Brenda's Response: Part One

Opening Comments from Brenda…Wow this is really fun.  Thank you so much Rachel for putting this blog site together, and for getting everything all organized for us.  You have done a beautiful job!!!.  I was counting in my head today and have figured that so far we have been introduced to at least 18 characters in this book.  WOW!!!  As someone who likes to write stories, I find it mind boggling that she was able to do this, yet somehow Jane Austen does it so effortlessly.  I felt instantly sucked into her world, hanging out with her friends.  What an amazing writer Jane Austen is, and how exiting it is to be reading one of her masterpieces.  Another mind blowing reality for me is thinking about how long ago this story was written, over 200 years ago, and yet it has a way of touching me so deeply even now in these modern times.  To me this is a very relatable story, with interesting and relatable characters, and I am loving every second I spend in this world that Jane Austen created. Ok, now on to the questions…

  
1.) The novel begins with one of the most famous first sentences in literature, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (pg. 5). What does this sentence mean and how does it set the tone for the novel?

WOW, I’m so excited, question number one….YAY!!!… Oh no, I am already scratching my head.  Hum….Okay, off the top of my head, I would say that the word “Want”, if I am understanding it correctly, could be exchanged for the word “need”???   So then this quote, to me means:  “It is well known that a rich single man must be in need of a wife”.   I think characters like Mrs. Bennet actually prey on this kind of knowledge. She gets herself all in a whirl knowing that there is a single rich man in town.  Mrs. Bennet seems to make it her business to make sure that the wealthy Mr. Bingley takes a wife, and she’d like it to be her daughter Jane.  So maybe in the eyes of someone like Mrs. Bennet, if you’re a single wealthy man, you are bait for women like her, and her wanting to make you a married man.   Now how does it set the tone for the book?  Hum….Thus far in the book, we have met at least 2 wealthy and single men Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Darcy. And we are seeing how the love lives of each of these wealthy men is unfolding.  This opening sentence really does seem to set the tone for the book, because the book so far is about, marriage, wealth, social class, and the potential to “up” your social class through marriage.  Lets hope my answers get a little more intelligent as we go along.  

2.) What are your feelings about Mr. Bennet? Is he a good father? A good husband? A good man? A positive or negative figure?

My first impression of Mr. Bennet is that he is the head of the Bennet household, although, Mrs. Bennet seems to set the tone in the house.  He seems amused by his wife and her extreme desire to see all her daughters married.   He seems to tease his wife with sarcasm.  He seems to be intelligent, and somewhat of a bookworm because he spends a lot of time in his library (unless library is old talk for bathroom, ha ha ha, Hmmm…anyway…). He seems somewhat withdrawn from society and finds his younger daughters silly and foolish.  But he seems to think more highly of Jane and Elizabeth.  Over all, to me, he seems to be a good father, and he really loves all these women in his life. He seems to be a supportive husband, yet enjoys a good laugh at his wife’s expense.   He seems to be a man of integrity, a positive figure that all the daughters look up to, and listen to, and turn to.   And although he and his wife seem to bicker back and forth, they seem to really respect and love each other too.   I think he’s a good father, good husband, good man, and positive figure.  (Now how many times did I use the word “seems” in this answer UGH…).  Onto the next…

3.) First impressions of Mr. Darcy. Good? Bad?

    The words I would use to describe my first impressions of Mr. Darcy are distant, removed, thinking he’s better than those who surround him, arrogant, direct, rude, protective, somewhat anti-social, opinionated, yet strangely attracted to a women he views as being way below his social status.  I think it will be interesting to see how Jane Austen unfolds these feelings he is having towards Elizabeth. You can definitely feel something going on between these two characters, with all the looks and snappy conversation between them.  I think this makes Mr. Darcy a VERY interesting character. My first impression is neither good nor bad.   I don’t think he is a bad person he just seems stern at this point, with definite opinions, guarded emotions, and he’s single, maybe lonely, and set in his ways. There is a lot of mystery in this character, and I look forward to getting to know him better as we read.  For me Mr. Darcy is my favorite character, the one I look most forward to reading about.  


4.) What is the role of women in the text? How are mothers represented? What about single/independent women?

Ahhhh…..The women……what different times Jane Austen writes about in view of women.  The “role” of women in this text seems to be marriage and running the homes.  They all seem to worry themselves about getting married.  The women’s place seems to be in the home.  The women seem to be completely dependant on the men in there lives and strive to marry “up” in order to have security and a home.  Love seems to be secondary to security.  The main mother figure, Mrs. Bennet, seems to me to be represented as a bit dramatic, but very, very concerned about marrying off her 5 daughters.  The thought of getting them married consumes her.   I question is it out of love and real care for her daughters or out of desperation to see them safe and secure, or is it a social appearance she wants to have the bragging rights to?  Something along the lines of my daughter married better than yours kind of thing?   To me the single women also seem to always be looking for a man who can support them financially, and after a certain age will settle for anyone and in the case of Charlotte.    I think they hope for romance and love but will settle for security.  On the other hand Elizabeth seems more independent minded and not willing to settle.  She turned down security with Mr. Collins because she didn’t love him.  I don’t see that the independent women like Elizabeth are really viewed differently than the more dependant ones like Charlotte, yet both exist in this story and are interesting to get to know.  I do like the overall aspect of the women running the home though.

5.) What does love and marriage mean to Mr. Collins?

In my opinion marriage to Mr. Collins means, Absolutely nothing emotionally. And, Absolutely everything socially and financially.  Although on some level, in his own flowery language way, he seems to desire happiness, but I question does he know what real happiness is?  Or, is he just spouting off the words he thinks those around him to want to hear.  I feel he would be thrilled with ANY women who would say yes to him.   He seems to me to be all about the appearance.  He always seems to be kissing up to his present audience.  His affections changed quickly from Jane to Elizabeth to Charlotte with no real emotional attachment for any of them, just flowery empty words.   He seemed more intent on pleasing Catherine De Bourgh and marrying because she suggested it than actually wanting to find the Love of his life. He treats Love like a financial deal.  I can’t wait to read what you guys think about this one.

6.) What do you think of the language Jane Austen uses throughout the novel? For example, “remember where you are, and do not run on in the wild manner that you are suffered to do at home.” (Ch. 9 pg. 43) What does this quote mean?

 

I LOVE the language that Jane Austen uses in writing this book.  It is so fun to get lost in her words.  I find my brain defining each word as it passes by, and almost feel honored, when I put the book down, that I have had the privilege of being a part of her world for a little while.  Although this makes reading this story very slow for me, I am thoroughly enjoying getting lost in the language of her time.  It all seems very proper.  As for this quote…I know Laura questioned the word “Suffered” and wondered why this word was chosen.  In this part of the story I think Elizabeth is talking to Mr. Bingley in the presence of her mother.  She seems to be telling him that she can read his character very clearly, to which he seems amused.  However Mrs. Bennet sort of reprimands Elizabeth for speaking to him in this manner.  As if she is embarrassed by her daughter a little bit.  She seems to be saying, do not run on at the mouth with your silly ramblings, here in this place of wealth and luxury, in front of this (wealthy) man, like you do at home. Do not subject these people, (we want to impress), with the ramblings we are forced to put up with from you at home.   

I think the word “Suffered” is used to just exaggerate Mrs. Bennet’s extreme displeasure, and it is Jane Austens way of showing a dramatic opinion of one of her characters. I think this is a good example of Jane Austen using the English language and making us really think as we read. Although in her time I wonder if this would have been an easy read, cause maybe they all talked like this in that time when she wrote this.   Where as now we have to (or at least I have to) really concentrate as I read in order to understand what is going on.