You know what I realize that people underestimate with Pride & Prejudice is the strategic importance of Jane.
Because like, I recently saw Charlotte and Elizabeth contrasted as the former being pragmatic and the latter holding out for a love match, because she's younger and prettier and thinks she can afford it, and that is very much not what's happening.
The Charlotte take is correct, but the Elizabeth is all wrong. Lizzie doesn't insist on a love match. That's serendipitous and rather unexpected. She wants, exactly as Mr. Bennet says, someone she can respect. Contempt won't do. Mr. Bennet puts it in weirdly sexist terms like he's trying to avoid acknowledging what he did to himself by marrying a self-absorbed idiot, but it's still true. That's what Elizabeth is shooting for: a marriage that won't make her unhappy.
She's grown up watching how miserable her parents make one another; she's not willing to sign up for a lifetime of being bitter and lonely in her own home.
I think she is very aware, in refusing Mr. Collins, that it's reasonably unlikely that anyone she actually respects is going to want her, with her few accomplishments and her lack of property. That she is turning down security and the chance keep the house she grew up in, and all she gets in return may be spinsterhood.
But, crucially, she has absolute faith in Jane.
The bit about teaching Jane's daughters to embroider badly? That's a joke, but it's also a serious potential life plan. Jane is the best creature in the world, and a beauty; there's no chance at all she won't get married to someone worthwhile.
(Bingley mucks this up by breaking Jane's heart, but her prospects remain reasonable if their mother would lay off!)
And if Elizabeth can't replicate that feat, then there's also no doubt in her mind that Jane will let her live in her house as a dependent as long as she likes, and never let it be made shameful or awful to be that impoverished spinster aunt. It will be okay never to be married at all, because she has her sister, whom she trusts absolutely to succeed and to protect her.
And if something eventually happens to Jane's family and they can't keep her anymore, she can throw herself upon the mercy of the Gardeners, who have money and like her very much, and are likewise good people. She has a support network--not a perfect or impregnable one, but it exists. It gives her realistic options.
Spinsterhood was a very dangerous choice; there are reasons you would go to considerable lengths not to risk it.
But Elizabeth has Jane, and her pride, and an understanding of what marrying someone who will make you miserable costs.
That's part of the thesis of the book, I would say! Recurring Austen thought. How important it is not to marry someone who will make you, specifically, unhappy.
She would rather be a dependent of people she likes and trusts than of someone she doesn't, even if the latter is formally considered more secure; she would rather live in a happy, reasonable household as an extra than be the mistress of her own home, but that home is full of Mr. Collins and her mother.
This is a calculation she's making consciously! She's not counting on a better marriage coming along. She just feels the most likely bad outcome from refusing Mr. Collins is still much better than the certain outcome of accepting him. Which is being stuck with Mr. Collins forever.
Elizabeth is also being pragmatic. Austen also endorses her choice, for the person she is and the concerns she has. She's just picking different trade-offs than Charlotte.
Elizabeth's flaw is not in her own priorities; she doesn't make a reckless choice and get lucky. But in being unable to accept that Charlotte's are different, and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Charlotte.
Because realistically, when your marriage is your whole family and career forever, and you only get to pick the ones that offer themselves to you, when you are legally bound to the status of dependent, you're always going to be making some trade-offs.
😂 Even the unrealistically ideal dream scenario of wealthy handsome clever ethical Mr. Darcy still asks you to undergo personal growth, accommodate someone else's communication style, and eat a little crow.
One of Jonathan Crane's last patients before he began his experiments with fear gas was a young boy, barely out of his toddler years, who'd wake up every night screaming from intense nightmares.
Jonathan could still recognize that boy over a decade later as the boy was wheeled into Arkham Asylum, strapped to a gurney. Danny Fenton shot him a tired grin. "Hey, Doc! You mind if we start holding sessions again? I got a lot more tangible fears I need to work through this time."
i feel like people are sleeping on the occam's razor situation of how buckwild it is to outright accuse a guy of being a clone of your friend even if you DO have a lot of circumstantial evidence. there's other options is what im saying. they could just be like. a guy. that's a sensible deduction. you should explore that deduction. ignore my shirt that reads I <3 RED HERRINGS.
i still think odile has the correct theory on lock but she's smart enough to know it needs like... a real smoking gun to be able to bring it up without sounding insane.
anyway. (mirabelle voice) i know its rude to speculate but has anyone else noticed the grieving? they seem to be grieving. does anyone have any thoughts on the grieving? i have some thoughts on the grieving.
Like I know it's self indulgence but it'd be so funny to see a full kardashian style Brucie Wayne, spoilt playboy prince of Gotham, local sunshine idiot on the front page every other week for darwinian levels of idiocy or billionaire levels of donations.
But he gets kidnapped or something and there's illusions or mind magics that make him think he's in the bat suit and then he gets dumped in the middle of a live world broadcast arena to fight some goons.
Like he doesn't think anything of it, batman's been kidnapped and forced into gladitorial arenas for sport many times before, maybe he always carries concealed weapons so he's still got like grapples and batarangs and stuff, but he's just going full doomslayer on these guys. No cowl. No suit. Just an open silk shirt and a pair of slacks. In full view of the world.
Tell you what, what about the whole justice league. Just a group of the motleyest people you've ever met. There's about as many famous people as there are absolute nobodies.
Several billionaires defer to the guy who writes articles on outdated lead in buildings and socio economic corruption. There's a renowned museum curator flying and uppercutting aliens so hard they get tossed across the room. There's a guy who spoke in science conferences about meta containment procedures running up the wall and delivering a roundhouse kick to three enemies at once. Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen. Of all people. Two world famous idiot ceo celebrities. And they're back to back whaling on armoured alien henchmen like a well oiled team. A ten year old podcaster shooting lightning from his fingers and no one in the group bats an eye.
genuinely killing undyne in a neutral run and then walking through hotland later and seeing alphys' posts go "just realized i didn't watch undyne fight the human... well i know she's unbeatable i'll ask her about it later v . v" completely unaware of what's happened is one of the most unpleasant and harrowing experiences in undertale and i am not kidding even a little bit
Fit: Is there anything you want to apologize for, Pac? Like, oh, I dunno... maybe trying to murder me?
Pac: To be honest with you, Fit– Ok, to be honest with you: wasn't my fault, I tried like my best to protect you, I didn't even like hit you! And I told the guys to not kill you like, a dozen- a million times, and I stood by your body, I cried by your body, and I even made you a coffin. Wasn't me, Fit. I made a promise with you, and I kept that promise!
Yesterday's long-awaited Hideduo reconciliation.
[ Full Transcript ↓ ]
Pac: Hi!
Tubbo: Hi, Pac!
Fit: Oh, look who it is!
Pac: Hello, FitMC, hello Tubbo the player!
Tubbo: –apparently no one, cannot hear him.
Pac: Hi, guys. What's happening? Why– [leans into his mic] Why everyone is blue? Why everyone is Blue?
Fit: Is there anything you want to apologize for, Pac? Like, oh, I dunno... maybe trying to murder me?
Pac: [Makes strange noises into the mic] Wasn't me! Wasn't me– like, to be honest with you, Fit– [Laughs] Tubbo just left, leave us. Ok, to be honest with you: wasn't my fault, I tried like my best to protect you, I didn't even like hit you! And I told the guys to not kill you like, a dozen- a million times, and I stood by your body, I cried by your body, and I even made you a coffin. Wasn't me, Fit. I made a promise with you, and I kept that promise!
Fit: Ok, ok...
Pac: You can blame everything on Tubbo, he's the one to be blamed on. I'm sorry, Tubbo.
Tubbo: [Laughs] To be fair– nah, that's fair, I– we had to kill you. It was a hit. We had to kill you.
Fit: No, it's–
Pac: Wait, I can't hear Tubbo. Oh, he's muted.
Tubbo: You have me muted. I had you muted as well, it's all right. [Laughs] We had each other muted.
Pac: Hi king!
Tubbo: Hi, how are you, Pac? Morning crew! Morning crew!
Pac: Yeah, morning crew!
Tubbo: We're so back!
Pac: We are so back, yeah! But like– it wasn't me– [stammers] Why were you are on Blue team, Fit? What happened? [Gasps] What happened?
Tubbo: Oh, a lot has happened.
Fit: Oh, yeah, but it's– Pac. I accept your apology, for trying to murder me. I accept it, I accept it. I accept your–
Pac: I didn't try–
Tubbo: He literally didn't hit you once!
Fit: [Laughing]
Pac: I didn't– I stood by your body! Man, I cried on your body!
Fit: Is that true?
Pac: It was true. Yeah, I can send you some- some like, some video tapes–
Fit: No, I believe you, I believe you, I believe you.
Tubbo: [Incredulous] "I can send you video tapes." That's crazy.
Pac: Not that I– not that I– I didn't record your dead body! No, that was weird.
Fit: Oh, that– I– thank you, thank you.
Pac: Ok, I was losing it, sorry.
Tubbo: He was just saving it for later, when he wanted to feel sad again.
Pac: Yeah, you know– not saving– yeah, saving for later to show you that– [stumbles over his words] –you know? I stand by your side. Ok, ok, I'm sorry Fit.
Fit: No, no, I believe you, Pac. I believe you, I believe you.
Tubbo: And they were roommates!
Fit: Enough, Tubbo! Just– shut your fcking mouth, Tubbo! We're just having a conversation here. We're having a conversation here!
Tubbo: I literally– I literally didn't even say anything, I literally didn't even say anything. That is crazy that you think I said something just then.