13 thoughts on “Pride & Prejudice & FEMINISM

  1. Enjoyable piece. I do want to suggest that it’s not only Darcy’s house that Elizabeth falls for, but the responsibility that goes along with maintaining that house and the estate (although it’s a freaking gorgeous house.) Viewing the property, and resulting conversation with the staff, would surely reassure her that Darcy would take his responsibilities – and those under his care – seriously. Again, a rational decision.

    1. Thanks! I know I didn’t dig too deeply into the whole “Darcy as benevolent master” realization that helped Lizzie realize he wasn’t simply an egotistical jackass. The Darcy character is so fascinating because he’s given so much more depth and development than any of Austen’s other male characters, and the reader (through Lizzie) watches as those layers slowly unfold.

      I think it’s time I read P&P again. ;)

  2. While visiting Darcy’s House, she also gets a much better picture of the man through the people who know him, and I’ve always thought this is what makes the difference for her. Clearly, his money was not enough, when she thought he was a heel.

    The Jennifer Ehle P’n’P has always been my favorite.

    1. Yep, exactly. Like I mentioned above, I didn’t go that deeply into the revelation she has about him as a person based on his house, mostly because it would have drawn this post out way longer than most people want to read on a Thursday morning! ;)

      And there are no other Lizzie & Darcy. Ehle + Firth 4 EVER.

  3. He’s still a big douche. Oh, you are lowering yourself to proposing to me, and making sure I know exactly how badly you think of my family? Why sure, of course I totally want to hop right in your carriage, good sir. Sheesh.

    1. And that’s exactly what she says to him (using much better language because Austen could write a take-down like nobody’s business) after his first proposal. She flat out rejects him and lists, categorically, why she did so so he’s under no illusion as to what a massive jackass he is.

      The thing about the title “Pride and Prejudice” is that everyone assumes it’s all about Darcy, but really, it applies to Lizzie as well. She’s incredibly prideful and very prejudiced, particularly when it comes to anyone who a) does not realize her greatness right off the bat, and b) any rich jerk who comes sniffing around and then tries to insinuate she’s not up to their standards. Lizzie is incredibly reductive in how she essentially decides, based on a single run-in with Darcy at that first ball, that he’s awful and has no redeeming qualities (when he even concedes that she’s sort of ok looking, if you like country girls). And that only develops further into outright contempt (it’s more evident in the book than the movies usually make it) the more she is put in these superficial situations with Darcy where they can’t actually form any kind of rapport without it devolving into each one making assumptions about the other based on the minimum amount of contact. It’s only when they are forced to essentially live under one roof when Jane takes ill at Netherfield that each gets a glimpse of how the other actually is on their own and that neither is as basic as the other has made them out to be. Both start to develop respect for one another and their pridefulness starts to breakdown as a result.

      Which is why when they gradually come around to realizing that they are actually in love with one another, it feels authentic, not just pasted on for plot convenience.

  4. I always thought that statement was an example of her “archness”. It’s not always perfectly obvious when Lizzie is joking and when she’s being serious. I think it’s at least a case of half in jest, full in earnest, not just a bald statement. She did also declare at the start of the story that only the deepest love would induce her to marry, and seemed pretty serious about it. And although her character does a lot of growing as she realizes her tendency towards prejudice and develops deeper understandings, that doesn’t seem like a principle she’d give up. She never betrays her values in favour of pragmatism – excepting Wickham’s pursuit of Miss King. Which has just made me realize that she gave Wickham a pass for trying to do nearly the same thing for which she so heartily criticized Charlotte. Oh, Lizzie. So wonderfully, delightfully flawed (but then, so is everyone else in the book – Mr Collins is my next fave, after Lizzie & Mr B – except Jane of course).

    1. But she doesn’t give Wickham a pass — the whole thing with Miss King makes her realize that she’s not really in love with Wickham, and that Wickham is a turd, and so she can shrug it off (publicly at least) as “whatever.”

  5. I’m with brocadegoddess – that house thing to me was pure jest. It’s sortof the converse of that Mrs Merton interview question, “So what first attracted you to millionaire Paul Daniels?” The visit to Pemberley is the first time that her prejudices about Darcy are challenged and she starts to really question whether she’s being fair to him or not. Up to that point he’s like a pantomime villain, a one-dimensional character. The whole experience of Pemberley makes her realise that on reflection he is not so bad after all.

  6. Yeah she was absolutely joking- it’s continuing the jokes at the start with her mother that his handsomeness was dependant on his wealth, and then his pride. It’s a bookend to those comments.

    http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/ppv3n59.html
    The two people she is honest with Jane:
    “`It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.’
    Another intreaty that she would be serious, however, produced the desired effect; and she soon satisfied Jane by her solemn assurances of attachment. When convinced on that article, Miss Bennet had nothing farther to wish.”

    Her father:
    “Elizabeth, still more affected, was earnest and solemn in her reply; and at length, by repeated assurances that Mr. Darcy was really the object of her choice, by explaining the gradual change which her estimation of him had undergone, relating her absolute certainty that his affection was not the work of a day, but had stood the test of many months suspense, and enumerating with energy all his good qualities, she did conquer her father’s incredulity, and reconcile him to the match.”

    And she dreaded telling her mother:
    “`Good gracious! Lord bless me! only think! dear me! Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! my sweetest Lizzy! how rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane’s is nothing to it — nothing at all. I am so pleased — so happy. Such a charming man! — so handsome! so tall! — Oh, my dear Lizzy! pray apologise for my having disliked him so much before. I hope he will overlook it. Dear, dear Lizzy. A house in town! Every thing that is charming! Three daughters married! Ten thousand a year! Oh, Lord! What will become of me. I shall go distracted.”

    This was enough to prove that her approbation need not be doubted: and Elizabeth, rejoicing that such an effusion was heard only by herself, soon went away. ”

    So in light of how much she dreaded telling her whole family she was able to joke with Jane and be her old self. But I still think it was a bit of a pride that lead to it. Given how no one expected her to marry at all let alone someone as financially independent as Darcy? Oh heck yeah that is her having a moment of relishing in something nearly everyone wanted to deny her.

    But if her motives for her own marriage are selfish on an emotional level, she certainly was acting in a way to secure her future through her sister
    She keeps trying to get the Bingley thing happening until Darcy’s letter. It was pretty hard hitting. So yeah, she totally acted to secure her comfort but by pushing her sister to marry the first handsome man of good fortune who also seems to be genuinely nice.

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