Not that I'm not liking the plot of Pride and Prejudice, but it is nice to finally see some conflict that is not created by Mrs. Bennet's neurosis. While I'm disappointed in Lydia, I can't say I'm surprised in the least. All the signs were there in the way she was constantly doting on the military men. Given this new type of conflict I'm much more interested in finishing the novel now, but the more I think about this, the more I have to ask why this makes my interest any different than Mrs. Bennet's. Lydia isn't in any real danger. Sure, Wickaham is an ass and he's probably going to leave this poor girl broken and shamed, but the only thing in danger here is the Bennet's reputation, which has been the case the entire novel. Why do I suddenly feel different? Is it because there is now someone in the novel more dislikable than Darcy? Because Wickham is so nasty, he needs to be punished. Darcy was just dislikable, so there was never going to be a solid solution to that. Wickham's indiscretions require action and timely action at that.
While we're on the topic of Darcy, I'm still not quite understanding why he is the way he is--that is, two-faced. Why is he so rude when he's at Netherfield, but so kind at Pemberly? I would almost understand his rudeness and distrust of the lower class after the incident with Wickham and Georgina, but it does not explain his two completely different personalities. Suddenly after this reading, Darcy is a knight in shining armor?! What happened?! I'm not buying it.
I could be wrong, but the way I interpreted Darcy's shift in behavior is that the man is very reserved when removed from his comfort zone. When we initially meet him, he is quiet and rather rude, prefers to stay off to the side, and this behavior changes completely when we see him on his home turf. I took this to mean that he feels very uncomfortable when away from home or places he is familiar with, and as a result he tends to come across as harsh and unfriendly. We finally see his true self when he is at Pemberly because there he feels secure and comfortable enough to act like himself and let loose a little. Maybe that's totally wrong, but that's just the impression I got.
ReplyDeleteAs for the conflict I agree that it's nice to see something actually HAPPENING, though I have my own qualms with it- namely, the fact that I'm wondering why on Earth Wickham has eloped with Lydia, when he knows- or at least, I assume he does- full well that the Bennets have nothing for him to gain from the marriage? Everything we've learned about him so far suggests he only wants to gain the money of the woman he marries, so why target Lydia? I expect we'll find the answer in time, but for now, it seems quite inconsistent with his character.
Sam,
ReplyDeleteI had the same reactions as to why Mr. Darcy suddenly became nice at Pemberley when he was a stuck up at Netherfield not too long ago. And it seems he answered that himself near the end of the novel.
As I recall, the rejection and insults made by Lizzy during Mr. Darcy's first proposal was a turning point for him. He took the rejection, and instead of being angry, used it to reflect his former thinking of condescending those with a lower status, etc. Being able to change his views because of his love for Lizzy really exemplified his character for me even more. Great post!
LA