Andie’s Comments (group member since Jun 26, 2014)

Andie’s comments from the Austen August: A Pride and Prejudice Read-A-Long group.

Mr Collins returns home and promptly, the following week, Mrs Bennet's brother, Mr Gardiner and his wife, arrive for their usual stay at Longbourn over Christmas. Mr Gardiner is the opposite of Mrs Bennet, and in contract is very sensible and well educated, which is unusual for a man who works in trade. Mrs Gardiner is favoured amongst the Bennet daughters, particularly Jane and Lizzie.

Mrs Bennet allows them to sit down and breath for a second before she almost immediately launches into a tale of how poorly treated her girls have been as of late. Later, she talks to Lizzie alone and finds out exactly how Bingley and Jane had been acting around each other, and details of their relationship. She sympathises, saying that it is a shame it happened to Jane due to her character, “it had better have happened to you, Lizzie; you would have laughed yourself out of it sooner”.

Lizzie insists to her Aunt that Jane will eventually be cutting ties with everyone from Netherfield so there will be little chance of her pain continuing, as they will not run the same social circles.
The Gardiners stay for a week which is full of visits from the Phillipses, the Lucas family and the officers from the town, busy times!

During this time, Mrs Gardiner witnesses Lizzie and Wickham's interactions with each other, and believes they are in love and wants to talk to Lizzie before she leaves Longbourn and how the “imprudance” of the match- she had lived in the same area before she got married and knew of Wickham while he was growing up. She also recollects that while she had thought the late Darcy was a good man, his son was an proud and ill-natured boy. Oh dear.

Caroline's letter to Jane arrived. Instantly she assures Jane that they are settled for the winter in London. Jane found no comfort at all in the rest of the letter. Caroline spent most of it praising Miss Darcy, whom apparently Bingley is now attracted to (lies Caroline, all lies~) Caroline boasts of their closeness to Miss Darcy and once again highlights her hopes she them to marry (basically so she can then have a chance at marrying Darcy too)

boo, hiss!

Elizabeth still doesn't doubt that Bingley likes Jane and this is all lies, but she is annoyed that he hasn't stood up for himself and come back to Jane, instead of allowing himself to be manipulated by his friends and sisters and her scheming plot.

Days pass and Jane is trying to get over her heartache but she wishes her mother would let the subject of the Bingleys drop because with her constantly going on about them, it isn't exactly easy. Poor Jane.

Elizabeth again tries to make her understand it is his sisters' influence which makes him stay away and not himself, but she still won't believe her.


Discussing with her dad how Jane has been “crossed in love”, he jokes about when it's Lizzie's turn to endure it, she says not every girl will be as lucky as Jane to experience this “joy” and he replies “but it is a comfort to think that whatever of that kind may befal you, you have an affectionate mother who will always make the most of it” - hahaha!!

Mr Wickham is seen often around Longbourn and now they they all knew his past with Darcy, nobody made any hesitations about saying how much they had all disliked the man from the start, except Jane of course, who insisted there must be some sort of misunderstanding. Everybody else, however, “condemned [Darcy] as the worst of men”

Favourite Quotes:-

“There are few people whom I really love, and fewer still of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense.”

Chap 23:-


Elizabeth is debating whether to mention Charlotte marrying Collins to her mother and sisters, when Sir William Lucas appears to deliver the news himself. Despite the instant messages of congratulations, Mrs Bennet insists that Sir Lucas must be mistaken and Lydia outright exclaims he must be wrong because Collins wanted to marry Lizzie.

Due to his good upbringing, apparently, he was able to listen to their doubts and “impertinence” with a courtesy. Elizabeth supports Lucas' statement with her own account of Charlotte telling her the news herself. Elizabeth offers her truest congrats to the happy couple which helps to cement it in the minds of the Bennet sisters, and they all join in (eventually). Mrs Bennet was too stunned to say much while Sir Lucas was still there but once he had gone, she unleashed a full blown rant about her feelings on the matter: that she insists on not believing Lucas at all, that Collins and Charlotte aren't really to marry, and secondly, that Collins has been taken in while vulnerable, that the couple will never be happy and that there is still time to intervene with the plans.

Oh Mrs Bennet.

She insists on blaming Elizabeth for all of this, and does not speak to her for the rest of the week, and it was a month before she spoke to the Lucas' again!

Mr Bennet however was gratified to think that Charlotte Lucas who was once perceived by him as “sensible” was actually as foolish as his wife and more foolish than his daughter! (LOL nice)

Lady Lucas makes frequent calls at Longbourn now to watch Mrs Bennet's sour expression as she goes on and on about how nice it is to have a daughter married and settled and looked after.

Elizabeth feels a rift between her and Charlotte, and while they are still friends, she feels like “nothing could ever subsist between them again”. Due to her own disappointment with Charlotte's decision, she turns to Jane, who she feels could never shake her opinion of her.

Jane had sent Caroline a letter as soon as she received the first one, and was waiting for a reply (I wouldn't hold your breath, love). Speaking of letters, Collins sends them a letter worthy of a novel, noting his thanks and gratitude for his week of staying with them He tells them he will be returning soon for the wedding and Mrs Bennet is not amused.

Jane's anxiety around Bingley returning is growing but they try not to talk of the subject, to distract Jane and take her mind off it- no such luck with their mother around, who never shuts up about Bingley and when the Bingleys will return.

Collins returns to stay at Longbourn (Mrs Bennet is thrilled- see sarcasm), and spends most of his days at the Lucas' estate. Leading to a Mrs Bennet rant about how Charlotte is sneaking her way into taking posession of Longbourn and how she is not to be trusted. Mr Bennet asks her to try to stay positive and hope that he manages to live out a few more years first, haha!


NB: sorry for the slight delay here- I was busy yesterday so I never got to post my two summaries. I basically owe you guys two extra, which I will do on my day off on friday- bear with me I'll catch up :)

BUT WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF VOLUME 1!! WAHEY! How are you guys feeling about it so far? Enjoying it? Any issues with the books or chapters? Anything you are struggling to follow? Anything at all, feel free to leave comments!

I need a mug or something saying "Mr Bennet is awesome" haha

My friend and I love Mr Collin's proposal because it's so hilariously awkward and patronising. When you actually *read* what he says, it reads like a lot of insults or strung together more than anything complimentary!

this chapter summary nearly killed me dead, I can't lie.It just seemed to be never ending!!

haha there is always going to be an argument where Mrs Bennet and her opinions are involved, even if it isn't Lizzie!

Wickham is just...slimey. Ugh. I thought that when I read it, to be fair. I wonder if he would have brought up knowing Darcy at all if she hadn't name-dropped him

The Bennets have dinner with the Lucas family and Charlotte takes it upon herself to entertain Collins throughout the dinner. At least, that is how Lizzie perceives it. Charlotte actually has a scheme in mind, one where she becomes Mrs Collins. The next day, Charlotte spots Mr Collins in the gardens and sets out to “accidentally” bump into him, and once she does, after he has finished his infamously long speeches, they return to the house engaged to be married. Charlotte had accepted him “solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment, cared not how soon that establishment was gained.”.

Charlotte's parents are thrilled, since they couldn't afford much of a dowry for Charlotte and the match meaning her future fortune was secured- Lady Lucas even starts cheekily calculating how long it may be before Mr Bennet pops his clogs!!

Charlotte isn't relieved that she won't be an old maid of 27, like her family are, but rather always thought of marriage as the only way a well educated woman could secure herself any sort of comfortable future, in terms of property, wealth and security (and hey, fair does to be honest, it was true!). Her main concern was the shock it might give to Elizabeth. She is worried this arrangement will upset Elizabeth enough to make their friendship suffer. She wants to break the news herself to asks Collins to keep his mouth shut on the subject while he is still at Longbourn until she has told the Bennets herself.

And shocked Elizabeth certainly is! But she gets over her shock (and reassures charlotte she meant no offence by her shock) and wishes them happy. But she feels that Charlotte has underrsold herself and in agreeing to marry Collins, has embarrased herself. Lizzie can't help but feel that Charlotte will never be happy.


What do you think? Do you think Charlotte made a practical decision or that she has undersold herself?
What do you think of Charlotte Lucas as a character?

Lizzie is relieved to find that most of the discussions surrounding her turning down of Collins at an end and now really all she needs to deal with is her mother making snide remarks occasionally (see: often, knowing mrs bennet)

Mr Collins is, however, being quite icy towards Lizzie and seems to have shifted all of his attentions onto Charlotte Lucas. What a creeper. Unfortunately for Lizzie, despite the embarrassment of Collins, he intends to see his stay out until the end and doesn't seem to plan on leaving Longbourn any earlier that arranged. Awkward.

The girls walk into town to see if Wickham has returned, and he winds up joining them in visiting their Aunt- where he admits to Lizzie that his absence at the Netherfield ball was his own decision not to attend.

He went with them on the walk back to Longbourn, where he focused most of his attention on Lizzie the whole time, and Lizzie finds it a positive thing because she can use this chance to introduce him to her parents. (I can't help but wonder if Wickham knows Darcy likes Lizzie and because of that, he's decided to try and “win” her over?)

Jane receives a letter as soon as she gets home, which details that the Bingleys have suddenly left Netherfield Park without any intention to return in the future. They are stunned. Caroline Bingley goes on to say that they will be visiting Darcy's sister, Georgiana, who Mr Bingley apparently has always felt a strong affection for and insists that there will soon be “an event which will secure the happiness of many”, amongst other little snippy hints that Bingley doesn't intend to marry Jane at all.

Lizzie sees through this and tells Jane that nobody who has ever seen her and Bingley together can doubt the affection on either side, and that this is just Caroline Bingley trying to get Jane to leave Bingley alone. Lizzie makes a hilarious remark, that if Caroline Bingley were as half in love with Darcy as Bingley is with Jane, she would have already ordered her wedding dress!

“But the case is this, we are not rich enough, or grand enough for them; and she is anxious to get Miss Darcy for her brother, from the notion that when there has been one intermarriage, she may have less trouble in achieving a second.”

Jane refuses to believe this (unfortunately) because she doesn't see the “evil” Caroline and actually believes that she is “incapable of wilfully deceiving anyone” (HAHAHA oh Jane, sweet Jane) and she believes that this is truly what Caroline believes is happening.

Lizzie manages to persuade Jane that he may return after the winter on his own will because he really does love Jane, regardless of what his sister says.

They manage to break the news to Mrs Bennet without causing her too much distress...probably because they manage to not tell her there seems to be no intention of them returning to Netherfield Park

And now we deal with the fallout from Lizzie embarrassing Mr Collins and his self-righteous proposal.

As soon as Lizzie opens the door to leave, Mrs Bennet barges in wishing the happy couple her best wishes- awkward. Mr Collins however, accepts these happily and assures Mrs Bennet that the rejection just ensured Lizzie's “beautiful modesty and genuine delicacy of her character”- he hasn't taken it as rejection at all and thinks she will accept him. Mrs Bennet, however, is mortified and insists she will change Lizzie's mind towards him.

Mr Collins interrupts Mrs Bennet to say that if Lizzie truly is a headstrong girl, she would probably not make a suitable wife for him (lord forbid she have an opinion). He actually is forced to consider that the rejection was a rejection and not a ploy to make him proposal again. Weird, huh?

Mrs Bennet immediately hurtles towards the Library calling for Mr Bennet to come and sort out this problem, and persuade Lizzie to change her mind. She orders him to tell Lizzie he insists on her marrying Collins.. Mr Bennet winds up saying my favourite line of his for the entire book, because FYEAH MR BENNET!


“An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day, you must be a stranger to one of your parents. - Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins, and I never see you again if you do”.

Moment of cheering and high-fiving for Mr Badass Bennet, please?!

Charlotte comes to visit and is immediately told by Lydia what happened between Lizzie and Collins and Mrs Bennet is once again exclaiming that nobody is on her side and that her poor nerves are on edge. Mrs Bennet gives a speech to lizzie and the girls about how she is never going to speak to Lizzie again and Mr Collins somehow manages to find a way to apologise for the proposal and the inconvenience it has caused the Bennet family.

Chap 19:-

Prepare yourselves, here we have the fun chapter with “Mr Collin's Proposal”...

He asks Mrs Bennet if he may have a few moments alone with Lizzie, who obviously doesn't get any say in the matter, and Mrs Bennet basically pushes her at him. Lizzie begs her mother not to leave her alone with him, as she knows what is coming to some degree, but it's hopeless and Mrs Bennet takes Kitty out of the room with her, leaving them alone.

What follows on the next 4 pages is the most hilarious, presumptuous, awkward and arrogant proposal you will probably ever read, so I'm not even going to transcribe any of it here. Just read it because it makes me laugh every time. She initially rejects him, and he insists that she secretly wishes to marry him, she is just doing what ladies do by waiting to be proposed to a second or third time- Austen foreshadowing here?

He also mentions Lady Catherine a ridiculous amount of times in this speech of his.

Actually there is one bit of narration I love: “The idea of Mr Collins, with all his solemn composure, being run away with his feelings, made Elizabeth so near laughing that she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him farther, and he continued...”


What are your initial reactions to Mr Collins' Proposal? What are your favourite lines from it?

The Netherfield Park ball arrives, and is swarming with red coats. Elizabeth seems to have developed a bit of a crush on Wickham, she took more time than usual getting dressed for this ball, and believes that she may have a hope of “conquering” his heart that night. Oh dear.

She realises with a sinking feeling that he may not be there after all, if the Bingley's have not invited him to the event in preference to Darcy being present instead. Unfortunately for Lizzie, it's true that Wickham got called away on business the day before and hadn't returned yet, it is a muttered hint that it is because of Darcy's presence that business conveniently “called him away” at short notice, and Lizzie is set in her attitude. Any pleasantry towards Darcy now on her part, even for civility, would be an insult towards Wickham.

Lizzie dances her first two horrible dances with Mr Collins, painfully. And is soon dancing with other officers in the room while talking of Wickham. On heading back to join Charlotte Lucas after those dances though, a Wild!Darcy appears and asks for her hand, and she is so surprised by this she accepts (and is probably facepalming as soon as he turns away). As Darcy approaches her again to take her to dance, Charlotte advises that it would be stupid of Lizzie to not let her feelings for Wickham get in the way of looking agreeable to Darcy, who is “a man of ten times his [Wickham's] consequence” (typical Charlotte there)

Lizzie basically walks out with Darcy thinking “IDGAF”. Everyone is amazed they make it to the middle of the floor and dance set without killing each other. As they dance, they of course have a little verbal sparring match about how they should or should not be talking while they dance, mainly to fill the silence because these dances last half an hour. Lizzie makes the mistake of bringing up Wickham's name. Darcy is desperate to change the subject and after bumping into Sir William Lucas, who makes hints of Darcy liking her “bright eyes”, he fumbles and winds up trying to get her to talk about books with him. Lizzie shoots him down no matter what he asks. Lizzie continues to grill Darcy in a roundabout way about his opinion of Wickham, but it fails.

After separating from Darcy, Miss Bingley (I'm assuming not Caroline?) approaches Lizzie and tells her that Wickham had forgotten to mention a few minor details when telling her about his past of woe with the Darcy family. His father, George Wickham, had been Mr Darcy's Steward. She advises Lizzie not to believe everything she was told, “As to Mr Darcy's using him ill, it is perfectly false. For, on the contrary, he has always been remarkably kind to him, even though George Wickham has treated Mr Darcy in a most infamous manner.” She blames his treatment on his heritage, which angers Lizzie. She calls Miss Bingley an “insolent girl!” and says that she sees nothing in her comments about Wickham apart from “the malice of Mr Darcy”. She storms off to find Jane but her anger ebbs away in favour of allowing Jane to be happy this evening and not worry about any Wickham drama, as Jane seems pretty happy talking with the Bingleys.

She finds out from Jane that Bingley is flying the “Team Darcy” flag in all of this, and that again, she should not believe everything Wickham tells her, although nobody seems to have any idea as to why. But because Bingley has never met Wickham before, Lizzie is somehow still inclined to believe that while Bingley has the best intentions for his friend at heart, he is only doing that job of a friend, rather than telling the truth. Lizzie refuses to change her opinion of Darcy and to go on believing Wickham and what he told her of his past with Darcy.

Meanwhile Mr Collins is almost having a heart attack out of excitement because he just discovered that Mr Darcy is Lady Catherine's newphew, and he insists on seeking him out, introducing himself, and reassuring him of Lady Catherine's health. Elizabeth tries to warn him not to do it, but all she gets in return is a fabulously patronising speech from Collins, basically telling her not to poke her nose where it doesn't belong.

At dinner, she overhears her mother discussing with Lady Lucas what Jane marrying Bingley will mean for the family. Mainly that it will put her other daughters into the eyes of other wealthy men, and that Mrs Bennet won't have to go everywhere with them as a chaperone because “Jane Bingley” will be able to go in her place. Being very aware of Darcy probably being able to hear every word her mother is saying, Lizzie begs her to shut up, to which Mrs Bennet replies “IDGAF.”

Between her mother making embarrasing speeches, and Mary playing the piano very poorly and refusing to stop when hinted to by her father, Lizzie can't decide whether the silence of Darcy or the smirks of the two Bingley sisters are worse to her, but knows that the Bennet family is a source of vast amusement for the night. Ouch.


The chapter ends with Mrs Bennet daydreaming about how perfect the matches of Jane and Bingley are, only seconded by Lizzie and Mr Collins.




Favourite Quotes:-

“Heaven forbid!- That would be the greatest misfortune of them all! - To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate!- Do not wish me such an evil!”

Lizzie tells Jane everything that Wickham told her about Darcy. Jane is torn between believing Darcy could never cheat someone that horribly, and believing Wickham's story because as an honourable soldier, he would never tell a lie, especially of that proportion...right? Jane argues that they must both have been lied to at some point or another. Jane is hesitant to immediately think foul of Darcy but Lizzie is basically there, waving a flag for Team Wickham.

Bingley and his sisters have arrived to give confirmation of a ball to be held next week at Netherfield Park, as promised earlier in the book. “Elizabeth thought with pleasure of dancing a great deal with Mr Wickham, and of seeing a confirmation of every thing in Mr Darcy's looks and behaviour.”.

Lizzie foolishly makes the mistake of asking Mr Collins if he intends to go to the ball as well, and winds up having to promise him her first two dances- oh gawd! It becomes increasingly hinted to Lizzie, both from Collins' behaviour and her mother's behaviour that Collins seems to be eyeing her up as an intended marriage proposal, and she chooses to ignore these hints, hoping that if she pays them no attention, they will go away quietly.




Favourite Quotes:-
“Laugh as much as you chuse, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion”

oooh is that what it is. the name is correct, my edition says it, but it didn't say the title- that explains Lydia's outburst. I thought she was just bored haja

haha he really does. he is such a creeper

I bet he didn't even read the first sentence

; 3

The girls and Collins stay out at Maryton for the evening and wind up having dinner with their aunt and uncle, Collins and Wickham. A dinner which Collins spends most of his time, once again, comparing anything and anyone to the grandeur and amazingness of Rosings and Lady Catherine (give me strength.). Lizzie finds herself starting to notice Wickham and seems to be flattered by him when he sits next to her.

After dinner he initially sits between Lydia and Lizzie, but Lydia gets sucked into a game of cards, so Wickham ends up just talking to Lizzie. The topic of Darcy quickly comes up. He tells Lizzie that she could ask nobody else about Darcy better than him as he grew up with the man.

Wickham spends a lot of time basically saying to Lizzie “Well I can't pass any opinion on Darcy buuuuut...” and begins to tell her what happened between the two. He was raised by Mr Darcy's late father, who was his godfather, and was supposed to inherit upon his passing, but unfortunately his inheritance went “elsewhere”. He argues that he cannot fight Darcy for his rightful inheritance because it would bring shame to Darcy's late father.

And just like that, any slight glimpses of positive thoughts of Darcy have gone from Lizzie's mind and she finds him truly hateful. Oh dear.

Wickham also brings up Darcy's sister into the conversation, which prompts Lizzie to ask him about her. He says that as a child, Miss Darcy was “affectionate, pleasing and very fond of me” but now he has no idea what she is like due to the fall out of the two gents (foreshadowing austen is foreshadowing in this entire chapter).

Lizzie also finds out (a lot of things in this chapter, evidently!) that Lady Catherine de Bought is actually Darcy's Aunt! (Put the two in a room together and the amount of Pride would probably cause a tear in the fabric of space.) It is believed that the Lady Catherine's daughter and Darcy are supposed to marry so that their two fortunes combine. Lizzie is amused at the thought of what this news would do to Caroline Bingley.

Phew- I'm all gossiped out!

We learn of Mr Collins' backstory and of his intention to marry, and intends to pick one of the five daughters as his bride in way of a “reconciliation” with the family from Longbourn, because he felt he needed to make it up to them for the fact that he is set to inherit the property from Mr Bennet, instead of the female family. He thinks this is an excellent plan....oy vey, the best intentions, I guess.

Collins had immediately settled his sights on Jane, but after a quiet word with Mrs Bennet who dropped the hint that she is soon to be engaged to Mr Bingley, Collin's swiftly moved on to the next best thing: poor, poor Lizzie.

One day while Collins is walking into town with the sisters. Lydia and Kitty immediately are eyeing up the officers, and we are introduced to Wickham, who is serving in the militia. Mr Bingley and Darcy are also riding through the town and stop to talk to the Bennets. Bingley speaks primarily to Jane, and Mr Darcy avoids looking at Lizzie, only to basically start staring down Wickham. Mr Bingley is clueless of this icy exchange.

Mr Collins is taken to meet Mrs Phillips, a family relation of the Bennets who lives in town, and when they arrive home, Mr Collins sings his praises once again to Mrs Bennet. Lizzie asks Jane what she thought of the exchange between Darcy and Wickham, and Jane has no idea what to make of it.