Pride and Prejudice

This is approximately the 5th time I've read “Pride and Prejudice” and I found it as delightful as the first time (1991-Junior year of high school). I remember that I found the style to be slightly impenetrable until I read a few pages aloud, which is what I do with Shakespeare or poetry that isn't opening up to me. Once I read the pages and understood the sentence construction and common phrasing of polite society in 1812(ish), the rest of the book rolled along. Since my introduction to Jane Austen in high school, I've read several of her novels and discussed two at my Great Books Book Club. Leading said discussion gave me an excuse to rewatch the marvelous 1995 BBC adapatation and the horrendous 2005 adaptation starring Kiera Knightley, as well as a recent Marvel comic book version[b:Pride & Prejudice 6482046 Pride & Prejudice Nancy Butler https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404517187s/6482046.jpg 21824833] and two annotated editions, both of which provide extensive analysis and information on anything from modes of dress to modes of transportation to modes of address, all of which have fallen into obscurity to modern readers. Of course, all of these other adaptations and annotations don't follow the Great Books philosophy of sticking to the source material, BUT I WAS HAVING FUN!While some readers find Jane Austen wordy, one must take her in context; she was compact and modern for her time. It is clear she honed the story so that the coincidences didn't seem forced and that the characters are able to act in a way that makes sense given their nature. What really struck me on this reading is the way that the characters shine through their dialogue; Jane Austen does not spend pages describing Mr. Darcy's nose or the color of his hair, but she does give you his smiles, his writing, and his dialogue to see into his at-first seemingly haughty shell. The characters live and breath. However, I do have one small bone to pick regarding Wickham's decision to run off with Lydia. While it is clear that Wickham preferred younger ladies and especially those with money, did he run off with her because he had dug himself into a deep hole with gambling and other debts and he'd be run out of the militia anyway? He knew Lydia had no money, so he knew that even a short fling would cost him money. While this turn of events heightens the tension of whether Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy will ever get together and a way for Mr. Darcy to show his love for Lizzy, it still is a little weak. The other point that another member of the Book Club made in response to another member's disappointment that there is no spiritual awakening or God in the book is: “Pride and Prejudice” is a true product of the Enlightenment, in which the only characters who develop and are held up for the reader as models of living use reason to assess other people and situations. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy do not appeal to a higher god or the local clergy to help them through rough time; they appeal to their own sense of self and the facts of the situation. Nature has an influence on characters and the way that characters from Mr. Darcy to Lady Catherine de Bourgh to the Bennetts manage their little piece of nature is intended to expose more about each person's inner being.Ultimately, I still think that “Pride and Prejudice” is a masterwork and worth reading at different stages in one's life to glean the different levels and shades of meaning Ms. Austen is still imparting over 200 years later. Below are the discussion questions from the Book Club's June 30,2018 meeting, some of which I wrote and others I harvested from multitudes of discussion questions available on the internet (verbatim or paraphrased).Discussion Questions for “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane AustenJune 30, 2018 Meeting of the Fremont Public Library Great Books Group1. The group read Jane Austen's “Persuasion” several years ago, the theme centering around how much a person should be persuaded by the advice of others and how much they should be true to their own mind and heart. Do you see a similar theme in “Pride and Prejudice?”2. In E.M. Forster's “Room With a View,” Lucy Honeychurch faces a choice between the wealthy and cold Cecil Vyse and the middle-class intellect and passion of George Emerson; Lucy's potential suitors' relationship with and appreciation of nature affect her ultimate romantic choice. Characters are shown appreciation both cultivated and less tamed natural areas and prospects throughout the novel. -Is Mr. Darcy's choice between Miss Bingley and Miss Elizabeth Bennett affected by each woman's appreciation of nature? -Does Elizabeth Bennett select her future husband using similar criteria (conscious or not)? -How else does nature interplay with the characters?3. Jane Austen often uses characters' homes to reflect the tenants' inner qualities. -What does the grandeur of Lady Catherine de Bourgh's Rosings or the welcoming atmosphere at Mr. Bingley's Netherfield say about Jane Austen's thoughts about new wealth? -What does the natural elegance of Pemberley say about Mr. Darcy and the upper class?4. Throughout “Pride and Prejudice,” characters exhibit these titular characteristics showing that “First Impressions,” the original title of the novel, and long-held impressions aren't always reliable. -Instead of the beautiful appearance and hideous inside of Oscar Wilde's “Picture of Dorian Gray,” Elizabeth's examination of Mr. Darcy's portrait during her tour of Pemberley reveals Mr. Darcy's beautiful inside. Is this a turning point in Elizabeth's prejudice? -What causes Mr. Darcy to allow his love for Elizabeth to overcome his pride? -How do various characters, from Miss Bingley, Mr. Collins, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh to Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Bennett, Jane Bennett, and Charlotte Lucas exhibit various flavors of pride and prejudice?5. Many characters in the novel live on a continuum between taking themselves too seriously and taking things too lightly. Which characters are on each side of the continuum and do any characters move along the spectrum and why?6. Why does Wickham select Elizabeth Bennett as a target for flirtation? -Does Wickham suspect Elizabeth stands to inherit from her father at any point in the novel? -Does Wickham see Elizabeth as a vehicle to besmirch Darcy's character amongst people who didn't know either of them? -Did Wickham actually appreciate Elizabeth's lively and attractive personality?7. Throughout the novel, we see many examples of poor parenting skills, from Mr. and Mrs. Bennett to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but very strong sibling relationships. Where are the Bingleys parents? Why does Jane Austen choose to display few effective parents in the main action despite showing that some characters, like Mr. Darcy, are the result of excellent parents? Is Jane Austen suggesting that sibling relationships are more important than parental relationships?8. Lady Catherine DeBourgh's accusations and demands regarding a possible union with Mr. Darcy ultimately assure Elizabeth Bennett that there is yet hope. Why is this master stroke of dramatic irony so satisfying for readers? How are the roots of this irony are sown throughout the novel?9. In Pride and Prejudice marriage serves many functions. It is a romantic union, a financial merger, and a vehicle for social regulation. Scholar and writer Mary Poovey said that Austen's goal “is to make propriety and romantic desire absolutely congruent.” -“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” -What does the line imply about women's role in society and in marriage? -Whose opinion do you think this is? -How do the established marriages in the book fulfill these purposes? Consider: -Mr. and Mrs. Bennett -The Hursts -The Gardiners -How do the marriages that occur in the book achieve these various functions? -Do you think Jane Austen is offering a critique of marrying for social and financial considerations the marriages of Mr. Collins to Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Wickham to Lydia Bennett? -Are the happy marriages of Jane and Elizabeth Bennett, who marry “up,” favorable by the terms of the society? Do these happy and advantageous marriages undermine any critique the book offers? 10. Do the coincidences in the novel seem forced or do they support Austen's preference for realistic plots? Do the the characters in the novel have free will or are they guided by chance?