off as a seemingly casual conversation about the length of letters and turns into a more philosophical debate about humility and how easily influenced someone may be. I am not explaining this well, but it was fun.

Runner-up favorite scene:
The collision of the sisters and all these men in the village: Mr. Denny, Mr. Wickham, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and let’s not forget Mr. Collins has “just entered the chat,” so to speak. That’s five men for five daughters… But there’s something amiss. A Look of Significance has passed between Darcy and Wickham. What is that about???

Word I circled because i had never encountered it before:
Ductility

On Mrs. Bennet
It has been ages since I’ve seen that classic BBC miniseries. When I started reading this, I was pulled into a vortex of how meddlesome and, honestly, grating she can be. But in reading this book, I cannot help but sympathize with her. She may not be the most tactful character, but she has FIVE DAUGHTERS, each with not much to offer in terms of fortune. Plus she’s funny and ridiculously hopeful. Her moods change in an instant. She seizes the opportunities she has—like when she realizes Jane is not severely ill but maybe just ill enough to stay with the Bingleys for longer than necessary.

What else?
There was no easy settling into the action of the book. Austen doesn’t spend a ton of time setting the scene. I was kind of expecting an early chapter to have an introduction of each daughter. (“let’s go down the line and get a nice long paragraph on each sister.”) We get no introduction of Catherine (or Kitty, I believe). I was pleased to see that bookish Mary got an early mention (she’s the focus of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley). But Austen cuts to the chase and twists and turns to the action and lets us catch up. I feel like I’m in good hands. I don’t think I would enjoy this as much if Austen were to bog us down with exposition.

What impressions do you have? What questions do you have?

There are MANY characters to juggle (oh! That reminds me that we’ve got some more eligible women on the fringes who seem, on paper, to be more qualified marriage candidates than any of the Bennets–we’re in for some serious drama, aren’t we?!) 

I sometimes have trouble untangling what lies at the core of certain debates and conversations.

There’s the ever-present element of characters trying to live up to societal norms and codes. It almost always seems like no one can say what they truly think or believe at the risk of humiliating someone or having irredeemably bad manners.

Okay, I’m going to leave that for now. This is a rich, vibrant world and I’m eager to enjoy the upcoming twists and turns.

Feel free to share you comments and questions on the blog, or share your thoughts on social media. Don’t forget to use the tag #CommonwealReadAlong when you post. That way others can find it and chime in if you’d like.

And here’s the daily reading schedule for this week: