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fielran · 3 years

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A (not so) Brief Guide to Titles and Prefixes on Downton Abbey

Married vs Unmarried Women

All downstairs characters should be either Miss or Mrs. The prefix Ms. did not come into common use until the late 1960s and so is anachronistic -- it is not a shortened version of Miss, but rather a marital-status neutral alternative to the other prefixes in use.

"Miss" denotes an unmarried character, regardless of age.

"Mrs" or "Misses" denotes a married or widowed character, or rarely, an upper female servant. Remember the exchange from S1--

Joe Burns: I notice you call yourself Misses.

Mrs Hughes: Housekeepers and cooks are always Misses. You know better than anyone I haven't changed my name.

Joe Burns: Well, I know you wouldn't change it to Burns when you had the chance.

Miss or Mrs are also used for any middle or upper class characters who do not have titles, including courtesy titles.

Use of Prefixes for Servants

The lower servants, including maids and footmen, are referred to by first name only, both by upstairs and downstairs characters.

Lady's maids, valets, and male upper servants are referred to by prefix and last name by downstairs characters, but by only last name by upstairs characters. For example, Mrs. Hughes says "Miss O'Brien" but Cora and Robert say only "O'Brien". Female upper servants get the prefix from everyone, even Lord Grantham:

Mrs Patmore: I promise you, milord, if I could just be allowed a bit more time--

Robert, Earl of Grantham: Mrs Patmore, I've not asked you here to give you your notice.

For example, Thomas Barrow starts as a footman, and everyone calls him Thomas. During the war, he is Corporal or Sergeant Barrow, then he is called Thomas again after, as a footman. When he becomes Robert's valet, he is Mr Barrow downstairs, or Barrow upstairs, and remains that way throughout his remaining promotions. He is also called Mr Barrow by the children. It may be this is a peculiarity, or the children may be expected to refer to unrelated adults using their title.

Anna is a bit of a strange case - she properly ought to be Mrs. Bates downstairs and Bates upstairs after she becomes a lady's maid, but perhaps to avoid confusion with her husband who is also Bates upstairs, the change never happens.

Phyllis Baxter is Baxter upstairs, Miss Baxter downstairs. If Mrs Hughes retires and Phyllis takes her place, she would be Mrs. Baxter. If she actually gets around to marrying Molesley at some point, with no promotion, she would be Mrs Molesley downstairs, Molesley upstairs.

Tom Branson as chauffeur is called Branson by both upstairs and downstairs characters - at least those who are not in a relationship with him. After his marriage to Lady Sybil, he is called Mr Branson by those outside the family.

Daisy is called by only her first name as a scullery and kitchen maid. There are no other undercooks to compare, so I am unsure whether she ought to be Mrs Mason. If Mrs Patmore retires and she becomes the cook, she should become Mrs Mason (or Mrs Parker, if she actually gets around to marrying Andy by then).

Titles for Nobility

There are 2 main types of titles used by the 'nobility': Substantive titles, and courtesy titles.

Substantive titles are for those who hold titles in their own right. This includes hereditary peers, like Lord Grantham, as well as life peers. The title holders have seats in the House of Lords.

Courtesy titles are for those connected to title holders - wives and widows, children, and other male-line heirs. Wives and widows hold legal, though not substantive, titles. Children of title holders are considered socially as nobility; however, legally speaking they are commoners and can be elected to the house of commons.

Lord Grantham is the only member of the Crawley family with a substantive title during the time of the series. All the others use courtesy titles. As the wife and widow of title holders, Cora and Violet are Lady [title], in this case Lady Grantham.

Legitimate daughters of a hereditary Marquess, Duke, or Earl or his direct male-line heirs are Lady [first name]: Lady Sybil, etc. They retain this styling if they marry someone without a title. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy's aunt Lady Catherine, daughter of an Earl, had been married to Sir Lewis de Bourgh, who held only a knighthood and no title, so she remained Lady Catherine. Violet Crawley married Robert's father, the Earl of Grantham, and so her married title of Lady Grantham took precedence over any title she used previously, even if her father had higher precedence.

This courtesy title does not carry on to their children. Sybbie Branson cannot claim her mother's courtesy title, and her father Tom Branson has no title of his own, so she will be Miss, not Lady. Under formal etiquette, she and any future siblings would be styled like the Bennets - Miss Branson for an adult Sybil, as the eldest unmarried daughter, Miss [first name] for any additional unmarried daughters. However, they would not necessarily follow such protocol unless they are active socially in the upper class - if Mr Branson marries Lucy and she inherits, for example. The middle and lower class, especially more radical members thereof, did not hold closely to this tradition by the time Sybbie would be an adult.

The eldest son and heir of the hereditary holder of a title in the top 3 ranks - duke, marquess, or earl - can use one of the title holder's subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. We don't know if Grantham has a subsidiary title, because nobody alive during the show is entitled to use it. If there is one, Robert would have used it prior to his father's death; however, James was not Robert's son and therefore could not use the title, nor could Patrick or Matthew. George, although he is Robert's grandson and heir, cannot use the title because he is inheriting through Matthew rather than Robert.

The younger sons of Dukes and Marquesses are given the courtesy title Lord [first name]. The younger sons of Earls without subsidiary titles, as well as all sons of other nobles, are styled The Honourable [first name] [last name], as: "The Honourable Evelyn Napier, son and heir to Viscount Branksome." Tim Grey is also "The Honourable", although he will not inherit if Larry has any legitimate sons.

Adopted children were not entitled to a courtesy title at the time Downton Abbey takes place, so there will be no title for Marigold even if Bertie adopts her or Edith acknowledges her.

Young Children

Young children of higher standing than the speaker should be referred to as Master or Miss, regardless of actual titles. So in Downton's nursery we have Master George, Miss Sybbie, Miss Caroline, and Johnny.

So What Does That All Mean for Whoever I'm Writing About?

Robert would have been Master Robert as a child, Viscount Something - the wiki says Viscount Downton - as a young man, prior to his father's death, and of course is Lord Grantham in the time of the show. Had he had a son while his father was still living, that son may have used another subsidiary title, if one exists, or have been styled "The Honourable". Any brothers Robert had would also be styled "The Honourable".

Cora would have been Miss Levinson prior to her marriage, Viscountess Something after, then finally Duchess of Grantham. She may one day become the Dowager Duchess of Grantham.

Mary would remain Lady Mary after both marriages, as neither Matthew or Henry has a title. However, had Matthew lived to become Earl of Grantham, she would have become Countess of Grantham at that time. Carson may have called her Miss Mary as a child.

Sybil Crawley would remain Lady Sybil, though she would use Branson's last name.

Edith would change from Lady Edith to the Marchioness of Hexam on her marriage. Her illegitimate daughter Marigold would have no title, even if adopted by Lord Hexam. Her firstborn son would use a subsidiary title, and younger sons would be called Lord [first name]. The firstborn son of her firstborn son would also likely have a subsidiary title. Additional daughters would be Lady [first name].

Bertie went from an untitled Mr Pelham to the Marquess of Hexam. His mother did not gain a title and is called Mrs Pelham.

Sybbie Branson is Miss Sybbie now, and will be Miss Branson. She will not have a title unless she marries into one.

George Crawley is Master George now, and will be Mr Crawley until he inherits the title Earl of Grantham. He is not Viscount Downton.

Marigold is Miss Marigold, and will be Miss whatever-last-name-they-decide-to-use. I don't know what that is, and there isn't one listed on the wiki. Miss Pelham if Bertie adopts her.

Caroline is Miss Caroline, and will be Miss Talbot.

Evelyn Napier is The Horourable Evelyn Napier. He is addressed directly as Mr Napier. After his father's death, he will be Viscount Branksome.

Anthony Foyle is Viscount Gillingham. Prior to his father's death, he was an Honourable.

Larry and Amelia Grey are styled The Honorable Mr and Mrs Larry Grey. They will be Baron and Baroness Merton on his father's death.

Let me know if there are any other characters you aren’t sure of, and I’ll try to add them.

#Downton Abbey #meta #writing resources

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amarguerite · 2 years

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I am. A humble little fool with only culturally knowledge of pride and prejudice and no knowledge from ever actually having read it. (I own several pretty copies but I own literally at least a thousand unread books. It's a hell of my own creation.) I started reading an Ever Fixed Mark and got confused so I had to stop. Are Fitzwilliam Darcy (Mr. Darcy, right) and Colonal Fitzwilliam the ...same person.

Nope, they’re cousins!

Fitzwilliam Darcy is Mr. Darcy. He owns Pemberley, and has a little sister, Georgiana. His parents are dead— but his mother, Lady Anne Darcy, was Lady Anne Fitzwilliam before she got married, and Darcy’s first name is his mother’s maiden name, which was a relatively common practice in the Regency era, if the mother’s family was prominent or important.

Colonel Fitzwilliam is Fitzwilliam Darcy’s cousin. His father and Darcy’s mother are brother and sister.

So in my fic, the deceased Earl and Countess of Matlock had three kids: Lady Catherine, Lady Anne, and the current Earl of Matlock.

Lady Catherine married Sir Lewis de Bourgh and has one kid, Anne de Bourgh. Sir Lewis is dead.

Lady Anne married Mr. Darcy Sr and had two kids, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Georgiana Darcy. Lady Anne and her husband are dead.

The Earl of Matlock married an OC of mine and has five kids: Julian, the viscount Stornoway (he’s called the viscount as a courtesy title because he will one day be the Earl); Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam; Honoria; Sybil; and Arabella.

They’re not the same person but the whole fic came about because they share the name Fitzwilliam.

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nellygwyn · 3 years

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Hi Liv! As an historical property worker I was wondering if could you help me answer a question I've had about Rosings Park in Pride and Prejudice. It's stated that Anne de Bourgh is heiress to Rosings but Sir Lewis has been dead for some time, and since the estate (presumably) isn't entailed she should be mistress of Rosings by now. In this light, why and how is she still regarded as merely an heiress?

I'm not 100% sure on this, so don't take my word as gospel, but it's possible that her father left his property to Lady Catherine with the stipulation that after Lady Catherine dies, Anne becomes the owner of Rosings. This did happen and iirc, it happened in the wealthy family who adopted Jane Austen's brother, Edward, so perhaps that was something Austen thought about.

There's also a possibility that Anne's father left the property to Anne and thus, it is hers in many ways but she is still an heiress in that the property can only pass into the real ownership of her eldest son or another male relative. So, she is merely the bridge by which property can transfer from man to man. This definitely happened in the 18th and early 19th century.

#i work at windsor castle tho so....the way that is inherited #is fairly straight forward #georgian property law is.....complex to say the least

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ao3feed-prideandprejudice-book · 4 years

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Saving One's Estate

by BingBennet

Story summary: Rosings Park was left to Anne de Bourgh when Sir Lewis de Bourgh passed. With Anne is facing her own death, she arranges a nefarious scheme to allow her mother to stay at Rosings while giving Elizabeth independence.

EB&FD will end up with a HEA, but this is not a story for everyone. Most of the major themes in this story come from history, people I've known, or things the author has experienced.

This story was originally published in 2016 as "Lady Catherine Heading for the Hedgerows". It was taken down at the start of 2019. While the author intended to review and clean up all the stories she had written, she diagnosed with cancer and spent most of last year dealing with it. I (her daughter) am reposting the stories for your enjoyment.

This one is the longest story and will be about 40 chapters. I don't know how often I will be able to post as her work will dictate how much time she has.

Enjoy.

Words: 5923, Chapters: 1/40, Language: English

Fandoms: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Anne de Bourgh, Catherine de Bourgh, Colonel Fitzwilliam (Pride and Prejudice)

Relationships: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy

from AO3 works tagged 'Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen' https://ift.tt/3a1DT4o via IFTTT

#IFTTT #AO3 works tagged 'Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen'#pride and prejudice #Jane Austen #ao3 f

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ao3feed-janeausten · 4 years

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Saving One's Estate

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3a1DT4o

by BingBennet

EB&FD will end up with a HEA, but this is not a story for everyone. Most of the major themes in this story come from history, people I've known, or things the author has experienced.

This one is the longest story and will be about 40 chapters. I don't know how often I will be able to post as her work will dictate how much time she has.

Enjoy.

Words: 5923, Chapters: 1/40, Language: English

Fandoms: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Anne de Bourgh, Catherine de Bourgh, Colonel Fitzwilliam (Pride and Prejudice)

Relationships: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3a1DT4o

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Jane Austen

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janeaustentextposts · 3 years

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I wanted to ask-if Darcy had married his cousin, would he have become Lord Darcy? Or is he going to become a lord anyway after Lady Catherine dies?

Nope. A man would not take a title from a woman he married--his own mother was a Lady Anne in her own right, and continued to be so after her marriage, but her husband remained Mr. Darcy, and she was then Lady Anne Darcy.

Given that Anne de Bourgh is herself only the daughter of a Sir Lewis de Bourgh, she is Miss de Bourgh. Her mother is Lady Catherine only because, like her sister Anne, she is the daughter of an earl, and carries that title in her own right. Sir Lewis himself, had he married a Miss, WOULD have then had his wife styled ‘Lady de Bourgh’, but as Lady Catherine’s own birth-rank outranks this styling, she keeps her own and remains Lady Catherine or Lady Catherine de Bourgh, in full; never Lady de Bourgh. Sir Lewis is noted not to be aristocratic, though he is a gentleman, so his Sir may be a knighthood that was bestowed upon him, similar to Sir William Lucas’. (Though try telling Lady Catherine that her husband had anything in common with the father of Mr. Collins’ wife. Her point is that there are DEGREES of respectable gentility, and while Sir Lewis de Bourgh and the Darcys are acceptably old money gentility, the gentility that includes the Bennets and Lucases is of a far lower class.)

There’s nothing Mr. Darcy can inherit by way of a title. He is the son of a Mister and despite his mother and aunt being the daughters of an earl, their marriages to men of lower rank mean that their children will be Mr. and Miss, and never Lord or Lady, themselves.

#Pride and Prejudice #Jane Austen #Ask Me Anything Austen-Adjacent

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kwebtv · 5 years

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Death Comes to Pemberley - BBC One - December 26, 2013 - December 28, 2013

Drama / Miniseries (3 episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

Matthew Rhys as Fitzwilliam Darcy

Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth Darcy

Jenna Louise Coleman as Lydia Wickham

Matthew Goode as George Wickham

Trevor Eve as Sir Selwyn Hardcastle

Alexandra Moen as Jane Bingley

Rebecca Front as Mrs Bennet

James Fleet as Mr Bennet

Penelope Keith as Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Joanna Scanlan as Mrs Reynolds

Tom Ward as Colonel Fitzwilliam

Eleanor Tomlinson as Georgiana Darcy

James Norton as Mr Henry Alveston

Nichola Burley as Louisa Bidwell

Philip Martin Brown as Mr Bidwell

Kevin Eldon as Dr McFee

Jennifer Hennessy as Mrs Bidwell

Lewis Rainer as Will Bidwell

Mariah Gale as Mrs Younge

Tom Canton as Captain Martin Denny

Oliver Maltman as George Pratt

David Blockley as Footman

#Death Comes to Pemberley #TV #Drama #Miniseries #BBC One #2000's #Matthew Rhys #Anna Maxwell Martin #Matthew Goode #Jenna Louise Coleman #Tom Ward #Trevor Eve #Rebecca Front #James Fleet #Eleanor Tomlinson #James Norton #Nichola Burley

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youcancallmecirce · 6 years

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Haste & Leisure, Chapter 5: House Guest

Ch 1. Ch 2. Ch 3. Ch 4. Read Ch 5 on AO3.

“Sabine, my darling—”

“Oh-oh,” Marinette interrupted, lowering her laden fork in favor of teasing her father. She grinned. “Looks like Papa’s in trouble.”

“I’m not—I’m not in trouble,” he protested, looking affronted.

“Then you’re about to be,” Bridgette said. “You only start off like that when you’re in trouble.”

“They’re not wrong,” Sabine said, somehow managing to look both amused and apprehensive. She took a long sip of her coffee, breathing in the bracing aroma, and lowered her mug. “What is it?”

Tom cleared his throat, gulped at his coffee, and cleared his throat again.

The girls giggled, and Sabine sighed. “Out with it, dear.”

“Max is coming to stay the semester with us,” he blurted, ignoring the girls’ groans of dismay, “and he’ll be here today. I forgot to tell you.”

Sabine pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and fore finger with another sigh. “You forgot, or you put off telling us?” Tom winced guiltily, giving Sabine all the answer she needed. She stood and began clearing away their breakfast dishes. “Mm-hmm. Well then, I suppose you can handle putting clean sheets on the bed in the guest room, then?” she asked sweetly.

Tom slumped in relief and grinned at his wife. “Of course I can, my darling! I’ll make sure everything is ready by the time he gets here.”

Marinette shared a look with her sister. “Which will be when, exactly?”

“Four o’clock this afternoon, assuming that his train arrives on time. Will you girls be here to welcome him?”

“Do we have to be?” Bridgette asked hopefully.

“Yes, you do,” her mother answered firmly. “You’re both due in the café until four anyway, so you have no excuse. He may be a bit...ah…”

“Difficult?” Bridgette supplied helpfully.

“Obnoxious?” Marinette added.

“Awkward,” Sabine continued firmly, her expression reproving. “But he’s still your cousin and we will make him welcome here.”

“Yes, Maman,” they chorused dutifully, though they both wore glum expressions.

“There’s my girls,” Tom said, smiling. He stood and carried his plate to the sink, and Sabine followed hot on his heels.

“The whole semester, Tom, really?” she hissed quietly.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” He whispered back. “You know how Catherine can be, though. How could I say no?”

Both girls muffled their laughter behind their hands, and slipped quietly out of the apartment.

“Poor Papa,” Bridgette said, shaking her head as she reached both for the bannister and for Marinette’s shoulder. Her ankle was much better than it had been when she’d first fallen a week ago, but it was still weak and neither of them wanted to take a chance on her tumbling down the stairs.

“‘Poor Papa’,” Marinette echoed incredulously, glancing at her sister as she helped her maneuver down the steps. “We’re the ones who will be stuck entertaining Collin all semester.”

“Oh, it won’t be so bad, Mari. You’ll see.”

Marinette scoffed. “I love Max, I do. But when he’s around, it is always that bad.”

“I’m telling you, Fe, this is hands down the best bakery in all of Paris,” Adrien said, peering excitedly out of the window at the passing streets. “My mother swears by this place, and so does yours!”

“Really? I hadn’t known,” Felix said drily. Unlike Adrien, he was reclining lazily in his seat, his head against his head rest and his eyes closed.

Adrien ignored his friend’s sarcasm; he was used to it. “Chloe says that they serve coffee and stuff now, too, and she flat refuses to go anywhere else. And you know Chloe,” he added. “She wouldn’t deign to drink anything that isn’t ‘the best’.”

Felix scoffed, acknowledging the truth of that, and then remembered what she’d said at the party. This, then, is the girls’ café, Felix realized. He wondered if they would be working this afternoon, suddenly feeling a bit more enthusiastic about the errand. Then wondered why it should make a difference one way or another.

“We’re here!” Adrien said, drawing Felix’s attention once more. Adrien burst out of the car almost before it stopped. “Here it is, the best boulangerie et pâtisserie in the city!” he said, gesturing grandly at the unassuming shopfront behind him.

Felix slid out of the car behind him with a murmured thanks to their driver, and frowned up at the corner building before him. It didn’t look like much from the outside, and he was more skeptical than ever about his friends’ claims. “This is the place everyone has been raving about?” he asked doubtfully.

“Don’t you know better than to judge a book by its cover, Fe?” Adrien scolded. He opened the door, making the bells above it jingle. “Come on, it won’t kill you to give it a chance.”

Felix sighed and walked past Adrien into the shop. At this point, he was willing to give it a chance just to shut him up about it.

The first thing he noticed was the absence of other customers. Was it a normal lull, or had his father’s staff bullied everyone out in advance of their arrival? Despite his relief at being spared an audience, he hoped that it was coincidence, not contrived.

A heartbeat after that, he registered that there were no beautiful young women behind the counter with sweet smiles or snapping blue eyes. He stifled his disappointment and took in the shop itself.

In contrast to its forgettable exterior, the inside was tastefully decorated shades of pale pink and gold. The shop’s wares, whose aromas had greeted him the moment he stepped through the door, were laid out neatly on gleaming white counters and shelves. Beyond the shop’s displays was a dining area with an eclectic collection of mismatched café tables and chairs. Set against the warm brick of the room, the overall effect was charming, and he realized with some surprise that he liked it. If the food tasted half as good as it smelled, then he’d have to concede that their reputation was entirely deserved.

“Oh wow, that’s new!” Adrien said, peering into the dining area. “The last time I was here, this was part of the kitchen.”

“Then it must have been quite some time since you were here last,” said a diminutive Asian woman that Felix hadn’t initially noticed, but immediately recognized as a relation of Marinette’s. “It’s been years since we expanded the shop!”

“Mrs. Cheng?” Adrien asked hopefully.

“Why yes, do I—” She broke off suddenly and her eyes widened in recognition. “Adrien?” He nodded, and the small woman bustled out from behind the counter with a bright smile. “Goodness, you’ve grown! Your photo on the TV doesn’t do you justice. Have you got a hug for an old woman, or have you outgrown such things now?”

Felix all but gaped at the woman’s behavior, but Adrien walked into her open arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Nonsense,” he said warmly. “You’re every bit as lovely now as I remember you being before, and I will never be too old for hugs.”

“Oh, dear,” she said, smiling up at him, “you’re every bit the charmer Bridgette claimed you to be.”

Adrien’s brow furrowed in confusion then rose incredulously when he made the connection. “Bridgette and Marinette are your daughters?”

“All of their lives,” she said impishly. Then she turned expectantly to Felix. “And you must be Felix. I haven’t seen you since you were an infant.”

Felix resisted the urge to step back. “Mrs. Cheng,” he said coolly, with only the barest hint of a smile.

“Your father’s son, I see,” she observed with a merry twinkle. “It seems that Marinette wasn’t much given to exaggeration, either.”

Adrien snickered, and Felix bristled.

“Come now, both of you, and take your pick of the shop while I get started on something for you to drink. I know you didn’t come here to see me, after all.”

She buzzed efficiently about the shop as they browsed, and presented them with their requested drinks just as they made their pastry selection. When they tried to pay, she declined and adroitly maneuvered them into a promise for ‘next time’.

Felix couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so deftly—or pleasantly—manipulated.

“What was it you were you saying earlier, Bri?” Marinette asked, leaning close to Bridgette so as not to be over heard. “Something about, ‘it won’t be so bad’?” Bridgette elbowed her in the side, and Marinette straightened with a smile for her awkward, if well-meaning cousin. “Are you having a good time, Max?” she asked politely, gesturing around them.

They were at a sort of indoor carnival and resource fair, held in the main hall of the Student Union. It was the second major social mixer planned by the University, and intended to give students a chance to meet their peers, become comfortable on campus, and learn more about the different organizations and resources on campus.

“Oh absolutely! This is quite an impressive Hall, though I must say that it doesn’t quite compare to the one at De Bourgh University. Did you know that the De Bourgh family donated their entire estate to the pursuit of higher learning, and that Sir Lewis De Bourgh himself was the first dean?”

“Ah, yes we did, actually.”

He looked nonplussed for a moment, then rallied. “Well, they recently installed a brand new, state-of-the-art arts wing that cost in excess of—”

“Is your discipline within the arts, then, Max?” Bridgette asked, hoping to divert the conversation to something they might care about, at least a little bit.

“Oh, no. I would never study something so frivolous as that. I will be studying theology and philosophy under—”

“Ahh,” Marinette interrupted him. “That’s too bad then. I’m studying fashion, and Bridgette is studying graphic design.”

“Oh! No! I mean, that is to say—” he spluttered awkwardly. “I meant no offense, of course, I just—”

Bridgette stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Relax, Max. Mari’s just teasing you.”

He looked between them, and Marinette nodded a confirmation. “The arts aren’t for everyone,” she said lightly. “And theology is no more appealing to me than fashion is to you, I’m sure.”

Collin smiled, and relaxed a bit. “Teasing. I should have known. You’ve always been a tease, Marinette.”

Bridgette choked on her drink, Marinette hid a laugh behind a cough, and Max’s eyes flew wide as he realized the double-entendre in his comment. “No! N-Not like that! I would never suggest—I meant—”

“It’s alright,” Marinette assured him, still laughing. “We know what you meant.”

“Look, Bridgette said, pointing to a table set off to the side. “Nino, Alya , Ivan and Mylene are setting up a Magic game. Didn’t you say that you wanted to learn how to play?”

“Are they?” He brightened, and turned to wave at Alya. She returned his wave with a pained smile. Then he turned back to Bridgette. “It can’t be that different from D&D, right? Do you think they’d be willing to teach me?”

“Oh, I’m certain that they would,” Marinette said encouragingly. “Ivan almost always brings more than one deck, and he doesn’t mind sharing.”

“Absolutely,” Bridgette agreed firmly. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

I’ll have to remember to thank her later, Marinette thought to herself as her sister led their cousin away. Especially since she’s still limping.

He was a bizarre mix of snooty pretension and complete social ineptitude. The poor thing had been home schooled, isolated from his peers, and taught to believe in his own superiority. At least he hadn’t turned cruel, she thought, shaking her head. Awkward is better than cruel, any day.

“Excuse me,” said a voice at her side. She turned to see a handsome young man, probably a few years older than she was, with a shy expression on his tanned face. “It’s Marinette, right?”

“That’s right.” Marinette smiled at the good-looking stranger and held out her hand. “I don’t think we’ve met?”

“We haven’t, actually.” He took her hand and shook it firmly, without squeezing in a show of ridiculous male dominance. She liked him immediately. “My name is Théo Barbot. I’m here with a study abroad program, and word on the street is that no one knows the art department quite like you do.”

“Really?” Marinette arched a skeptical brow, but her smile widened. “Is that so?”

“Ah, no, actually,” he admitted sheepishly. “My roommate pointed out a few people who could show me around. I just…had a good feeling about you.”

Marinette blushed at that last bit, but otherwise ignored it. “Who is your roommate?”

“Denny—ah, Dennis Regent,” he answered, pointing at a familiar-looking young man near the refreshment table. He saw them looking at him, and waved. “I think he knows your sister.”

“Yeah, he was in a few of her classes last year,” Marinette said, nodding in recognition. She turned back to her new companion. “Well, Théo, what would you like to know?”

“Oh man,” he said, widening his eyes. “I don’t even know! There’s so much. Um, here. Maybe you could tell me about the professors I’ll be working with?” He fumbled for his phone, and brought up an email confirming the classes he’d signed up for. “I’ve got Dupont for Abstract Theory.” He grimaced. “Denny said that Dupont is a bear.”

“Oh, Professor Dupont isn’t so bad, so long as you don’t show up late to his class or try to turn an assignment in after it’s due. Tardiness is his pet peeve.”

“That’s good to know, I guess.” He scrolled down, scanning the email. “What about this one?”

Marinette stepped closer to him to look at his phone, bringing their heads close together. As she scanned his schedule, she noticed the subtle, spicy scent of his cologne and bit at her lip. Great smile, firm handshake, doesn’t find it necessary to bathe in his cologne, and he’s in my department? Better and better, she thought.

Aloud, she said, “Antonin?” She shrugged. “Super easy, so long as you don’t miss class.”

He quirked a smile at her, and Marinette felt her heart do a little flip. “No skipping, then, huh?” he asked.

“No skipping,” she confirmed.

“Bustier?”

“High standards, but really super nice.”

“What about this one?”

Marinette leaned back in to see what he was pointing at, then winced and hissed through her teeth. “Mendeliev.”

His brows went up. “That bad?”

Marinette shrugged noncommittally, but her expression spoke volumes. “I’ve never had her, but she’s got a nasty reputation.”

“Great.” Théo’s shoulders fell. “I’m not going to have much free time this semester, am I?”

“Not much,” she said, her voice sympathetic. Then she frowned thoughtfully; Mendeliev only taught senior level courses. She cleared her throat. “So, this is your senior year?”

“Yeah. I’m doing my last year here. Why?”

She twisted her lips into a wry smile and crossed her arms over her breast. “You’re a senior, and your roommate pointed out sophomores to help you learn the ropes?” He flushed, and Marinette grinned impishly. “I’m not buying it.”

“Alright, yes, I admit it,” he replied with his hands up, palms out, in a gesture of surrender. “I wanted an excuse to talk to you. But in my defense, Denny did say that you would be a good one to show me around.”

“I suppose I’ll allow it,” she drawled, smirking.

“Then I am in your debt,” he said gallantly, bowing. “If I take you out for coffee, can we call it even?” He held out his crooked arm, his expression hopeful, and Marinette melted.

“Coffee sounds great,” she said, taking his arm. “And it just so happens that I know the perfect place.”

#miraculous ladybug #pride & prejudice #AU #felinette #adribri #callmecirce writes #enter mr collins

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capstagepemberley · 7 years

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Pride & Prejudice - A virtual book club

The following is the content I sent by email as a companion to reading Pride & Prejudice.

Hello!

Hopefully by now you’ve all had an introduction to the Bennets, the Bingleys, the Lucases, and of course the infamous Mr. Darcy. To start things off, relationships in this story are very important and often get a little muddled, so to help you keep track of who is whose cousin you can find a handy multiple-families tree here! I’ve highlighted in yellow those characters in Pride and Prejudice that also appear in Miss Bennet (not pictured: Arthur, Anne de Bourgh’s cousin).

Chapter I starts us off with possibly Jane Austen’s most famous line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This and the following paragraph really set the tone (for most of Austen’s work, not just P&P) of wryness but still an acceptance that there’s a social system and everyone works within it, for better or worse. This opening scene also introduces you to one of Austen’s strengths as a writer: she presents her characters incredibly effectively primarily through their dialog. Pay attention to the first time each character speaks - you can usually paint yourself a clear picture of their personality from that (Fun fact: the original draft of this story was titled First Impressions).

We get our first character sketches of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, who don’t make it on stage in our show but certainly loom large as the patriarch and matriarch of the Bennet sisters. Mrs. Bennet is obsessed with society and social rules, and of course with finding suitable husbands for her daughters. Mr. Bennet is the tree that Elizabeth, as the apple, didn’t fall far from. He’s clever, pragmatic, and takes a lot of pleasure in teasing his hysterical wife. He also loves his daughters very much, although there are indications throughout the book that he isn’t the most responsible father: his disdain for Mrs. Bennet’s obsession with getting the girls well-married, and his failure to set up appropriate legacies to support the girls after his death, means that he’s leaving his daughters to a very precarious future.

These first few scenes also give a nice flavor of typical daily life for members of this level of society. There were lots of rules for paying calls for social visits, and people gave or attended dinners and balls regularly. With all this day-to-day socializing in small, insular communities, it makes sense that the action in Austen’s novels is often catalyzed by strangers (usually men) coming to town, as Bingley and company do in P&P.

Austen wastes no time setting up the central conflicts of the novel by the end of Chapter VII: the Bingley-Jane romance,the Darcy-Elizabeth battle of wits, and the entail of the Bennet estate. It isn’t clear how Bingley and Darcy originally met, but it is clear that they are very dear friends: “Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character. - Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy’s regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion.” Bingley is introduced as the light-hearted, effusive, and romantic foil to Darcy’s aloof and brooding temperament: “Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offence.” This is also played out in the histories that are suggested for both of them. Indications early on in the book imply that the Bingleys are new money, and our Bingley is the first who has not worked at a trade (Bingley rents Netherfield because his father “had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it”). In contrast, the Darcy family is old money with a great deal of prestige as well - we find out that one of Darcy’s uncles was a judge which at the time was an extremely prestigious appointment with only about 15 judges in all of England. In contrast with these two fortunes, the Bennet estate is entailed which means that it transfers only to the closest living male heir, so the Bennet sisters stand only to inherit a small amount of money from their mother when she dies but not benefit from their father’s estate when he does. This puts them in a much weaker social position for marrying, because they would become dependent on their husband’s family wealth rather than contributing to it.

We also get a couple of glimpses of Mary’s pedantic character, like the scene in Chapter V when she inserts herself into what’s basically a gossipy conversation between Elizabeth and Charlotte to give a fairly prissy thesis statement on the failing of pridefulness. Sorry Elyse, you’re much sweeter in the play :)

I think it’s a particularly apt characterization that Darcy’s attraction to Elizabeth starts with his recognizing her “uncommonly intelligent” nature; in fact he dismisses her as not particularly attractive before he’s recognized her intelligence.

Elizabeth’s teasing, non-conformist side, very much like her father, is perfectly encapsulated in Chapter VI: “Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such a subject to him, which immediately provoking Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said…”

Lydia’s plot gets started in Chapter VII when more strangers come to town, this time a regiment of militiamen who are stationed in the village. This introduces us a little bit more to Lydia and Kitty, the youngest of the Bennets, who spend a lot of time visiting their aunt and uncle so they can get to know all of the officers and basically talk about nothing else.

The end of this section is devoted to Jane’s illness and convalescence at Netherfield (Bingley’s house), where Elizabeth joins her. Being in close quarters with the Bingleys and Darcy, we get to see how judgey Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are of the Bennets as simple, country folk; Bingley and Jane falling in love; Darcy becoming more and more fond of Elizabeth and her quick-witted ways; and Elizabeth confirming her opinion of Darcy and Miss Bingley as stuck-up.

OK, so this section largely features one of Austen’s most hilariously self-important characters who, sadly, isn’t visiting Pemberley this Christmas ;) For our purposes, Mr. Collins (like Charlotte) doesn’t inform much of Miss Bennet, but they are instrumental in P&P for getting Elizabeth and Darcy into the same room again later in the story, and also connecting us to Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter, Anne.

For those of you who’ve watched Downton Abbey, Collins is a much-less-dreamy Matthew Crawley; he is the distant cousin who is the only living male relative of Mr. Bennet and thus will inherit all of the Bennet estate upon Mr. Bennet’s death. And to his credit, although it doesn’t work out in the end, he does come to Longbourn with the idea that maybe one of the Bennet sisters would be a suitable match for him and thus help out his female relatives by tying them back to their father’s fortune by marriage.

We get a LOT of information about Lady Catherine by way of Collins’ obsession with her. The first thing that readers of the time would have noticed is that, although Lady Catherine was married to a “Sir” (Sir Lewis, who is deceased), her title comes from her father rather than her husband. Women whose titles were linked to their husbands would only be referred to by their surname (Lady de Bourgh) but women inheriting a title from their parent would have their first name included as Lady Catherine does. We’ll find out later that Lady Catherine’s father was an earl, one of the three highest ranks of nobility in England, so she has a very prestigious pedigree in society. We also get an introduction to Anne, although like the praises of Lady Catherine there’s definitely an unreliable narrator feeling to the way Collins describes her.

Anne de Bourgh is said to be the heiress of Rosings and Lady Catherine’s estate, which is the reason for that little bit of detail near the beginning of Miss Bennet about the de Bourgh estate actually being entailed. As we’ll see in the next section, it’s entirely imaginable that Lady Catherine would have made bold assertions about her late husband’s estate that weren’t *completely* backed up by reality.

And you get to see more of the mischievous nature that Elizabeth and her father share when listening to Collins speak: “[Mr. Bennet’s] cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he listened to him with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance, and except in an occasional glance at Elizabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure.”

In Chapter XV we meet Wickham, who is also not on stage in Miss Bennet but definitely a part of the story. For those of you reading P&P for the first time, sorry about the spoilers but Wickham is going to turn out not to be quite the gentleman the girls all think he is in this chapter. Looking back in hindsight, this is a great example of how Darcy’s upstanding (but aloof) personality can be a double-edged sword for him. His sense of propriety keeps him from telling anyone in the Meryton area about Wickham’s past behavior, but he can’t help showing his emotions when they meet. Since Wickham has no problem lying for his own benefit, this makes Darcy look like the asshole in this situation, which only confirms everyone’s opinion of him as a stuck-up jerk (sorry, JR).

Here is Jane, the eternal peacemaker, in a nutshell (from Chapter XVII): “...she knew not how to believe that Mr. Darcy could be so unworthy of Mr. Bingley’s regard; and yet, it was not in her nature to question the veracity of a young man of such amiable appearance as Wickham. - The possibility of his having really endured such unkindness, was enough to interest all her tender feelings; and nothing therefore remained to be done, but to think well of them both, to defend the conduct of each, and throw into the account of accident or mistake, whatever could not be otherwise explained.”

Also a pretty good nutshell for giddy Lydia: “The happiness anticipated by [Kitty] and Lydia, depended less on any single event, or any particular person, for though they each...meant to dance half the evening with Mr. Wickham, he was by no means the only partner who could satisfy them, and a ball was at any rate, a ball.”

One more for nerdy Mary: “While I can have my mornings to myself...I think it no sacrifice to join occasionally in evening engagements. Society has claims on us all; and I profess myself one of those who consider intervals of recreation and amusement as desirable for every body.”

At the Netherfield ball in Chapter XVIII, we get another link in the relationship chain when we find out (again through Collins) that Darcy is Lady Catherine’s nephew (which makes him Anne de Bourgh’s cousin). We also see more evidence of Darcy being uncomfortable in social situations in a way that can provide a forgivable explanation for his coldness. The description of him “standing within a very short distance of [Elizabeth], quite disengaged, he never came near enough to speak” along with his conversation with Bingley at the first ball about how he’s only comfortable with people he knows, indicates that maybe he’s just too shy to know how to approach Elizabeth especially now that he knows she doesn’t think much of him in relation to Wickham’s story.

Also at the ball, we see several back to back examples of how the Bennet family is often kind of a social catastrophe. Obviously, Collins’ behavior is embarrassing, and then Mrs. Bennet doesn’t know how to use her inside voice at the supper table, Mary gives a painful singing performance, and Mr. Bennet manages to make the embarrassment worse by making it obvious that he’s trying to rescue Mary from continuing. I think it’s safe to say that both Jane, but especially Elizabeth since she isn’t as appeasing as Jane, have a lot of experience with trying to mitigate embarrassment by other members of the family.

The rest of this section sets all of the pieces in motion for the next phase of action: Caroline (Bingley’s sister) contrives a plan to get Bingley to move back to London and away from Jane to break them up, Collins proposes to Elizabeth and is turned down flat, then is picked up and dusted off by practical Charlotte whose move to Hunsford after she and Collins get married gives an excuse for Elizabeth to get out and do some visiting soon.

My thoughts in this section are particularly Elizabeth-based: She has a very strong reaction to her best friend Charlotte agreeing to marry Collins: “She had always felt that Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she could not have supposed it possible that when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins, was a most humiliating picture! - And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen.”

The beginning of Volume II shows us the clear distinction between Jane’s and Elizabeth’s temperaments. When the Bingleys have unexpectedly left for London, Elizabeth is indignant, resentful, angry, and contemptuous of the conniving Miss Bingley and the inconstant Mr. Bingley. Jane, on the other hand, is terribly sad but consoles herself by thinking that at least her “error of fancy” has harmed only herself. As Elizabeth says to her, “You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body. I only want to think you perfect, and you set yourself against it.”

We also get to see again the way Jane and Elizabeth clearly have to fend for themselves emotionally in the absence of appropriate parental care. Mrs. Bennet won’t stop talking about Bingley’s disappearance as if it hurt her directly, never noticing that she keeps opening the wound for Jane instead of letting it heal. And Mr. Bennet just jokes about how sometimes girls like to “be crossed in love a little” to give them something to break up the dullness.

Some new characters come into play in Chapter II, Mrs. Bennet’s brother and sister-in-law, the Gardiners. These are also minor characters that really only need to be kept track of because they give Elizabeth and Jane opportunities for visiting outside of Meryton later, which moves their two love story plots along. Mrs. Gardiner is much more sensible than her sister-in-law, and provides Elizabeth with some good advice about not letting her heart get carried away with Wickham (although it’s about the practicalities of both Elizabeth and Wickham being fairly poor, rather than a knowledge of Wickham’s bad behavior).

Everyone scatters a bit in Chapter III, with Charlotte getting married and moving to the parsonage at Rosings Park with Mr. Collins, and Jane going back to London with the Gardiners to stay with them for awhile. At this point, Elizabeth agrees to go visit Charlotte in a few months, and then later she agrees to go on a summer tour of the Lake Country with her uncle and aunt, the Gardiners. All of these trips let Austen reverse her earlier formula of creating action by bringing strangers into town; now she can create action by sending the locals out into new environments.

When Elizabeth goes to visit Charlotte’s new home, she finds a Mr. Collins who is just as insanely obsequious and annoying as he is earlier in the book. But she also sees Charlotte in a new light when she recognizes all the subtle ways that the new Mrs. Collins has found to control her husband and her environment to make it pleasant and comfortable. It’s nice to see Elizabeth’s harsh opinion of Charlotte’s choice softening enough to recognize all the good qualities of her old friend again.

And then finally, in Chapter VI, we meet Lady Catherine de Bourgh! A couple of things for our purposes: obviously, Lady Catherine is dead in Miss Bennet. And, in Pride & Prejudice, we don’t get very much direct interaction with Anne de Bourgh at all. BUT, all of these sections that include Lady Catherine and Anne (in the background) are really instructive for how Anne lived her life presumably until her mother’s death. Pay attention to how much she’s talked about, and how little she’s talked to. And her mother’s way of interacting with everyone - because this is just about the only model for being an adult woman that Anne has in her life. OK, so, Lady Catherine is:

Obsessed with rank, and making sure everyone knows hers and their own

Extremely narcissistic

Extremely critical, nosey, scolding, and officious

Oblivious to anyone else’s needs/feelings/etc.

She also makes constant excuses for Anne and why she’s never learned any of the usual ladylike pursuits of playing, singing, painting, etc.

The end of this section (starting in Chapter VII) brings Darcy to Rosings Park, along with another cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Fitzwilliam’s personality is a sort of balance between Darcy’s and Bingley’s. He’s very friendly and easygoing, but has a steadiness to him that is similar to Darcy’s sense of properness. Fortunately for Darcy, Fitzwilliam also has Charlotte’s brand of practicality as we’ll soon learn, which puts a stop to what might otherwise have been a romance between him and Elizabeth.

Before we get into this section, have you all noticed how often Austen seems to describe people paying visits to each other and then just sitting in a room and having long breaks of silence in the conversation?? It’s really struck me on this read through, and I can’t tell if she is trying to describe kind of forced conversation or if her experience really was that sometimes you go to visit somebody and you just sit around and not talk. Anyway, not really relevant but curious to me.

Of course what reminded me of that is poor Darcy and his real struggles with interpersonal communication. I think this scene in Chapter IX is an awfully cute example of him starting to act like he has human emotions like curiosity and interest in others, and immediately clamming back up: “Mr. Darcy drew his chair a little towards her, and said, ‘You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment. You cannot have been always at Longbourn.’ Elizabeth looked surprised. The gentleman experienced some change of feeling; he drew back his chair, took a newspaper from the table, and, glancing over it, said, in a colder voice, ‘Are you pleased with Kent?’”

In Chapter X we basically wrap up the Col. Fitzwilliam plot, in which he acts as a conduit for some information that Elizabeth needs to keep the story going: While chatting with Elizabeth, they both “jokingly” talk about how the youngest son of an Earl (i.e., not the one who will inherit the fortune) can’t afford to marry someone who isn’t wealthy, and come to an unspoken understanding that it’s not meant to be between them for practical reasons. It’s cleverly done, and a good juxtaposition of Fitzwilliam’s communication skills with Darcy’s. We also learn that Fitzwilliam is co-guardian of Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, which will add some weight to an upcoming revelation. And finally, although Fitzwilliam doesn’t know that he’s talking to the sister of the jilted, he divulges that Darcy recently advised “someone” against an unfortunate match with a country lady. With an annoying family. From near Netherfield. It’s Jane, you guys. All of this perfectly sets up a scenario where Elizabeth’s fury against Darcy has reached a fever pitch just in time for…..him to propose!

The surprise proposal in Chapter XI (were you surprised??) shows off all of Darcy’s worst behaviors of officiousness and pride. We could probably somewhat forgive him for failing to read the room with Elizabeth, since she keeps her dislike pretty close to the vest, but telling someone that you love them even though their family is the worst and you tried to stop yourself from falling in love but you’ll take them anyway, is not the most tactful/charming proposal. Elizabeth shows off all of her prejudices as well, but I’ll say this - at least she’s not coy about explaining exactly what her complaints re: Jane and Wickham are, which opens the door up for Darcy to explain himself later. Still, they both get their licks in and then retreat to their corners to try and figure out what just happened.

Next Aside: From here out, there’s a fair amount of talk about Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship (obviously). There are lots of interesting things to be said about Austen and feminism, and if anyone’s interested in talking with me about them I would love to, but obviously this book was published in 1813 and was solidly rooted in a deep-seated patriarchal society. In spite of all that, I’m going to refer to Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship as one of equals because Elizabeth certainly has more agency than other characters of the time (or even the book), and also because I think we all know that we’re producing a romantic comedy and sometimes it’s nice to leave the really deep analysis at home.

So, moving into Chapters XII and XIII, we see one of the greatest strengths of Elizabeth and Darcy, and the next indication of why they are a good match. Despite the blow-up they just had, and their individual opinions that they are in the right, they both take the time to apply their intelligence and reason to considering the other person’s position. Darcy gets the upper hand here a bit because Elizabeth’s opinion is at least half based on Wickham’s lies. Of course, Darcy has to swallow his pride enough to explain the embarrassment of the real story of Wickham’s relations with the Darcys, which is a very real sacrifice for someone as proud as Darcy. Through the letter Elizabeth gets a whole new picture of Darcy - not so much the way he handled the Bingley/Jane situation, although it puts his intentions in a slightly new light - but definitely in respect to Wickham. Darcy’s reflection and gradual change occur later than Elizabeth’s, but even with him taking the time to write and deliver the letter we see him start to realize the importance of explaining himself and his thoughts, and doing so in a somewhat more gentle way than before.

Shortly after Darcy and Fitzwilliam leave Rosings Park, Elizabeth does as well and heads home to Longbourn after picking up Jane in London.

Chapter XVI is where Lydia starts to really show off her immaturity and self-interest. She:

Comes to meet her sisters and treat them to lunch, but

Uses up all her money buying a bonnet that she says isn’t very nice (but not the ugliest!), so

Tells Jane and Elizabeth they’ll have to pay for everyone’s lunch instead, and then

Laughs about how fun it is that they’re crammed uncomfortably into the carriage for the ride home because of her new, not-that-pretty bonnet and its box.

And later that evening at dinner, she goes back to telling everyone how she and Kitty treated their sisters to lunch.

In Chapter XVII, here’s sweet Jane again, being sweet. She can’t be surprised at anyone loving her sister, and she can’t help but feel sorry for Darcy who must be so disappointed at how things turned out. Elizabeth has a cute juxtaposition of she and Elizabeth when she says “Your profusion [of regret and compassion] makes me saving; and if you lament over him much longer, my heart will be light as a feather.”

Elizabeth also expresses the beginnings of her transformation when she half (maybe just a quarter) jokingly laments that no longer disliking Darcy is bad for her wittiness: “One may be continually abusive without saying any thing just; but one cannot be always laughing at a man without now and then stumbling on something witty.”

Meanwhile, Wickham’s militia regiment is getting ready to leave town, and Kitty and Lydia (especially Lydia) won’t stop talking about how their lives are OVER. Lydia gets a reprieve though, when her friend who is a relatively new wife of the regiment’s colonel invites Lydia to go to Brighton with them. Mr. Bennet is passive enough to let this happen, even though Elizabeth warns him that Mrs. Forster (the friend) isn’t exactly a prudent companion for Lydia, and Lydia is far too improper to go to Brighton without adequate supervision. Here are some adjectives Elizabeth uses to describe Lydia: vain, ignorant, idle, flirtatious, attention-seeking. And here’s a passage about Lydia’s dreams of summer vacation: “She saw with the creative eye of fancy, the streets of that gay bathing place covered with officers. She saw herself the object of attention, to tens and to scores of them at present unknown. She saw all the glories of the camp; its tents stretched forth in beauteous uniformity of lines, crowded with the young and the gay, and dazzling with scarlet [uniforms]; and to complete the view, she saw herself seated beneath a tent, tenderly flirting with at least six officers at once.”

I have new thoughts on Lydia this read through, but I’m going to save them for a bit later because it feels chronologically wrong to put them here. So if you’re thinking to yourself that Lydia is a bit picked on for just being herself - hold that thought!

Chapter XIX is an interesting little meditation on Elizabeth’s thoughts about marriage coming from the example of her parents. Although it’s not quite expressed this way, she believes that it’s important for husband and wife to respect each other intellectually in order to garner respect from their children in turn. She certainly sees the danger in, as her father did, marrying someone who you don’t think of as witty.

Elizabeth’s vacation with the Gardiners starts the series of coincidences that will bring us to our happy ending - first with vacation plans having to be changed to start later and not actually include the Lake district. Then, when visiting Lambton, Mrs. Gardiner’s interest in seeing Pemberley. Tours of stately homes were becoming even more of a standard attraction during this time, which gives us another idea of the prominence of the Darcy estate. And THEN, while touring Pemberley, the unplanned/unexpected early return of Mr. Darcy that puts he and Elizabeth in the right place at the right time to almost literally run into each other again.

It makes a lot of sense that seeing Darcy’s home, and him in his home, is what really brings about the last of Elizabeth’s change of heart. As we’ve seen him, Darcy is a proud and private person who is fairly uncomfortable interacting with strangers and whose facade in those situations is distant and cold (and often fairly judgmental). His home is described as friendly, warm, beautiful but not in an ostentatious or stuffy way, with a kind and affectionate housekeeper. It’s certainly not an accident that Darcy himself is able to be more pleasant and welcoming to Elizabeth and her family when he is in his familiar surroundings.

In Chapter II we finally meet Darcy’s young sister, Georgiana. She is described as being so shy she can hardly speak to people even in a home setting, which we could probably imagine wasn’t helped by being primarily cared for by someone of Darcy’s temperament. These few days at Lambton becoming reacquainted with Darcy and Bingley create a sweet series of calm-before-the-storm scenes and a raising of Elizabeth’s spirits from the turbulence she’s been experiencing.

While that all changes again in Chapter IV, it still creates the bond that gets her and Darcy through this last upheaval of Lydia and Wickham’s elopement.

The interesting thing about Lydia (which I’m sure you’ve already thought, being much cleverer than I) is that she’s really only a victim of her era. Do I find people as giddy and vapid as she is kind of annoying? Yes, but they’re not bad people, just not really my type. But realistically, Lydia knows what she wants: to flirt and be adored and run off with a dashingly handsome officer. If she’d lived in a less stringent time, she and Wickham would’ve run off and had a firey affair, not gotten married, and she’s shown to be such a strong-willed person that she probably would’ve seen Wickham’s eventual disinterest and told him to hit the road, leaving her, for the most part, none the worse. Instead, because the society they live in meant that the family would be ruined by her sinful choices, she gets saddled with a marriage to a guy who’s kind of a dick and definitely doesn’t want to be married to her either.

This whole episode causes Elizabeth to be much more vulnerable and intimate with Darcy than she probably ever would have otherwise, and gives Darcy his classic knight in shining armor opportunity to make a grand gesture for the woman he loves. In this case, that grand gesture includes him going very much against a lot of his natural tendencies toward pride and humbling himself pretty significantly. We don’t get the sense that he’s ever been much of a moral compromise kind of person, but he certainly makes some compromises here in the best interest of Elizabeth and her family. Of course, it’s only by the coincidence of Lydia’s big mouth that Elizabeth finds out about all of this.

Advancing the plot through letters is a common theme of Austen’s work. In fact, Pride and Prejudice was originally written in an all-letter format, and so we’re going to see the last pieces of the puzzle fall into place through Mrs. Gardiner’s letter.

In Chapter X, Wickham’s last interaction with Elizabeth is particularly disingenuous, with him still fishing to find out how much she may have heard of him from Darcy, and continuing to play the wronged victim angle. Based on this interaction, my own assumption is that when Elizabeth says that Mr. Darcy won’t welcome Wickham to Pemberley, she certainly hasn’t done much to change his mind.

We also see the preamble to the lonely life that Lydia eventually confesses to in Miss Bennet. With the (sort of) happy couple being forced to move to Newcastle because of Wickham’s need to leave the militia and join the regulars, she will be far enough from family that they don’t expect to see her for at least a year. It’s easy to predict that Wickham’s inattention and their relative financial hardship will take the shine off Lydia’s adventure in a new town fairly quickly, and leave her more on the outskirts of society than she would like or expect.

And so the story comes full circle, with rumors running wild about the Bingleys returning to Netherfield. In the next few chapters, we see the effects of Elizabeth on Darcy has he attempts to have more patience when interacting with her mother, and he spends time observing Jane more closely to better understand her feelings for Bingley.

Lady Catherine’s imperious entrance into the story one last time only serves to help Elizabeth and Darcy solidify their feelings for each other in the face of Lady Catherine’s general awfulness. When they finally come back together at Longbourn, we see a lovely balance of her playfulness and his seriousness in their proposal scene as they both admit their shortcomings to each other.

The resolution of the marriage plots corresponds to the view of marriage Austen consistently asserts: rather than being simply a union of two individuals, marriage is a condition in which the couple will be connected to a variety of other people. In the final chapters, Elizabeth and Darcy take the trouble, even when they find it unpleasant, to accommodate and maintain good relations with other family members and acquaintances.

The story implies that Elizabeth and Jane were both married on the same day; fitting for the closeness of their relationship and that of their husbands. Jane and Bingley lived at Netherfield for a year, but then bought an estate about 30 miles from Pemberley so we can assume that the Bingleys and the Darcys have seen each other fairly often in the last two years before Christmas 1815. Elizabeth’s and Lydia’s relationship is probably further strained when Lydia writes asking for financial assistance now that Elizabeth is rich, and Elizabeth turns her down. We also learn that Elizabeth and Jane have both been asked to help settle the Wickhams’ debts from time to time over the past three years.

And finally, a charming characterization of Darcy’s enduring commitment to Elizabeth, from a letter written by Austen about how she was unable to find portraits in a gallery that she thought resembled Jane and Elizabeth: “I can only imagine that Mr. D. prizes any Picture of her too much to like it should be exposed to the public eye.--I can imagine he would have that sort [of] feeling--that mixture of Love, Pride & Delicacy”

#Pride and Prejudice #analysis

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