Pride and Prejudice- pgs. 184-278- Bess Hoskins
Darcy’s Proposal: Turning Point
·
Themes of: social superiority, irrationality,
apprehension, degradation of Elizabeth and her family, selfishness
·
Surprised at refusal of marriage as he assumed
anyone would accept his proposal, especially a woman in Elizabeth’s economic
situation, assumed she would be honored
·
Example of surprise: pg. 185, “She could easily
see that he had no doubt of a favourable answer.” After response: pg.186, “The
disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature.”
·
Pride and Prejudice theme: Elizabeth has a prejudice
against Darcy from her first impression, and Darcy conveys his pride in the
proposal by emphasizing how low a social standing Elizabeth has.
o
Pg 186: “I have every reason in the world to
think ill of you.” –Elizabeth
o
Pg 188: “Could you expect me to rejuoice in the inferiority
of your connect? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose
condition in life so decidedly beneath my own?” –Darcy
o
Pg 188: “I may almost say, of my aquintance with
you, your manners impressed me with the fullest believe of your arrogance, your
conceit, and your self-distain of the feelings of others…” –Elizabeth
o
Pg 189: “[I] have now only to be ashamed of my
own [feelings]” -Darcy
·
Darcy’s Letter:
o
Demonstrates the Elizabeth’s reaction has caused
Darcy to realize his pride and desire to fix it
o
Elizabeth’s reaction to the letter begins her
overcoming her prejudices.
o
Idea that love can overcome all obstacles arises-
including pride and prejudice
o
Pg 201: “She grew absolutely ashamed of herself-
Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been
blind, partial, prejudiced, and absurd.”
§
First moment of the beginning of her positive
feelings toward Darcy developing as she realizes her own mistakes
o
Throughout the letter, Darcy begins to get rid
of his pride.
§
Pg 198 “His style was not penitent, but haughty.
It was all pride and insolence.”
§
After Wickham explanation: Pg 198: “Her feelings
were yet more acutely painful and more difficult of definition.”
·
Transformation
§
Pg 202: “But vanity, not love, has been my
folly.”
·
Theme of pride
·
Mr. Collins’s talk with Elizabeth (pg 208)
o
Pompous and arrogant about connections to Lady
Catherine
o
Pg. 208: “…having it in our power to introduce
you to very superior society.”
o
Pg. 208: “Our situation with regard to Lady
Catherine’s family is indeed the sort of extraordinary advantage and blessing
of which few can boast.”
·
Elizabeth warns Mr. Bennet of Lydia and Kitty
Leaving for Brighton
o
Pg. 222: “Our importance, our respectability in
the world, must be affected by the wild vitality, the assurance and disdain of
all restrain which mark Lydia’s character.”
o
Blindness Theme: Lydia, like her mother, is
blind to how her actions and flamboyancy are really received by others.
o
Elizabeth more conscious of wanting to salvage
her family’s social standing- ironic that it comes after Darcy noted how hard
it was to love someone with their situation
·
Wickham sees Elizabeth
o
“The rest of the evening passed with the appearance, on his side, of usual
cheerfulness…”
o
Blindness theme: Elizabeth no longer blind to
the truth of Wickham, knows what rests under his façade
·
Elizabeth Visits Pemberley:
o
Elizabeth shows first few signs of regret of
rejecting Darcy upon entering Pemberley.
o
Servant’s opinion of Darcy is one of the first
Elizabeth hears to counter her prejudices.
o
Pemberley symbolizes Darcy: largeness and
elevation notes Darcy’s high social standing
o
“My uncle and aunt would have been lost to me…This
was a lucky recollection-it saved her from something like regret.”
o
Growth of Elizabeth’s feelings: “She thought of
his regard with a deeper sense of gratitude.”
o
Transformation of Darcy: Pg 251: “Never…had she
seen him so desirous to please, so free from self-consequence, or unbending
reserve.”
o
Pg 252: “Such a change in a man of so much
pride, excited…gratitude, for to love, ardent love”
·
Lydia’s Relations with Wickham Revealed:
o
Pg 269.: Elizabeth recognizes her mother’s
characteristics have been adopted by Lydia, and her mother failed in teaching
her how to “think on serious subjects.”
o
Fallen woman idea: Pg 274: “The loss of virtue
in a female is irretrievable.”
o
Importance of Elizabeth’s social standing for
Darcy resurfaces: Pg 264. “Her power was sinking.”
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