December 6, 2006
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Ooh-ooh-owie!I have a hurting tooth today. I’m hoping it’s just a tooth gone hyper-sensitive and not a problem with my crown. I only have one crown, and that’s right where the pain is. Praise God for 2006-era dental care!
Last night, TGD and I went out to Red Lobster with another couple for a fun dinner. I’ve done another thing I’ve never done before for GhostFroggy‘s contest: I ordered popcorn shrimp. (Usually, I order some sort of haddock or flounder). So, my list of things I’ve never done before include hanging Christmas lights from the gutter (or rather having the Hunter do it), wearing the outfit I’m currently wearing (new!), the popcorn shrimp, and decorating the doorways with lights and garland. So far, I don’t think I’m in the running for champion, eh?
Kudos to aj1965 for her Pride and Prejudice comments! I’ll answer my own questions now. Maybe that will spark some debate or dissension or agreement.
The Bennets and their Marriage
I think that Mr. Bennet is an imprudent man in general. He married Mrs. Bennet, a woman of dissimilar temperament. He was not careful in ensuring his daughter’s fortunes (beginning of chapter 7). He plays favorites among his children (chapters 1 and 7).Yet, for all his faults, he seems to truly love his wife, or at least he wants to please her. He compliments her, even if it is playfully teasing. (“You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.’” Chapter 1) He gently teases his wife in other ways (“[your nerves] have been my constant companions…”). He must have done other kind things, prompting Mrs. Bennet to say, “What an excellent father you have, girls. I do not know how you will ever make him amends for his kindness; or me either, for that matter.” (Chapter 2) He does what his wife wishes in visiting Mr. Bingley.
Mrs. Bennet, for all her faults, seems to love/respect him. She praises him to the girls. She loves her children as well, although she, too, plays favorites. Because she loves her girls, she wants to see them well-settled. This desire and almost obsession could come from the fact that she knows if Mr. Bennet were to die, not only would she loose her home and the income from it (it was entailed to a male decedent, Mr. Collins), she would not have his support in trying to find husbands for her girls. She would be practically destitute, and no respectable man would consider one of her girls as a wife.
I feel that many of her failings come from her own sense of pride, brought on by a small mind. She misses many of the jokes tossed her way. She cannot seem to understand a world larger than their “four and twenty families.” She delights in gossip and in puffing up herself and her family. I like the way her best friend, Mrs. Lucas is described in Chapter 5: ” Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to Mrs. Bennet.”
Even though they don’t seem to “match,” I think their marriage is happy enough. They have come to understand one another.
Chick-Lit versus Romance
A “chick-lit” novel is a novel about a woman and her friends/family/colleagues. It may or may not have romance in it, but often does. It describes the changes that take place in the life of the woman and the relationships she has with those around her. The woman is modern-day and in her 20s or 30s. Recall, that when P&P was written, it was a modern-day novel!Romance novels, by contrast, focus almost exclusively on the budding romance of the characters and the struggles they must overcome to find true love.
P&P could be argued into either category, but having read a large number of “romance novels,” I feel that this definition doesn’t fit.
It’s not a social change novel, like a Dickens, because Austen doesn’t seem to be writing about her world in order to provoke changes.
Next time, let’s talk about Mr. Collins.
1. Is Mr. Collins really all that bad? What are his good points?
2. Start a collection of quotes about love, marriage, and what makes a worth marriage partner which characters in the book mention. For example, Charlotte Lucas says, “I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were married to him to-morrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.” (Chapter 6)
You can find a number of searchable, readable texts of Pride and Prejudice online. One Place Another Place
A Place to Download the Book
Comments (15)
Ooh! An adult night out…sounds like a treat! So, how was the popcorn shrimp?
RYC: I hadn’t heard about the movie not being shown, but I heard about St. Albans WV. Instead of outright banning the nativity scene…they have the whole thing, except Mary Joseph and the baby Jesus. There is a scene that looks remarkably like depictions of the night Jesus Christ was born. There’s a star, a couple of sheep, some camels and a structure that could be taken for the barn where Mary and Joseph had their baby. Whether they meant to or not, they have captured the essence of the typical American Christmas. This scene, without Jesus, is pointless and empty.
Their reasoning behind doing this? Festival officials said there was no baby Jesus due to separation of church and state. Which brings me back to the point of my post….It is sad how many people are more concerned about not being sued than concerned about what God might think of their spineless ways.
I can think of one other thing you have never done before – tolerating a beard on your husband! Who would have ever thunk it?!?!
Brad and I went to Red Lobster on ‘date’ Monday. I went with him to Hermitage, PA to pick up a plow blade for the tractor. A four hour ride….he had better take me somewhere nice. hehe. I had the Ultimate feast. The three times in 15 years together that we have eaten there, be sure I am going to feast.
We survived the tornado of Greensburg last Friday. A lot of damage happened around the area. I sea of blue tarps donned many roofs about 3 miles from us. Uprooted trees demolished several small buildings. The electric was out in some places all weekend. We lost a wreath off of the second story windows and had a few small branches come down. Maybe I should call them twigs. We were very lucky.
Here’s what I want to know: for all her brave talk, was Charlotte happy in her marriage, or did she resign herself to being unhappy long before she married anyone?
time will tell. with just a week left i’ve decided to roam sites, harrassing my friends until they enter.
The Pride & Prejudice discussions are very interesting.
Hope your tooth gets better.
It should be snowing now or very shortly!
Well, at the moment, nowhere. It’s a novel I am in the process of writing.
I love the idea of sibling night!!
Yes, I am very glad that “it” is over. And, looking back over Tuesday night, it was funny . . . just not at the time!
Tooth feeling any better? I hope so!
–K.
I think that the Bennets both got what they were looking for out of their relationship and that that were really fond of eachother. They both had a lot of truly terrible faults which made their family diificult, but they had a way of communicating. He seems more likeable, because he was smarter and less annoying, but I think that she had the better heart and was doing less actual lasting damage, even though hers was more public and obvious.
Hey! I missed this post, already 2 days old! The nerve of me!
Oooo! I hate tooth aches! I don’t know how people used to deal with that stuff before good dentistry! Are you doing better today?
I love all your comments on the characters. They are so good! The points you made about Mr. Bennet’s imprudence and irresponsibility (or lack of concern) about his daughters fortunes are ones I hadn’t really noticed before. I think the movies make him out to be such an amiable person and you see how much he has to put up with regarding his “nervous” wife, it sort of “x”‘s out his faults!
OH, MR. COLLINS!! He just gives me the creeps!! I have met people like this….. I went out with a man like this!! Oh, all the self-compliments and “name dropping” is so repulsive to me. Now, as for his good points, I see none….. EXCEPT for the fact that he is totally ignorant of his arrogance and of the discomfort he inflicts upon those who have the misfortune to be tormented by his conversation. I sincerely believe that if he were to be made known of his faults, he would do everything in his power to change his ways. He seems like he sincerely wants to do what is right.
I’ll start making a list of those quotes, like you said. If I don’t keep forgetting, I’d like to do a post of it on my site as well. Downloading a copy of the book is a good idea, too! Talk to ya later!….. oh, and thanks for doing this with me! It’s fun!!
Sorry about your tooth. Hope it improves soon.
I managed to only read two chapters past the scheduled point today, which is quite slow for me. My children on Wed. asked me when I planned to start reading, since I needed to be at Ch 15 by today. I told them I’ve never taken longer than 3 days to read the entire book, so I wasn’t worried. This time I have a copy from the library: The Annotated Pride & Prejudice. Each page of text has a facing page of notes, and there are illustrations of things like a chaise & 4, clothing from the period, etc. I like it.
Today I copied the questions from your post, and hope to actually try to answer a few later. Good day.
I think Mr.Bennet is a great wit and Mrs. Bennet (as a good friend of mine would say) a dim bulb. That always makes for entertainment. Mrs. Bennet I believe is completely UNaware of her husband’s opinion of her (she even seems disinterested). However, there does seem to be weakness on Mr. Bennet’s behalf in giving in to Mrs. Bennet’s ill-fated decisions, such as allowing Jane to ride over to Netherfield in the rain…of course those that have read further know of other examples as well.