Darcy says, "You looking at me and my fine eyes?"
Lizzy says, "Fine eyes indeed!"
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Due Monday, September 16th - "Pride & Prejudice" Chs. X-XVI (pages 31-58).
Directions: Please read chapters X-XVI (pages 31-58) and respond to the reading. What would you like to discuss? Ask me questions. Think about the new characters that have been introduced. Use 2-3 direct quotations in your responses. Engage with the text. Engage with each other.
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After reading this set of chapters, I find it interesting that there is a new love triangle formed with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennett, and one of the newly introduced characters, Mr. Wickham. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham have not enjoyed each others presence since the moment they met each other, and it is quite possibly due to the fact that they both have interests in Elizabeth Bennett. As the story progresses, the reader sees Mr. Wickham try to sabotage Mr. Darcy’s attempts at winning over Elizabeth by telling her how he found a way to cheat Mr. Wickham out of his money enclosed in the will of Mr. Darcy’s father. After hearing this news, Elizabeth becomes outraged saying, “‘How abominable! - I wonder that the very pride of this Mr. Darcy has not made him just to you! - If from no better motive, that he should not have been too proud to be dishonest - for dishonesty I must call it”’(55). Elizabeth is not very happy with the fact that Mr. Darcy would do such a thing to such a nice man like Mr. Wickham. Although Elizabeth is not happy with Mr. Darcy, she does take into account the effect of this secret getting out to the public, so she tells Mr. Wickham, “‘He is a sweet tempered, amiable, charming man. He cannot know what Mr. Darcy is”’(56). Despite wanting to get back at Mr. Darcy for cheating Mr. Wickham out of his money, Elizabeth realizes that it would ruin Mr. Bingley to find out that his closest friend was such an evil man, so she makes sure that it is kept a secret between her and Mr. Wickham. Finally, I would like to contemplate what could possibly happen in the future of the novel now that Elizabeth isn’t too fond of Mr. Darcy. Will it ruin any chance of the two getting together? Or will the novel take a surprising turn and reveal more secrets that leave Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth together at last?
ReplyDeleteI’m intrigued to find out how Mr. Darcy reacts to Elizabeth being into Mr. Wickham. Wickham had said that his dislike “which [he] cannot but attribute in some measure of jealousy” (55) because Darcy’s father liked so much so I’m curious to see how this plays out because another person who he seems to care about is taking interest in Wickham. I’m also really curious to see how he reacts. We’ve learned that we don’t see how he reacts to certain things, as Austen portrays him to be emotionless on the outside. But the one thing we do know about him is that he does have a temper so maybe we will see him react to that or maybe we’ll see a completely different side of him. I also want to know how Elizabeth will react to Darcy now. She has said, “I had not thought Mr. Darcy so bad as this- though I have never liked him, I had not thought so very ill of him…” (55) so I’m wondering how Wickham and Elizabeth’s fondness of him will affect their relationship. We know that Jane Austen loves first impressions and then revealing they have other layers so I’m assuming there’s going to be way more to this love triangle
ReplyDeleteWhile reading, I found it interesting that Mr. Darcy is often being talked about, by the other characters. We learn as we read that Elizabeth is definitely getting along with Mr. Wickham. “Elizabeth felt that she had neither been seeing him before, nor thinking of him since, with the smallest degree of unreasonable admiration” (50). While reading Pride and Prejudice, we never really see Elizabeth show interest in any of the men that she meets until she meets Mr. Wickham. I found it very interesting also that Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy are related. “ Yes the late Mr. Darcy bequeathed me the next presentation of the best living in his gift. He was my godfather, and excessively attached to me. I cannot do justice ot his kindness” (54). It seems as though Mr. Wickham will also try to marry Elizabeth. I think that will add a very interesting element to the story. I’m excited to see how all plays out when all three are together in a room.
ReplyDeleteDuring the chapter the Bennet family also meets Mr. Collins, who will eventually be buying their estate after Mr. Bennet passes away. “ The dinner too in its turn was highly admired; and he begged to know to which of his fair cousins, the excellence of its cookery was owing. But here he was set straight by Mrs. Bennet, who assured him with some asperity that they were very well able to keep a good cook, and that her daughters had nothing to do in the kitchen” (44). It’s pretty clear that the Bennet’s are not very impressed with Mr. Collins. Later on in the evening they go into the library to read and they discover that Mr. Collins does not read; this proclamation sets up a storm in the room. I’m excited to see how these new characters appear and interact in the movie.
When reading through chapters X-XVI, I can understand why the book was originally called first impressions. We see two new characters come into the story, William Collins and Mr. Wickham. At the beginning of chapter XIII, we hear how Mr. Bennet received a letter from his cousin, Mr. Collins, who may take over Mr. Bennet’s estate. After Miss Bennet’s done giving her performance, Mr. Bennet explains how he’s received a letter from Mr. Collins where he seems to show an amiable attitude. In the letter Mr. Collins explains that he’d like to visit the Bennet family and get to know everyone, where he comes across as being benevolent, ““Mr.Collins was puctional to his time, and we received with great politeness by the whole family”(44). Mr. Wickman we see with Mr. Denny, as a man who seems to carry himself well. Later that still holds true, ““Mr.Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned” (52). When we see how Mr. Wickman has a Bingly-type personality, is where Mr. Collins goes from being nice to a not so sensible man, “of his authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility” (47). It seems to me that first impressions are significant in Pride and Prejudice, whether it’s a person with a lot of dialog like Mr. Bennet, or one who may only be there for a card game, Mr. Hurst, Jane Austen manages to give the reader an accurate description of the character, without having them say much. I'm curious to see how these characters personalities will develop in the story, and how Mr. Darcy feels about Mr. Wickman getting involved with Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the chapters 10-16, I find it interesting that Elizabeth is now in between a love triangle of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham, and herself. Mr. Darcy would not be too happy if he found out this, I would want to know how and what he does when he does eventually find out. Knowing Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham has his own words about him which aren’t too nice. “I had not thought Mr. Darcy so bad as this -- though I have never liked him, I had not thought so very ill of him -- I had supposed him to be despising his fellow-creatures in general, but did not suspect him of descending to such malicious revenge, such injustice, such inhumanity as this” (55). Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham don’t seem to have the best relationship. Which won’t help because both of them like Elizabeth. When I read more it seems that Mr. Wickham wants to ruin Mr. Darcy’s chances of getting with Elizabeth. “‘How abominable! - I wonder that the very pride of this Mr. Darcy has not made him just to you! - If from no better motive, that he should not have been too proud to be dishonest - for dishonesty I must call it” (55). When Mr. Wickham realizes that Mr. Darcy is trying to win over Elizabeth he tries to ruin it by bringing up how Mr. Darcy scammed him out of the money from Mr. Darcy’s father’s will.
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 10-16, it seemed that Mr. Collin’s visit was mainly to check out Mr. Bennet’s property, “They were not the only objects of Mr. Collin’s admiration. The hall, the dining-room, and all its furniture were examined and praised; and his commendation of every thing would have touched Mrs. Bennet’s heart, but for the mortifying supposition of his viewing it all as his own future property” (44). This quote goes along to one of the previous blog posts about women and how they don’t inherit anything from their father. Here, it seems as if the daughters of Mr. Bennet don’t marry, the estate will go to Mr. Collins as he is focused on the furniture and the quality of the house. Another interesting event happened when Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham met. “Mr. Darcy corroborated it with a bow, and was beginning to determine not to fix his eyes on Elizabeth, when they were suddenly arrested by the sight of the stranger, and Elizabeth happening to see the countenance of both as they looked at each other, was all astonishment at the effect of the meeting. Both changed colour, one looked white, the other red. Mr. Wickham, after a few moments, touched his hat—a salutation which Mr. Darcy just deigned to return” (49). This is interesting as it shows how both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham are both into Elizabeth by their faces turning color. The definition of deigned is to do something that one considers to be beneath one’s dignity. Using this definition, Mr. Darcy to be showing off his pride of being wealthy. Furthermore, I am assuming that no one else saw this moment between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham as it says that Mr. Bingley left without noticing what happened.
ReplyDeleteAlex Rogoff
While reading chapters 10 through 16, I found it kind of odd that Mr. Collins had wanted to make ammense with Mr. Bennet especially because it really didn’t help him to be on his good side because he would already be getting all of his money and property. I was also wondering about why, even if one of his daughters was married, the money couldn’t just go to her and her husband. In his letter to Mr. Bennet, Mr. Collins said “I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone, with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance”(42). This surprised me because I felt like people were really true to their family at this time and that’s why there were a lot of fights between families with such minor issues that one family member may not be able to let go. Even though he did wait a while to make up with them, it still surprises me it even crossed his mind to go against his father. I also found it interesting that Mr. Wickham knew Mr. Darcy probably better than anyone else could since they had grown up together. It doesn’t surprise me that Mr. Darcy would treat Mr. Wickham as he did and not acknowledge that he was promised the living. When Elizabeth asked why he would have done it he replied “A thorough, determines dislike of me- a dislike which I cannot but attribute in some measure to jealousy”(55). Mr. Darcy is the type of person to simply hate someone for getting the attention he feels he deserves and the reason he may have a personality that he has, could be due to the fact that he never really got respect from his father. So he must have taken his feelings towards his father and put them on Mr. Wickham, who did nothing to deserve them other than be there for his father.
ReplyDeleteMs. Bingley likes Mr. Darcy, so she was trying to ridicule Elizabeth and regain Mr. Darcy's gaze. However, Mr. Darcy paid even more attention to Elizabeth. He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention. (41) Mr. Darcy gradually fell in love with Elizabeth, and he hoped that Elizabeth could stay in the Netherfield for a few more days. He does not like Ms. Bingley, and he found that Ms. Bingley was very rude to Elizabeth, so he made up his mind not to show his love for Elizabeth. Miss Bingley was uncivil to her, and more teasing than usual to himself. He wisely resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape him, nothing that could elevate her with the hope of influencing his felicity (41) Mr. Collins’s appearance at the Bennet's home, the Bennet family are worried, because if the Bennet’s daughters could not getting married as soon as possible, the Bennet’s property will be inherited by Mr. Collins. When Mr. Collins came to Bennet’s house, he liked Jane, but Mrs. Bennet said that Jane was about to get engaged, and recommended her second daughter, Elizabeth, to Mr. Collins. But Elizabeth refused to marry Mr. Collins, she had a good impression of Mr. Wickham. But when she saw Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy awkward greeting, she asked Mr. Wickham about the situation. When Elizabeth listened to Mr. Wickham’s lies and thought that Mr. Darcy had done something very despicable, her prejudice against Mr. Darcy was even more serious. "Good heavens!" cried Elizabeth; "but how could that be? How could his will be disregarded? Why did you not seek legal redress?" (56)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapters 10-16 I think it is interesting the relationship between Miss Bingley and the Bennet sisters because she likes Jane and dislikes Elizabeth. Throughout these chapters she is trying to get rid of Elizabeth and talk down on her to Mr.Darcy although she and Jane have a friendly relationship. On page 36 the narrator says, “Miss Bingley saw, or suspected enough to be jealous; and her great anxiety for the recovery of her dear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth. She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.” I also thought it was funny how Mr.Darcy changed over the course of the book so far because in the beginning Elizabeth wasn’t pretty enough to dance with and then on page 41 the narrator says, “To Mr. Darcy it was welcome intelligence—Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough. She attracted him more than he liked.” I’m curious to find out how William Collins will play out in the book and how the relationship between Bingley and Darcy plays out. I also wonder what will happen with Elizabeth and Darcy now that Elizabeth isn’t very fond of him now that she knows about his past.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapters 10 through 16 a bunch of new relationships have started. Ms. Bingly likes Mr. Darcy, Mr.Darcy Likes Elizabeth, and Elizabeth likes the new character named Mr. Wickham who also takes interest in Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickhan are not very fond of each other most likely because they both share an interest in the same girl, Elizabeth Bennett. Mr. Wickham tries to stop Mr. Darcy from attempting to steal Elizabeth from Him by telling Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy tried to steal his money. “How abominable! - I wonder that the very pride of this Mr. Darcy has not made him just to you! - If from no better motive, that he should not have been too proud to be dishonest - for dishonesty I must call it” this makes Elizabeth madder at Mr. Darcy then she already is. Elizabeth also doesn't like Mr. Darcy because she thinks everything he is saying to her is an insult rather than a compliment. On page 40 they exchange arguments “And your defect is to hate everybody.” “And yours,” he replied with a smile, “is willfully to misunderstand them.” Mr. Darcy has been Trying to compliment Elizabeth but she doesn't realize it and thinks he is teasing her. How will these relationships end up and will any of them change?
ReplyDeleteMr. Collins, a young clergyman, was introduced to the story in Chapter 13. He was the closest relative to the Bennett's family, meaning he will be inheriting all of their property once Mr. Bennett passed away because there are no other male member in the family. In the chapter Collins went and paid a visit to the Bennett’s, nominally to appreciate the family, but in reality he was checking up the property he’ll be inheriting.
ReplyDeleteI thought Mr. Collins was an interesting character, because no matter how much he emphasizes his sensibility, his action says otherwise. As Elizabeth finished reading Mr. Collins letter, she questions, “I cannot make him out.—There is something very pompous in his style.—And what can he mean by apologising for being next in the entail?—We cannot suppose he would help it if he could.—Could he be a sensible man, sir?” (43). As Elizabeth pointed out on Mr. Collins, him being apologetic about receiving the entailment is not sympathetic, but rather an act of hypocrisy.
Grace Shih
DeleteThroughout chapters X-XVI I was shocked to see the love triangle that was formed, and im excited to see how it plays out later in the novel. With the original title of the book being First Impressions I can see where Jane Austin's thought process was. We are introduced to Mr Wickman and “he was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned” (52). Mr Darcy and Mr wickham do not have a great relationship to start with, but adding that they both have an interest in Elizabeth makes the situation worse. I find it weird how in the beginning of the novel Mr Darcy wanted nothing to do with Elizabeth, but now that Mr. Wickman is in the picture he is all of a sudden jealous. “She attracted him more than he liked” (41). Mr Darcy and Mr. Wickman have a dispute with words discretely about Elizabeth. Will Elizabeth have a hard time choosing who she is more interested in or does she already have her mind made up for who is a good fit for her.
ReplyDeleteMaddy Francis
In chapters 10-16 many events take place which create a turning point in the novel. In chapter 10 Miss Bingley starts to become angered by the attention Mr. Darcy is giving to Elizebeth. Miss Bingley tries very hard to get Mr. Darcy’s recognition but fails in doing so. In chapter 12 Elizabeth's mother comes up with a plan to keep her daughter at Mr. Bingley’s estate for as long as possible in hopes of Mr. Bingley proposing to her. “They were not welcomed home very cordially by their mother. Mrs. Bennet wondered at their coming, and thought them very wrong to give so much trouble’ (42) However, they end up going back home anyways. Chapter 13 introduces a new character named Mr. Collins who is Mr. Bennet’s distant cousin. He is coming to stay with the family for a week which makes the other Bennet’s not too excited. They are worried that when Mr. Bennet dies one day that Mr. Collins will not let them stay at the house and take everything they have from them. In chapter 15 we meet Mr. Wickham who we find out has a strong hate for Mr. Darcy. “ Both changed colour, one looked white, the other red. Mr. Wickham, after a few moments, touched his hat—a salutation which Mr. Darcy just deigned to return.” (51) We find out that the Wickham's have known the Darcy family for since Mr. Darcy was very young. It is discovered that Mr. Darcy did not allow Mr. Wickham to live on his estate which was promised by his father. I thought that these past few chapters were interesting because of how they reveal many aspects that will become important throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteI’m going to be honest here, it seems to me that Mr. Darcy had some parenting issues when he was a child. If it wasn’t obvious already, it’s pretty clear that Darcy was sidelined over Mr. Wickham when it came to his father’s opinion. This is presented well on page 55, while Mr. Wickham tells Elizabeth about his relationship to Mr. Darcy. “Had the late Mr. Darcy liked me less, his son might have borne with me better; but his father’s uncommon attachment to me, irritated him I believe very early in life. He had not a temper to bear the sort of competition in which we stood- the sort of preference which was often given me” (55 Chapter XVI). If I had to be honest, I really do feel some remorse for Mr. Darcy. His father practically pushed him away in favor of someone who wasn’t even his brother. It reminds me of the numerous stories there are out there where a sibling will be favored over another, and as a result there is a feeling of resent between the siblings. It’s pretty upsetting, especially when Wickham realizes that he could’ve had a much better relationship with Mr. Darcy had his father not favored him over Darcy. Another thing that I’ve also seen and realized is that Mr. Collins does appear to be very emotional, and also over sensitive. Personally I gotta say he can’t suck it up when something doesn’t go his way. It’s especially obvious when Lydia is speaking over Mr. Collins reading on page 47 that he’s easily offended, just for a girl being a girl. “I have often observed how little young ladies are interested by books of a serious stamp, though written solely for their benefit. It amazes me, I confess;- for certainly, there can be nothing so advantageous to them as instruction. But I will no longer importune my young cousin.”(47 Chapter XV) I mean come on man. At least try and be polite about it. He could’ve even chosen to have a conversation with her but instead he decides he wants to be a wuss and just shun her. I personally find that stupid, but if Collins wants to act that way let him be that way. All I can do is shrug and desire to punch a strong cross straight through a boxing bag.
ReplyDelete- Paul Yannalfo
Matt Gaetano
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 10-11 Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley, and Elizabeth were stuck in a bit of a love triangle. In this scene, while Miss Bingley is trying to impress Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth says, “To yield readily—easily—to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you” (33). Essentially, she thinks that Mr. Darcy’s stance is that there is no point to give in to a friend’s persuasion. Her view is that a trusted friend’s opinion should be enough to sway you. To that, Mr. Darcy responds, “To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either” (33). He adds the fact that you're a fool if the only reason you yield to a friend's opinion is because they have that opinion. In chapter 11, both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy assume the wrong position. Elizabeth says, “... your defect is to hate everybody” (39). Mr. Darcy responds, “And yours … is willfully to misunderstand them” (39). After Elizabeth overhears Mr. Darcy talk about her at the ball, her first impression of him was negative. In this current scene, Lizzy thinks Mr. Darcy hates everyone and Mr Darcy thinks Elizabeth is purposefully trying not to understand him. I find it interesting when the Bennets leave the Bingley’s estate in chapter 12. While they leave, Miss Bingley is sad to see Jane go because she can relate to her, but she practically pushes Lizzy out the door because she is so jealous of her. When Mr. Wickham comes into town, we learn that him and Mr. Darcy had a rough past. Given this and the fact the Elizabeth is starting to have some feelings for Mr. Wickham, I think these relationships will start to get complicated. Especially because Mr. Darcy still holds a grudge against Mr. Wickham. At the end of chapter 16, we can see, in full view, the relationships we have at hand: Miss Bingley is in love with Mr. Darcy who is in love with Lizzy who is in love with Mr. Wickham.
Nick Criniti
ReplyDeleteThroughout chapters 10-16 we notice a lot a new information. We meet Mr. Collins who is a very interesting character and we meet Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth when at first sight sees Mr. Wickham starts to like him. Although when their cousin Mr. Collins comes to visit he starts to like Lizzy. Mr Collins likes to brag at the houses and money around him and gets very off track in a conversation. “Mr. Collins seemed likely to sink into insignificance”(52). Towards the end of reading the six chapters Jane notices that Lizzy likes Mr. Wickham and tries to give her some advice. “It was not in her nature to question the veracity of a young man of such amiable appearances as Wickham.”(58). As we are about to read the next few chapters I wonder what will happen between Lizzy and Mr. Wickham.
Through chapter XI - XVI, we met some new characters with their own personalities. Mr. Collins seems to be not the best of a candidate for marriage based on his personality. For starters he isn’t bright in the slightest. He also seems to have no idea how to speak for women or their behalf. Mr. Bennent (who loves his own sarcasm) takes advantage of the situation. “You judge really properly… may I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from impulse of the moment, or the result of the precious study?” (pg. 46) which Mr. Collins responded with “They arise chiefly from what is passing at the time..” (pg. 46) having no idea that Mr. Bennett and the rest of the bennett family were then mocking him. Mr. Wickham however seems to be quite the opposite of Mr. Collins. For someone who is not a gentleman he has the most attractive job at the time in being an officer in the military. He is also very open and is not afraid to share his opinion which is a good reason why Elizabeth falls for him so quickly. I also don’t trust him very much essallicly after he tells Elizabeth about negative things about Mr. Darsey. I predict that he is trying to poison her mind with even more negative thoughts to get back at Mr. Darcy and leave him out of the picture for good.
ReplyDeleteBen Weeden