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:

Beginning the “Pride and Prejudice” Read-Along

It’s almost time to crack open Pride & Prejudice and begin with that wonderfully memorable opening line:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Tomorrow is the launch of this experimental read-along, but since I decided to have a weekly Monday check-in, I thought I’d keep a regular posting timeline.

If you want to share your daily thoughts and impressions on Facebook, Instagram (or any social media that uses hashtags), I invite you to tag your posts with the following hashtag:

#CommonwealReadAlong

One thing I’m wrestling with is the notion that this book is ADORED by so many. And there’s an internalized pressure that I must love this book. But what happens if I don’t? There may be aspects of the text that may be cumbersome to parse through. The world has changed quite a lot since 1813. But there’s undoubtedly something enduring to this novel. And I suspect I’m inclined to at least enjoy it, and if nothing else, appreciate Austen’s work. I mean, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is wonderfully charming. So I’m not too worried about connecting with the material. But the weight of this novel’s adoration and love sends it up on a pedestal of high expectations, which can be dangerous. In any case, I aim to read with an open mind and curiosity and not merely think: am I loving this or not? That’s far too reductive.

Here’s a daily reading schedule for this first week.

Enjoy!

Read the previous entry (with the full schedule) here.