A Pride and Prejudice Reread: Chapter 1-5
I’m rereading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time — this time to discuss the book with an acquaintance of mine who recently moved to the U.S. and is hoping to improve her English. She has read the book in Vietnamese, and I’m so honored to read and discuss the novel with her in English! (I certainly can’t read Pride and Prejudice in any other language, so to all of you multilingual readers and speakers out there, you’re amazing!)
I thought I’d post a few observations that struck me as I reread the novel:
Chapters 1 and 2: I absolutely love how Jane Austen introduces us to each member of the Bennet family. In just two short chapters, we immediately learn something important about each individual (except perhaps Elizabeth).
Consider poor Mary’s introduction: “Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how” (Chapter 2). Ouch!
Chapter 3: The paragraph below represents, for me, one of the most humorous ways of describing the logistics of gossip. (Second place: Norman Rockwell’s great image, “The Gossips.” ) Here’s the paragraph:
“…a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly. The girls grieved over such a number of ladies; but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that, instead of twelve, he had brought only six with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin. And when the party entered the assembly room, it consisted of only five altogether; Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man.” — Chapter 3 (emphasis mine)
Also, I always find it noteworthy that Mrs. Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy from the start for slighting Elizabeth (her least favorite daughter!) — and that the rest of Meryton seems to dislike Darcy, as well. Too often in JAFF, we depict Darcy as someone who is continually sought after, but Darcy proves to be a man who walls himself off with his hauteur and reserve. Even among this marriage-minded crowd of matrons, Darcy’s wealth is not enough to overcome his supposed deficiency in manners:
“for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend” (Chapter 3, emphasis mine).
Chapter 4: We JAFF writers also tend to depict Bingley as inept and silly, but Austen reminds us that he has qualities that endear him to Darcy — and to many others. He is not the bumbling fool but a socially adept gentleman:
“Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offense” (Chapter 4).
Note that this description comes not in the context of the Meryton Assembly, but in Austen’s omniscient narration in the next chapter, when she’s giving us a more “objective” look at these characters. This suggests to me that it’s not just in Meryton where Darcy makes himself disagreeable and Bingley becomes a crowd favorite; this happens in other places, too — perhaps even in London.
Whatever their station and their location, people like to be liked. I could definitely see Bingley being a favorite, even among the status-minded ton, while Darcy sits on the sidelines, even at a posh London gathering. Perhaps not all the genteel London mothers would have wanted their daughters to marry Bingley, but I think he would have been popular wherever he went because he is always ready to be pleased by others, whereas Darcy is always ready to be dissatisfied.
These qualities tell us something significant about the Darcy-Bingley friendship: Darcy must have seen in Bingley qualities worth overcoming his natural reserve, and Bingley must have seen in Darcy something more than his hauteur. Yes, yes, you can be cynical and imagine that Darcy is using Bingley because he wants a “project” (see Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith), while Bingley is putting up with Darcy for his wealth and connections (see the Bertram siblings and Mr. Rushworth ). But I really like the idea that Bingley and Darcy are the kind of friends who see past the surfaces of each other!
Chapter 5: This chapter, which at first glance seems to do little for the plot, actually forecasts the novel’s major storyline — a prognostication delivered by Mary, no less:
“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us” (Chapter 5.)
It turns out Mary does have something sensible to say, after all! Pride and Prejudice could also be called Pride and Vanity, though it wouldn’t have sounded nearly as good. Darcy (for all his admirable qualities) thinks too highly of himself, at least when it comes to his first proposal; Elizabeth (for all her independence of spirit) finds herself influenced by others’ opinions of her (Wickham’s flattery vs Darcy’s insult). Mary has warned us all of what’s to come. Now we get to see it unfold…
So, what are your favorite moments in these early chapters?
I thought I’d post a few observations that struck me as I reread the novel:
Chapters 1 and 2: I absolutely love how Jane Austen introduces us to each member of the Bennet family. In just two short chapters, we immediately learn something important about each individual (except perhaps Elizabeth).
Consider poor Mary’s introduction: “Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how” (Chapter 2). Ouch!
Chapter 3: The paragraph below represents, for me, one of the most humorous ways of describing the logistics of gossip. (Second place: Norman Rockwell’s great image, “The Gossips.” ) Here’s the paragraph:
“…a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly. The girls grieved over such a number of ladies; but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that, instead of twelve, he had brought only six with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin. And when the party entered the assembly room, it consisted of only five altogether; Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man.” — Chapter 3 (emphasis mine)
Also, I always find it noteworthy that Mrs. Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy from the start for slighting Elizabeth (her least favorite daughter!) — and that the rest of Meryton seems to dislike Darcy, as well. Too often in JAFF, we depict Darcy as someone who is continually sought after, but Darcy proves to be a man who walls himself off with his hauteur and reserve. Even among this marriage-minded crowd of matrons, Darcy’s wealth is not enough to overcome his supposed deficiency in manners:
“for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend” (Chapter 3, emphasis mine).
Chapter 4: We JAFF writers also tend to depict Bingley as inept and silly, but Austen reminds us that he has qualities that endear him to Darcy — and to many others. He is not the bumbling fool but a socially adept gentleman:
“Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offense” (Chapter 4).
Note that this description comes not in the context of the Meryton Assembly, but in Austen’s omniscient narration in the next chapter, when she’s giving us a more “objective” look at these characters. This suggests to me that it’s not just in Meryton where Darcy makes himself disagreeable and Bingley becomes a crowd favorite; this happens in other places, too — perhaps even in London.
Whatever their station and their location, people like to be liked. I could definitely see Bingley being a favorite, even among the status-minded ton, while Darcy sits on the sidelines, even at a posh London gathering. Perhaps not all the genteel London mothers would have wanted their daughters to marry Bingley, but I think he would have been popular wherever he went because he is always ready to be pleased by others, whereas Darcy is always ready to be dissatisfied.
These qualities tell us something significant about the Darcy-Bingley friendship: Darcy must have seen in Bingley qualities worth overcoming his natural reserve, and Bingley must have seen in Darcy something more than his hauteur. Yes, yes, you can be cynical and imagine that Darcy is using Bingley because he wants a “project” (see Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith), while Bingley is putting up with Darcy for his wealth and connections (see the Bertram siblings and Mr. Rushworth ). But I really like the idea that Bingley and Darcy are the kind of friends who see past the surfaces of each other!
Chapter 5: This chapter, which at first glance seems to do little for the plot, actually forecasts the novel’s major storyline — a prognostication delivered by Mary, no less:
“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us” (Chapter 5.)
It turns out Mary does have something sensible to say, after all! Pride and Prejudice could also be called Pride and Vanity, though it wouldn’t have sounded nearly as good. Darcy (for all his admirable qualities) thinks too highly of himself, at least when it comes to his first proposal; Elizabeth (for all her independence of spirit) finds herself influenced by others’ opinions of her (Wickham’s flattery vs Darcy’s insult). Mary has warned us all of what’s to come. Now we get to see it unfold…
So, what are your favorite moments in these early chapters?
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