Brenda's Response: Part 3

            1.) What do you think motivated Lydia to run off with Mr. Wickham?

I think it was just immaturity and selfishness on Lydia’s part.   Lydia seems to be a very self absorbed girl who just goes about life doing what ever she wants with no regard at all for those around her.  On a whim she probably thought it would be fun to snag an officer, and in her warped mind she probably thought snagging Mr. Wickham would make her sisters jealous.   She never seems to think before she acts, she is impulsive, and manipulative and in general disrespectful to those around her.   

2.) How do you think Elizabeth handled herself with Lady Catherine? Putting your self in that time period, if you were in Elizabeth's shoes how would you have handled that situation?

Putting myself in any time period I don’t think I would have handled that situation as brilliantly as Elizabeth did.   Elizabeth is a character that is so great at saying what she means and sticking to her convictions no matter what and no matter who she is talking to.  She is so strong.  I love how she stayed true to herself, and how she answered Lady Catherine so directly yet without coming across as being rude or arrogant or disrespectful.  She just answered Lady Catherine matter of factly, and in doing so inspired me enormously.  What a prime example of how to handle those who intimidate us in our own lives.   I love the Character of Elizabeth.  She knows who she is and isn’t afraid of standing up for herself.  I would have been too shy to do what she did.  I would have buckled under the pressure of trying to think of what to say in the moment while being yelled at by someone who socially out ranked me.  But I must say I am very inspired by characters like Elizabeth (and Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables), and I always feel a bit more confident in myself after reading a character like this.  In times of strife I try to summon up my inner Elizabeth or Anne Shirley or Maria Von Trapp, and attempt to hold my ground with the bullies of the world the way they did.  

3.) What is your final impression of Mr. Darcy?

Mr. Darcy remains my favorite character of this novel.  I think Jane Austen gave us a Real Man here.   What girl doesn’t fall in love with him while reading this book.  Especially in part three where his true nature is revealed.   I still think my assessment of him from the question in part 2 is somewhat accurate, I do think that possibly he is awkward and somewhat socially shy especially when with a women he is attracted to.  And I think he is socially uncomfortable in large crowds of people.  But in part 3, It’s as if we were finally clued into his true nature, his personality softened and changed and became more relaxed, once he was at his home, with his sister, with his group of friends, it was at this point that we got to see who he Really was.  But WOW, Jane Austen gave us such a real and wonderful man in Mr. Darcy.  He proves in part three that he really deeply loves Elizabeth by showing her not just telling her but really living his love for her, even when he was given little hope that she would ever return his feelings.  He deeply loves this women, and no matter what, even if she may never love him, he still goes on to prove how he feels about her.  First the letter, ahh...that wonderful letter, and then he proves with actions like paying for Lydia’s rushed wedding, paying off Mr. Wickham, a man he dislikes so much, and bringing Mr. Bingley and Jane back together, all because Lydia is Elizabeth’s sister and to save her family from embarrassment.   I just think any girl so lucky to win the heart of Mr. Darcy would feel so protected, so cared for, so deeply deeply loved.   My final impression of Mr. Darcy is, strength, depth, protective, intelligent, self confident, a wonderful and real manly man. 

4.) Does the novel end the way you expected? How? Why?

Yes, and No.   Yes….because I feel like Jane Austen is taking us on a journey and she so brilliantly unfolds the story in a way that we are rooting for Jane and Bingley and Elizabeth and Darcy to end up together, and when they do it feels so right and satisfying that they are finally together, which means it did end the way I hoped and expected. 

But, No…..I only say no for a silly little reason….I felt like Jane Austen spent nearly 350 pages building us up to this climax of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth finally getting together, but when the big moment came it almost seemed a little disappointing to me on some level.   It must just be the romantic in me that wanted more details, more written about his exact words when he proposed, did he get down on one knee, did they share their first kiss at this point etc...  When I was reading Chapter 16 for the first time I didn’t even realize Mr. Darcy had proposed again, ha ha ha.  I learned this when I started reading chapter 17.  So I went back and realized the big moment somehow slipped right past me.   So in this way I say no, the novel didn’t end the way I expected because I expected a bigger more wonderful, epic moment, romantic scene when they finally got together. (kind of along the lines of the Kira Knightly movie)  Instead I got a very subtle, understated, quiet scene, that I entirely missed the first time I read it and had to go back and re-read it again to catch it.  Ha ha ha, I told you it was silly.  

But I love how Jane Austen sums everything up for us in the very very end.  It just made me feel like everything was right with their world and I feel at peace now with moving on to the next novel. 

              

5.) One of the major themes throughout Pride and Prejudice is  marriage. Compare and contrast the different kinds of marriages throughout the novel.

Ok, here I go.  Marriage is presented to us in so many different forms in this novel.  Lets start with Mr and Mrs. Bennet.  They seem to be at a point in life when they are just tired and worn out and in Mrs. Bennets case very focused on getting her daughters married and out of the house.  But I worry about them.  Do they still have the love it will take to be happy after the children are grown and out of their house.  They seem to have the kind of marriage where they are two people living under the same roof but living completely separate lives. 

Then there is Mr. Collins and our sweet Charlotte.  Although Mr. Collins is somewhat annoying to me, I do think he chose wisely in his wife.  And I think in their own way maybe they are very happy.  I mean think of our sweet Charlotte, where was her life heading?  Nowhere.  She probably would have ended up a caregiver of her aging parents and then been completely lonely and alone in her older years.  But now look at her…she created a real life for herself.   She is married, she has a husband to care for and who seems to care for her, there will probably be children in her future, She socializes with some very rich people like Lady Catherine, whom she would have never had the opportunity to even meet had she not married Mr. Collins,  she has a home of her own to run, a garden to tend to, etc…by marrying Mr. Collins, she has created a wonderful and beautiful life for herself.  So although I do not think their marriage is based on love, I do think there in mutual respect, happiness, and a real friendship here. 

Then there is Lydia and Mr. Wickham, the worst marriage in the book.  This marriage is crazy.   It is not based on anything.  Not on love, or friendship, or mutual respect of any kind.  Theirs is an awful marriage, one that will forever be filled with unfaithfulness, hurt, upset, challenges, it’s not based on anything real, it’s superficial, and very sad.

Compared to Jane and Mr. Bingley's, whose marriage is based on pure sweet true Love.   I think their love was Love at first sight.  I think their marriage will be filled with happy times, loving moments, and sweetness.   Their marriage seems like it will be soft and quiet and gentle.  They are like sugar and spice and everything nice. 

And last, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, whose marriage I believe is also based on true love.  But, I feel like Elizabeth has the deepest most romantic, most passionate kind of love and marriage of all.  They built a foundation that is so strong, and so deep and completely unbreakable.  This couple has depth of knowledge of each other, and are truly deeply in love.

6.) Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters persons you would want to meet?

               Yes, Yes, Yes…..I really Love all these characters, and I would want to meet All of them in person.  I think Jane and Charlotte would be my best friends,  I think I would be friends with Elizabeth too and I would learn so much from her and would want to be just like her.  I think I’d have a huge crush on Mr. Darcy.  I think I’d love to help guide Kitty and Mary in a better direction than their sister Lydia went….I think these characters represent all the different personalities of the people we have in our own lives.  And although I don’t find all of them likable (i.e. Wickham, Lady Catherine…), I do find all of them interesting and well developed by Jane Austen,  and I loved every moment I had getting to know them. 

7.) What is the source of this novels immense and enduring popularity?

              Love…..  A lot of people in today’s world say “Sex Sells” Well, I am of the opinion that that is NOT true.  I believe “Love” sells, as evident by the immense and enduring popularity of this novel.  Love is something everyone wants and everyone needs.  As I go through life I realize that the only thing that is really meaningful, really worthwhile is Love.  Jane Austen has presented many generations of readers with this most brilliant story of Love.   This story is so pure and so well written.  We didn’t have to endure lust filled sex scenes, or curse words, and yet, it was the most heart touching and enjoyable Love story I have ever read.   I think Jane Austen touches peoples hearts with Love and that is why this beautiful work of hers has stood the test of time and why it never goes out of style.  In my opinion Love Sells. 

            Closing Thoughts From Brenda……….Well I guess this is the end of Pride and Prejudice.  I am sad to be ending this one.  It was my first ever Jane Austen Novel.  I feel a real sense of accomplishment having made it through the whole book.  I feel like I entered the wonderful world of Jane Austen, and I so enjoyed my stay.  I am going to miss all these wonderful characters.  On some weird level they have become my friends.   I want to especially thank Rachel and Laura for taking this journey with me.  I have enjoyed reading and commenting on your answers in our blog.  I am so thrilled to be a part of this book club.  It is a really special part of my life now.   I'm  looking so forward to our next Novel.  Till then, Happy Reading and Happy Holiday’s.  

Rachel's Part Three Response

First, I want to say thank you to my fellow bookclubers my Mom and my aunt Laura. I had such a blast reading this book with you both and discussing it along the way. I love this bookclub and although I am very sad we are wrapping up Pride and Prejudice, I cannot wait and I am very much looking forward to the next Austen novel!!!!!!! Ok onto the response answers.... 

1.) What do you think motivated Lydia to run off with Mr. Wickham?

I think what it boils down to is immaturity on her part, which Mr. Wickham saw and took full advantage of.  Lydia, to me, is a very naïve character who is rather impulsive.  She demonstrates this by running off with Mr. Wickham and not even thinking twice about how the repercussions from it will affect not only her reputation, but her families. It almost felt like Lydia was considering this whole ordeal to be more of a joke than the serious matter, which it was for a lady during that time period. She was also probably flattered and excited someone from the militia was paying attention to her. She probably found a thrill in running off with a man in uniform. I’m still a little uncertain what Mr. Wickham’s motivation was. We all know by this point he is a scoundrel and is really only motivated by money, but when he first ran off with Lydia I wonder if he really thought her family was going to pay him off to marry their daughter, which is what ended up happening (and technically Mr. Darcy paid him off).  I still don’t think I fully get why he choose to run off with Lydia. Hmm…

2.) How do you think Elizabeth handled herself with Lady Catherine? Putting yourself in that time period, if you were in Elizabeth's shoes how would you have handled that situation?

I absolutely loved Elizabeth in this part. Elizabeth is such a strong force to be reckoned with.  She has such a strong sense of character, and she knows exactly who she is and will stand up for what she believes in. For women in those days this was definitely not the norm.  In this particular conversation with Lady Catherine I think Elizabeth took a stand and made sure Lady Catherine knew who she was and she wasn’t going to back down that easily. I didn’t think she was rude or disrespectful to Lady Catherine, just stern with her so she knew she wasn’t going to budge her decision and get walked over by her.    

If I put myself in that time period, and in that situation, I honestly think I would just cower down and wouldn’t stand up for myself. I am definitely more of a shy and quiet person and do not like to make a fuss about things, even if I disagree with people. Now saying that about myself, I absolutely loved reading this part and came out of this chapter feeling that this book changed a little piece of me. I thought I don’t want to be the type of person who doesn’t stand up for herself I want to be like Elizabeth Bennet who stands true to who she is and doesn’t get pushed around even by very intimidating individuals, such as Lady Catherine. Whenever I come into situations where I need to stick up for myself I just need to channel my inner Elizabeth Bennet. J

3.) What is your final impression of Mr. Darcy?
I think in the last part of the novel we really saw the true core of who Mr. Darcy is.  At the beginning of part three when Elizabeth was visiting Mr. Darcy’s home the readers got a glimpse of a softer more vulnerable Mr. Darcy vs. the rude stand offish Darcy we have seen in the past. We find out what a sweet, loyal, protective, generous, and kind person Mr. Darcy is. Throughout the rest of the novel you find out how he went around and made his wrongs into rights, for example confessing and bringing Mr. Bingley back so he and Jane would have a second shot.  One thing that I pulled away from part three that had only been hinted at prior was how romantic he is.  I must have read chapter 16 over and over again, especially the part when he told Elizabeth that she must have known he did everything only for her. Mr. Darcy has such a subtle yet strong romantic side to him that really came out in part three. It was such a thrill to read this book and see firsthand as the reader how this character of Mr. Darcy unfolded. Austen has created a remarkable and memorable character, and Mr. Darcy has truly become one of my favorite literary characters, ever!!!  Just goes to show sometimes first impressions are not always right. J

4.) Does the novel end the way you expected? How? Why?
As I was reading, I really felt as if Austen transported me into the world of early 19^th century England and into the lives of the characters in Pride and Prejudice. So as you are reading you start to feel as though these are your new friends and want to see everything turn out for them. Austen does not disappoint readers at the end of the novel. I loved how Austen ended the novel, especially the way Austen wrapped up everyone’s story with the last chapter. I can’t tell you how many times you end a novel and wonder what happened to these characters that you have read about and almost feel a part of their world or the author gives you only a little closure to the end of the novel. I, along with most of the readers out there, was so happy to see Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth end up together. One of the more romantic love stories out there.

5.) One of the major themes throughout Pride and Prejudice is marriage. Compare and contrast the different kinds of marriages throughout the novel.
Austen introduces us to so many diverse and unique characters in the novel, so that could only lead to different types of marriages between the characters.

Mr. Bingley/Jane Bennet: They have a very simple romantic love story between them. You find yourself as the reader rooting them on because they are both good genuine individuals you want to see be happy. However, their relationship is somewhat common and lacks a certain amount of spice and adventure.

Mr. Darcy/Elizabeth: You just don’t read, hear, watch, see love stories like this in novels or television/movies anymore.  As a reader you read about their love story and watch it grow. It goes from them forming the wrong first impressions, to confronting their pride and prejudices between/for each other, and then into this love and romance that eventually leads them into marriage. I think this quote from the novel, when Elizabeth is writing back her aunt, sums up their marriage and fondness for each other and what a wonderful life/future they will have, "I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh."

Mr. Collins/Charlotte: This marriage is an example of a couple starting out barely knowing each other and getting married for different motivations (Mr. Collins: for his reasons he stated to Elizabeth and Charlotte because she was reaching the point of an “old maid” type age for back then). I think they were strangers basically when they got married and are going to discover if they are compatible or not as they live the rest of their lives together.  

Mr. Wickham/Lydia: If there was ever a couple who married out of impulse and greed this is the one. Lydia is still very naïve and Mr. Wickham only love is money and perhaps the things he uses it on, like gambling. As the readers find out in the last chapter they never stop asking for money and have no shame in asking for it. I would definitely say their marriage is one brought together by an impulsive action and perhaps loveless. I don’t think they have as much joy as Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have together or even Jane and Mr. Bingley for that matter.

6.) Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters persons you would want to meet?
I found the majority of the characters likable. Austen really builds up her characters and fully develops them into a way which makes them very relatable. Austen gives us so many different and diverse characters throughout the novel. Focusing on the Bennet family alone there is such great differences among the sisters and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.  As a reader you can see you family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc., personalities among the different characters.  There are characteristics in each character that the reader can relate to their lives, which also makes Austen’s characters memorable and classic. 

OhMyGoodness!!! I wish I could just get transported into the world of Pride and Prejudice and meet them all, the good and the bad. If I had to narrow it down from everyone I guess on the top of my list would of course be Elizabeth, I would love to be able to find out what makes her tick and have such a strong independent personality. I would love to pick up a few pointers from her on building up that strong character and just embody who she is.  Also, of course, Mr. Darcy (part three version/aka the sweeter version hahah) everything about Mr. Darcy fascinates me. He is the ideal man that I assume many women hold close to their hearts/minds and match up future boyfriends/potential husbands too. He would definitely be one of the characters I would love to meet. But ultimately, I would love to be placed into the Bennet household and be there throughout the novel, just like that one movie, Lost in Austen.  

7.) What is the source of this novels immense and enduring popularity?

Austen wrote this novel over 200 years ago, and yet even in today’s world, which is amazingly different than the world was when she wrote this novel in, people can relate to her novels. I truly believe Austen had a unique gift. She was able to understand basic human emotions and bonds we form with one another and beautifully translated them through her characters in her novels. Austen touches upon these basic human emotions and needs that people of all ages, races, cultures, languages, and time periods can relate to and will continue to relate to in the future. Austen touched upon emotions such as love, betrayal, rejection, acceptance, desire, friendship, loyalty, and family to name a few.  I think that is the key to why her novels have this enduring popularity. She also has a unique ability of transporting the reader into the world she created and makes them feel as if they are a part of it and these are their new friends. For me personally, I have read very few novels that have actually moved me, shook me in my core, and changed me for the better. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of the very few novels that have touched my heart and I can truly say I am a different person for the better after reading this novel. If you have not read this novel yet I HIGHLY HIGHLY Recommend it!!!! It is truly beautiful, and now my absolute favorite novel!