Pride and Prejudice

1
Pride and Prejudice

• Volume II (end)
• Volume III (chaps 1-9)
• Marriage, Money and Class

2
Outline
Starting Questions Plot Summary

• Marriage Plot (1)
• Elizabeths Education thru Self-Reflections
• Causes of her change
• Elizabeth in Nature
• Pemberley A Harmonious Marriage of Human
  Cultivation and Nature
• Es self-reflections changes of feelings
• Help Obstacles Class and Respectability

• Marriage Plot (2)
• Lydias Elopement and Marriage
• Elopement Causes the others responses
• Its Consequences Solution

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Plot Summary

• Three Marriage plots
• II 19. Lydias departure for Brighton and
  Elizas trip to Derbyshire,
• III Chap 1-4 Pemberley visit (2 BingleyJane)
• III. Chap 4 letters from Jane (Es realization
  of love p. 210-11) Chap 7 marriage, Chap 9
  homecoming.
• III. Chap 5-9 solution of Lydias elopement
  scandal.
• III. Chapters 10-19 preparation for the last two
  proposals, the proposals and the happy ending.
• III. Chap 13 Bingleys proposal
• (Lady Catherines intervention)
• III. Chap 16 Darcys

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Starting Questions

• What do you think about Elizabeths responses
• at Pemberley? Is she too quiet and awed?
• to Lydias elopement? Is she too weak in crying
  in front of Darcy?
• Her changes cannot be expressed through dialogue.
  
• Crying a sign of openness (vs. self-protection)
  and genuine concern for her family
• Are gratitude and esteem good foundations of
  affection as Elizabeth feels when seeing Darcy
  leave after the revelation of Lydias elopement
  (211)?
• What do you think about the Bennet familys
  responses to Lydias homecoming? e.g. 240 SheE
  blushed, and Jane blushed but the cheeks of the
  two who caused their confusion suffered no
  variation of colour. 242 E I think there
  cannot be too little said on the subject.''

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Elizabeths Changes at Pemberley

• Causes
• Admiring Pemberley -- Humans and Nature in
  harmony
• Encounter with Darcy to find Darcy modest and
  warm to her and her relatives the group
• Es self-reflections changes of feelings

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Elizabeth and Nature

• Elizabeth likes solitary walk in nature, but she
  is not as solitary or self-centered a male
  Romantic poet. While walking, she thinks of her
  relations with others, read letters and meet and
  talk to the others by chance.
• Pemberley shows a fine combination of nature and
  taste, but not wild nature.

7
Elizabeths Walking at Rosings

• II. Chap 6 Every park has its beauty and its
  prospects and Elizabeth saw much to be pleased
  with, though she could not be in such raptures as
  Mr. Collins expected the scene to inspire.
• II. Chap 7 Her favourite walk, and where she
  frequently went while the others were calling on
  Lady Catherine, was along the open grove which
  edged that side of the park, where there was a
  nice sheltered path, which no one seemed to value
  but herself, and where she felt beyond the reach
  of Lady Catherine's curiosity.
• II. Chap 10 MORE than once did Elizabeth in her
  ramble within the Park, unexpectedly meet Mr.
  Darcy. Meeting Colonel Fitzwilliam once.
• II. Chap 12 meets Darcy
• II. Chap 13 walks and read the letter.

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Elizabeth at Rosings

• End of chap 13 solitary walk vs. socialization
  (conversation)
• After wandering along the lane for two hours,
  giving way to every variety of thought
  re-considering events, determining probabilities,
  and reconciling herself, as well as she could, to
  a change so sudden and so important, fatigue, and
  a recollection of her long absence made her at
  length return home and she entered the house
  with the wish of appearing cheerful as usual, and
  the resolution of repressing such reflections as
  must make her unfit for conversation. Here she
  is fully aware of her need to go back in time.

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Pemberley the human the natural

• Chap 1
• entered it in one of its lowest points
• Woods and an ascending path leading to the grand
  building
• Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side
  of a valley, into which the road, with some
  abruptness, wound. It was a large, handsome,
  stone building, standing well on rising ground,
  and backed by a ridge of high woody hills -- and
  in front, a stream of some natural importance was
  swelled into greater, but without any artificial
  appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor
  falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had
  never seen a place for which nature had done
  more, or where natural beauty had been so little
  counteracted by an awkward taste. 184
• Housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds compliment of Darcy --
  p. 188 a good master, landlord and brother.
• The picture gallery 189
• A walk in the park 191 -192

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Elizabeths Self-Reflections

• Pemberleys mistress
• p. 185 Elizabeth's mind was too full for
  conversation" ? "at that moment she felt that to
  be mistress of Pemberley might be something!" ?
  p. 186 thinks of her uncle and aunt
• meeting Darcy the first time
• Astonished, some greetings ? she is too "wholly
  engrossed by her own feelings" to converse p. 190
  
• Hardly noticed the natural beauty p. 191
• The 2nd time
• Only a few words 192
• disgraceful companions 193
• Questions ? uncomfortable, flattered and pleased
  194

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Changes of Elizabeths Feelings

• Volume II
• P. 159 Darcys letter? Till this moment, I
  never knew myself.
• P. 163 -- To Darcy could not approve him
• Volume III
• Chap 1 (the portraits?) Form a more gentle
  sensation towards Darcy than she had ever felt
  in the height of their acquaintance
• To Darcys change ? she knew not what to think,
  nor how to account for it p. 191
• Chap 2 (after Darcys visit at Lambton)respect,
  gratitude, hopeful 201
• Chap 4 to realization of love when she thinks it
  impossible. 210 regret to see him leave
• Chap 8 p. 236 a gulf between them 237 Darcy as
  a perfect match for her.
• Chap 10 after MRs. Gs letter regretful,
  humbled, proud of him (248)

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Help and Obstacles (1) Darcy and Elizabeth in
Society Chap 3

• Help
• Chap 2 Corrections of Elizabeths views Ms.
  Darcys shyness, Bingleys memories of Jane
• The Gardiners
• Mrs. Gardiners comments 195 observation (Ds
  partiality) 197
• Chap 3 Not talking to Mrs. Gardiner about Darcy
  206
• Chap 4 212 upon such terms as for her to
  disclose the real truth.
• Chap 10 Mr. Gardiners letter -- about Darcys
  help another interest in the affair247)

• Apparent Obstacles
• Chap 3 Ms. Bingleys rude comments
• On her family and Wickham ?
• On Elizabeths appearance ? Darcy 204
• Chap 4 news about Lydias elopement --gt Darcys
  help

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Lydia and Wickhams Elopement Causes

• Elizabeths observation
• Chap 4 211--she has sufficient charms, and falls
  prey to Ws.
• chap 5 214 interested in amusement and
  vanity, but not serious matters
• chap 5 216 -- no apparent sign of affection on
  either side at Meryton Lydia interested in the
  others in the regiment
• Chap 9 241 Lydia love Wickham flight by
  distress of circumstances.
• Lydias Letter Chap 5 221 merry-seeking and
  irresponsible
• repetition of the words laugh, happy.
• -- breaks a promise to Pratt, sees it a good joke
  to surprise her parents with the name Lydia
  Wickham.

14
Lydia and Wickhams Elopement Causes (2)

• As revealed in Mrs. Gs letter
• Wickham still wants to get married later.
• Note double-standard in sexual matters
• In Jane Austen's day there was a sexual double
  standard except in certain London high-society
  circles, a woman who was known to have had sex
  outside of marriage could be socially "ruined" or
  "excluded from polite society", while the same
  was not the case for men. Thus Wickham still
  hopes to be able to marry a "well-portioned"
  woman in a "fortune-hunting" marriage even after
  his misadventure with Lydia. (source)

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Lydias Elopement The Others Responses

• The Others
• The Gardiners Jane unbelievable p. 213, 217
• Mrs. Bennet secludes herself, blaming everybody
  else but herself 217
• (before-- )
• Mr. Bennet shocked 221, active in searching 224,
  changed 227-28, 234-35

• Darcys and Elizabeths
• Pp. 209 10
• Elizabeth acknowledges her own error
• Darcy genuine concern acknowledges his error
  p. 246
• Parallel situation their sisters being seduced
  by Wickham.

E "a flirt in the worst and meanest degree of
flirtation absolutely uncontrolled!". Mr.
Bennet Lydia will be humbled by being a small
fish in a big pond at Brighton. (II chap 18)
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Lydias Elopement The Others Responses

• Marys and Kittys 219
• Kitty careless angry that she gets stopped
  from seeing officers 228
• Mary -- "Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia,
  we may draw from it this useful lesson that loss
  of virtue in a female is irretrievable -- that
  one false step involves her in endless ruin --
  that her reputation is no less brittle than it is
  beautiful, -- and that she cannot be too much
  guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving
  of the other sex." 219
• Collins 225 apparent sympathy, actual
  condemnation (? chap 15 his letter on Christian
  forgiveness)
• her death would have been better
• Feels himself lucky
• Disown her. (throw off your unworthy child.)
• Meryton 223 gossipy

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Lydia and Wickhams Elopement Consequences
Solution

• Without marriage
• Lydias reputation ruined, and it is a social
  disgrace to all of her family members.
• Mrs. Gardiner-- Lydia lost to everything but
  love of him. (214)
• Lydia happy
• With marriage
• Mrs. Bennet overjoyed 235-36
• Meryton Borned with decent philosophy 235
• Elizabeth thinks it impossible for her to be with
  Darcy. (discussed chap 8 236)
• The Wickham couple easy assurance happy not
  worried about the past 240
• Lydia still still untamed, unabashed, wild,
  noisy, and fearless(239) proud of being
  married. 240, 241

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Lydia and Wickhams Elopement Solution

• 1. Money "by settlement, her equal share of the
  five thousand pounds secured among his children
  after the decease of" Mr. Bennet and his wife,
  "and, moreover, to enter into an engagement of
  allowing her, during his life, one hundred pounds
  per" year.
• Note
• 1. p. 234 the issue of not having a son.
• "Settlements" In the context of marriage, a
  "settlement" is a legal document that usually
  ensures that some or all of the property that the
  wife brings to the marriage ultimately belongs to
  her, and will revert to her or her children
  (though she does not necessarily have personal
  control over it during her marriage) otherwise
  it would basically belong entirely to her
  husband. And a settlement can also specify a
  guaranteed minimum that the children of the
  marriage are to inherit (source)

19
Lydia and Wickhams Elopement Solution

• 2. Sent to another regiment in the North p.237
• 3. Mrs. Gardiners letter ? What Darcy does
• Finds the couple
• Asks Lydia to leave without success
• discusses with Wickham several times
• Debts cleared, money paid, job secured His
  debts are to be paid, amounting, I believe, to
  considerably more than a thousand pounds, another
  thousand in addition to her own settled upon her,
  and his commission as an ensign or
  sub-lieutenant in the regular army purchased
  (236)