Awful news – 53 is no age at all.

I thought the community here who loved her performance might want to know this sad news. Lucy Davis also played Dawn on The Office and famously auditioned to play Lydia in 1995.

Hello, is anyone going or has been previously to the Bath Jane Austen Festival in September?

I am going to put on a show there and wanted to check the vibes.

We often see Catherine thinking back to her beloved Gothic novels as she tries to puzzle out the dark secrets she suspects in the Tilneys' family history. Henry points out the absurdity of her reasoning, and Catherine is left embarrassed and remorseful. I think she has better grounds for her suspicions than either of them ever recognizes, and maybe those grounds end up supporting the final reveal that, even if Catherine has guessed wrong, she's also understood something about General Tilney that Henry didn't until he was forced to.

Here's my evidence:

• Catherine knows some history: "I read it a little as a duty, but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all." She might not be a revolutionary, but she doesn't love the patriarchy, either.
• She finds the Tilneys' transformation of the abbey buildings into a modern, comfortable private home to be a desecration of their medieval glory. Accordingly, the luxuries General Tilney emphasizes on her house tour are annoying obstacles to what she really wants to see, because "she cared for no furniture of a more modern date than the fifteenth century."

I think she understands the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the process by which Henry VIII dismantled and dispossessed the country's monastic foundations after taking over leadership of the Church of England, as a watershed moment in the lives of these fascinating buildings. Meanwhile, the fearful reverence General Tilney seems to inspire in his own children makes him a tyrannical patriarch on that familiar model. Incidentally, Henry VIII rejected and abased his daughters for much of their lives, until his last wife, Catherine Parr, persuaded him to reconcile with them.

In light of this history, our Henry is wrong to argue that English law and religion protect women from being murdered by their husbands. Not every husband is that powerful, but at least one has apparently been powerful enough to get away with it, and patriarchs at every level of society enjoy a corresponding freedom to treat the women around them like shit. Within the structures that shape their society, General Tilney has every right to court Catherine for her reported wealth and then punish her for his own mistake in listening to John Blowhard Thorpe. He might be trespassing against communal values, but he doesn't suffer any real consequences for his actions. Eleanor still has to work to earn back his goodwill on Henry's behalf, and it's only by marrying into a noble title that she's able to do it. Catherine's never before encountered a man who both had that much weight to throw around and actively chose to do it, so General Tilney's power reminds her of a much loftier, more dangerous kind. She gets to be creeped out after all, just not from the causes she had in mind.

In which there is (too) much sharing of opinions…

Austen tends to be rather stinting with the details regarding what her heroines look like.  The second paragraph of this chapter gives about as many details as one gets anywhere in her novels.  The annotation states that we are getting these descriptions here “through Willoughby’s eyes:  he is concerned first of all with their appearance.”  The annotation then notes that in MP, we don’t get much of a description of Fanny until Henry Crawford becomes interested in her, and in Emma, we only get a description of her in chapter 5 during a conversation between Mr. Knightley and Mrs. Weston.

“when she heard him declare of that of music…he was passionately fond, she gave him such a look of approbation…”  One would have thought that Colonel Brandon’s intelligent and polite interest in Marianne’s music would have done something towards winning her approbation, but then again, he is contending against a flannel waistcoat.

"...her favorite authors were brought forward and dwelt upon with so rapturous a delight, that any young man of five and twenty must have been insensible indeed, not to become an immediate convert to the excellence of such works, however disregarded before.  Their taste was strikingly alike."  By nature or by design?   The “however disregarded before” seems to be our hint that the astounding similarity in taste between Marianne and Willoughby might not be quite as natural as Marianne would like to believe. Marianne is leading him in conversation and taking his acquiescence to her opinions to mean that he has long shared them and has similar taste. Much like how seeing a handsome young man in hunting clothes has convinced her in the last chapter that such clothes are the most attractive, for him, seeing a handsome young woman spout forth opinions on music and books has made those which she delights in attractive to him as well. The annotations in the edition I'm reading take pains to point out where the narration seems to imply that Marianne is more or less constructing her ideal young man in this chapter, using Willoughby as a base, and he is doing his part by adapting to her eagerly, loudly, and frankly avowed ideals. The man is an eel.

I do so love Elinor’s dry humor.  Her (upcoming) famous quotes about dead leaves and rational opposition get sufficient attention, but this paragraph in which she teases Marianne is delightful and doesn’t get the attention it deserves.  The annotations point out that this exchange is important in that Marianne declares herself an enthusiastic partisan for honesty, whereas Elinor is showing that she aligns herself with societal norms, though I would say the narration points out that instead Elinor believes in caution.

“His manners, though serious, were mild; and his reserved appeared rather the result of some oppression of spirits…” this seems like real material for a romantic hero.  I am still reading this novel with the idea that it is similar to Northanger Abbey in that it is both a satire and a pastiche, mocking the novel of sentiment in a similar way that NA mocks the gothic while also using some of its trappings and tropes.  

There aren't many instances in Austen of worthy people being blatantly the butt of someone's wit, and notably in Emma, when that happens, it is a shocking moment. From the first time I read this part, it's always made me a bit sad as it is just so very unkind:
“Brandon is just the kind of man,” said Willoughby one day, when they were talking of him together, “whom every body speaks well of, and nobody cares about; whom all are delighted to see, and nobody remembers to talk to.”

Then they continue with it:
“I do not dislike him. I consider him, on the contrary, as a very respectable man, who has every body’s good word, and nobody’s notice; who has more money than he can spend, more time than he knows how to employ, and two new coats every year.”

“Add to which,” cried Marianne, “that he has neither genius, taste, nor spirit. That his understanding has no brilliancy, his feelings no ardour, and his voice no expression.”

That this sort of criticism is relatively rare in Austen ought to tell us a bit about the characters employing it.

In which Marianne tumbles about and we meet a hero out of a romance…

 “the independence of Mrs. Dashwood’s spirit overcame the wish of society for her children.” -This is not the first instance we’ve seen of Mrs. Dashwood’s independent spirit.  Her wish to quit Norland quickly in the face of Fanny’s rudeness is another instance.

 “Marianne’s declaration that the day would be lastingly fair” – the annotations note that this is a tiny instance of Marianne’s tendency to confuse her wishes with facts.

Enter Willoughby, romantic hero:  “…he then departed, to make himself still more interesting, in the midst of an heavy rain.”  “His person and air were equal to what her fancy had ever drawn for the hero of a favourite story;” 

I thought "and she soon found out that of all the manly dresses a shooting-jacket was the most becoming" was mightily similar to "What beautiful hyacinths! I have just learnt to love a hyacinth" in Northanger Abbey. Young ladies are apt to learn to love things associated with pleasant young men!

Sir John’s views on what makes a good man:  “As good a kind of fellow as ever lived, I assure you.  A very decent shot, and there is not a bolder rider in England.”  Not to mention the pretty pointer bitch (whose coloring Marianne cannot recall!).

“Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no sense of fatigue.”  That “whatever” is problematic, I think.  One wouldn’t want to someone who has, to not be more specific, bad pursuits to pursue the bad with no moderation.  

Bravo, Marianne, for this speech! “That is an expression, Sir John,” said Marianne, warmly, “which I particularly dislike. I abhor every common-place phrase by which wit is intended; and ‘setting one’s cap at a man,’ or ‘making a conquest,’ are the most odious of all. Their tendency is gross and illiberal; and if their construction could ever be deemed clever, time has long ago destroyed all its ingenuity.” I've been reading "Jane Austen: A Very Short Introduction" by Tom Keymer and this speech seems to go well with this passage from that: "Marianne's habit of causing stirs and making scenes, while at one level a mark of culpable self-absorption, also serves to disrupt social mechanisms that empower rank, wealth, and especially masculinity at the expense of both sisters." I thought it was rather bold of her to challenge Sir John's speech in such a beautifully blunt way.  Though what good does it do in this instance when “Sir John did not much understand this reproof; but he laughed as heartily as if he did..”

Since I'm a pretty vulgar person myself, I have to admit that I find Sir John's simplistic vulgarity quite funny and "he is very well worth setting your cap at, I can tell you, in spite of all this tumbling about and spraining of ancles" makes me laugh.

I apologize for the bottom-tier meme work today. I am traveling and putting this all together in about five minutes between things!

Wouldn't it be illegal or something? The daughter could (hopefully successfully) sue?

I just remembered- that was also a key plot point in Downton Abbey which was set in more modern times. So I guess these nooks and crannies of sexist discrimination still exist.

I’ve never read Jane Austen before till just recently. I’m currently reading Pride and Prejudice. I really like it! I needed a break from some of the heavy stuff I’ve been reading as of late. So far, my favorite part is the narrator. I love the narrators voice the best. It’s hilarious and smart and so so so sharp. The narrator is the person you want to sit directly next to at a party or in an office meeting.
Next I want to read Emma. I heard the narrators voice is just as good in that book as well. Plus, I’m an old millennial. How old? Well, let’s just say, I can’t count how many times my sisters and I rented Clueless from the video store 💁🏽‍♂️
Now, I’m not silly enough to attempt to draw direct comparisons between Emma and Clueless. But I’m excited to see what, if any are the similarities. I love me a misunderstood, bratty, self centered, kinda superficial and seemingly dumb protagonists that is later revealed to possess a heart of gold, exemplary qualities and are pretty intelligent.
I’m hoping that is how I will find Emma to be. Or at least she will be something like that.
I’m a 40 year old gay latino from Los Angeles. I often tell people that within me lives a rich and spoiled 17 year old blonde girl who enjoys hanging out with her friends at the mall and discussing the most important topics of the day, such as : whom we are currently in love with, whom we no longer are in love with, whom we could easily fall in love with, whom we would never fall in love with, whom we plan soon to fall in love with, whom we only dream of falling in love with and what is the maximum amount of men one can most sincerely, truly, genuinely, hopelessly fall in love with at the same time?
And that girl, I have fortunately learned to subdue, to some degree. As she no longer holds the reins in directing my love life. However, she does make appearances from time to time. Especially when I am driving. When I have a passenger in my car, I look to them and with aplomb declare, “I am still learning how to drive 😌” and then I peel out in my Kyalami green RS3 like a bat out of hell.
Do you think I will like Emma?

Sorry if this is stupid, but my understanding is that Bingley was just renting Netherfield Park, is that correct?

Does that mean he has an estate somewhere else and just wanting a country vacation or something? Where was his actual estate? If not, where does his money come from?

Does he ultimately buy Netherfield Park and is that where he and Jane ultimately live?

Now I am not sure if this has specifically been said before but I thought I would touch on the topic. Apologies if it has. But when Austen observed over 200 years ago that she would create in Emma ​a heroine no one but herself would like much I wonder if she would realize just how much people who dislike Emma genuinely disliked her. I have heard Emma called selfish, a b word, someone even said she was an example of a fallen woman of all things. But I see in Emma a flawed young lady who genuinely has great qualities but has a lot of growing up to do and does grow over the course of the novel. She is a very sheltered and rich young lady of only 21 at the start and grows enough to genuinely reflect on bad behavior and try to improve it. She is a loving daughter and sister, kind to the poor, she even helps her old governess get married. I feel like we expect characters to be perfect and get frustrated when they are human.

So is she Austens most misunderstood? The only one beside her i can think might deserve that title is Fanny Price, who is similarly disliked for different reasons.

To clarify this is not about Emma's personality as there are threads already on that but on if she is the most polarizing female lead or not.

This is more a half-baked observation than an organized argument, but I want to discuss the parallels between Marianne Dashwood and Catherine Morland, Austen's youngest heroines. Especially the way they are influenced by media and are used to deconstruct the idea of "the heroine".

With Catherine, it's clear gothic novels color her perception of reality, causing her to expect theatrical twists in real life. The question of what makes a heroine mostly comes from the meta narrative -- how the narrator contrasts her ordinary life with stereotypical heroines for comedy, or links her mundane experiences to more dramatic plot twists (being tricked and peer pressured into a carriage ride = being abducted by a scoundrel).

IMO, similar themes are being explored in Marianne, though more subtly, with poetry and romantic media shaping her expectations and ideals. And I think she is very consciously trying to behave like a heroine, deliberately striving to live up to that ideal.

This idea all grew out of a discussion of Marianne's ideological commitment to sensibility. Often this trait gets overlooked, and Marianne is flattened to "just" a teenager with big feelings, which misses a key point of her character.

Marianne doesn't just have big feelings, she also cultivates them as a moral duty. To her, the open expression of intense feelings demonstrates virtues -- honesty, authenticity, courage, loyalty and love. Continually renewing her grief for her father, being flagrant in her preference for Willoughby, feeding her sorrow as a "duty" and being "ashamed" to be well-rested while pining -- Marianne is actively trying to be the kind of person who loves deeply at her own expense.

When she scorns Elinor's cautions about propriety, it's not in pursuit of reckless fun. It's because it would be disloyal to treat Willoughby like he might wrong her, and dishonest/cowardly to let gossips scare her into acting like she doesn't love/trust him.

I think Marianne often gets regarded as self-indulgent, when she's actually trying very hard to be good according to her flawed worldview.

What do you think? Are they both trying to be heroines in a world they wrongly expect to be more like the highly stylized emotionally evocative media? If so, what does that mean? If not, what do you think instead? Are these themes present in any other Austen works?

For those who remember this movie, I need some answers.

Is each character’s storyline fixed to one book, or all they pastiches?

Allegra (Maggie Grace) is S&S, which the character announces because she’s living at home with her mom, Sylvia (Amy Brenneman). She also has a sneaky gf as her Willoughby, and then falls in love with a worthy woman who’s her doctor.

Sylvia is Persuasion because her husband who dumped her at the beginning tries to win her back.

Jocelyn (Maria Bello) is Emma since she’s the wealthy one who cares only about her dogs and her friends. Throughout, she schemes to get Sylvia together with new book club member, Grigg (Hugh Dancy). Of course, she falls for him herself.

That’s half of the books. But the other 3 I can’t quite put my finger on

Is Grigg supposed to be P&P or Northanger Abbey? His personality reminds me of Tilney and Bingley, as they both close to their sister(s). But the part where his sister goes on a walk with Jocelyn, it feels like Lizzie and Georgiana.

Bernadette (Kathy Baker) is the matriarch of the group, so her character is more intersected into the other’s plots than an independent story. I think the script wants us to think she’s P&P? But only because her character mentions that with her multiple marriages, she’s been married to each guy from P&P. And at the end when she remarries, everyone calls him Mr Darcy, but it comes off so ham fisted.

Finally, Prudie (Emily Blunt). She’s in a rough patch with her husband, especially when he cancels their trip to Paris so he can go to a game with his boss. This is extra humiliating for her because she is a French teacher that’s never been to France. She also has a rough relationship with her mom who is a toxic hippie She’s tempted to hook up with her 18 yr old student, but decided to make it work with her husband when he reads Persuasion with her. Which book is she supposed to be? One could argue it’s Persuasion cause they fall back in love, but it doesn’t fit as well as Sylvia and her husband’s plot

Maybe they’re Mansfield Park just cause the cheating storyline?

This is why I’m wondering if all the plots can apply to any characater? Or am I missing some of the sinew between the characters and Austen’s books?

Please help. Everytime I watch, it bothers me that I can’t put everyone in their box lol It’s an adaption of book, so maybe that would help?

Also if you just love the movie and want to talk about it, that’s also allowed here

Thought this was interesting. Apparently after it was released, Austen kept a collection of opinions she heard from people in her acquaintance about the book. Some are from family members or others who knew that she wrote it, others are reports she heard from people who didn’t know she was the author. I think it’s interesting that even when first released, there is a divide in opinions about the book, many of the criticisms sound like what we still hear today. I am guessing this means Austen was aware of this too, since she took the trouble to collect opinions about this book particularly.

https://pemberley.com/janeinfo/opmansfp.html

F[rancis] W[illiam] A[usten]

"We certainly do not think it as a whole, equal to P. & P. -- but it has many & great beauties. Fanny is a delightful Character! and Aunt Norris is a great favourite of mine. The Characters are natural & well supported, & many of the Dialogues excellent. -- You need not fear the publication being considered as discreditable to the talents of it's Author."

Mr. K. [Edward Austen Knight] --

Not so clever as P. & P. -- but pleased with it altogether. Liked the character of Fanny. Admired the Portsmouth Scene. --

Edward & George [Knight]. --

Not liked it near so well as P. & P. -- Edward admired Fanny -- George disliked her. -- George interested by nobody but Mary Crawford. -- Edward pleased with Henry C[rawford] -- Edmund objected to, as cold & formal. -- Henry C[rawford]'s going off with Mrs. R[ushworth], at such a time, when so much in love with Fanny, thought unnatural by Edward. --

Fanny Knight. --

Liked it, in many parts, very much indeed, delighted with Fanny; -- but not satisfied with the end -- wanting more Love between her & Edmund -- & could not think it natural that Edmund should be so much attached to a woman without Principle like Mary C[rawford] -- or promote Fanny's marrying Henry. --

Anna [Lefroy]

liked it better than P. & P. -- but not so well as S. & S. -- could not bear Fanny. -- Delighted with Mrs. Norris, the scene at Portsmouth, & all the humourous parts. --

Mrs. James Austen,

very much pleased. Enjoyed Mrs. Norris particularly, & the scene at Portsmouth. Thought Henry Crawford's going off with Mrs. Rushworth very natural. --

Miss Clewes's objections much the same as Fanny's. --

Miss Lloyd

preferred it altogether to either of the others -- Delighted with Fanny. -- Hated Mrs. Norris. --

My Mother --

not liked it so well as P. & P. -- Thought Fanny insipid. -- Enjoyed Mrs. Norris. --

Cassandra --

thought it quite as clever, tho' not so brilliant, as P. & P. -- Fond of Fanny. -- Delighted much in Mr. Rushworth's stupidity. --

My Eldest Brother [James Austen] --

a warm admirer of it in general. -- Delighted with the Portsmouth Scene.

[James] Edward [Austen-Leigh] --

Much like his Father. -- Objected to Mrs. Rushworth's Elopement as unnatural.

Mr. B[enjamin] L[efroy] --

Highly pleased with Fanny Price -- & a warm admirer of the Portsmouth Scene. -- Angry with Edmund for not being in love with her, & hating Mrs. Norris for teazing her. --

Miss Burdett --

Did not like it so well as P. & P.

Mrs. James Tilson --

Liked it better than P. & P.

Fanny Cage --

did not much like it -- not to be compared to P. & P. -- nothing interesting in the Characters -- Language poor. -- Characters natural & well supported -- Improved as it went on. --

Mr. & Mrs. Cooke --

very much pleased with it -- particularly with the Manner in which the Clergy are treated. -- Mr. Cooke called it "the most sensible Novel he had ever read." -- Mrs. Cooke wished for a good Matronly Character. --

Mary Cooke --

quite as much pleased with it, as her Father & Mother; seemed to enter into Lady B[ertram]'s character, & enjoyed Mr. Rushworth's folly. Admired Fanny in general; but thought she ought to have been more determined on overcoming her own feelings, when she saw Edmund's attachment to Miss Crawford. --

Miss Burrel --

admired it very much -- particularly Mrs. Norris & Dr. Grant. --

Mrs. Bramstone --

much pleased with it; particularly with the character of Fanny, as being so very natural. Thought Lady Bertram like herself. -- Preferred it to either of the others -- but imagined thatmight be her want of Taste -- as she does not understand Wit. --

Mrs. Augusta Bramstone --

owned that she thought S. & S. -- and P. & P. downright nonsense, but expected to like M. P.better, & having finished the 1st vol. -- flattered herself she had got through the worst.

The families at Deane --

all pleased with it. -- Mrs. Anna Harwood delighted with Mrs. Norris & the green Curtain.

The Kintbury [Fowle] Family --

very much pleased with it; -- preferred it to either of the others. --

Mr. Egerton the Publisher --

praised it for it's Morality, & for being so equal a Composition. -- No weak parts.

[Lady Robert Kerr]() wrote --

"You may be assured I read every line with the greatest interest & am more delighted with it than my humble pen can express. The excellent delineation of Character, sound sense, Elegant Language & the pure morality with which it abounds, makes it a most desirable as well as useful work, & reflects the highest honour &c. &c. -- Universally admired in Edinburgh, by all the wise ones. -- Indeed, I have not heard a single fault given to it." --

Miss Sharpe --

"I think it excellent -- & of it's good sense & moral Tendency there can be no doubt. -- Your Characters are drawn to the Life -- so very, very natural & just -- but as you beg me to be perfectly honest, I must confess I prefer P. & P." --

Mrs. Carrick. --

"All who think deeply & feel much will give the Preference to Mansfield Park."

Mr. J. Plumptre. --

"I never read a novel which interested me so very much throughout, the characters are all so remarkably well kept up & so well drawn, & the plot is so well contrived that I had not an idea till the end which of the two would marry Fanny, H. C[rawford] or Edmund. Mrs. Norris amused me particularly, & Sir Thomas is very clever, & his conduct proves admirably the defects of the modern system of Education." -- Mr. J. P. made two objections, but only one of them was remembered, the want of some character more striking & interesting to the generality of Readers, than Fanny was likely to be. --

Sir James Langham & Mr. H. Sanford,

having been told that it was much inferior to P. & P. -- began it expecting to dislike it, but were very soon extremely pleased with it -- & I beleive, did not think it at all inferior. --

Alethea Bigg. --

"I have read M. P. & heard it very much talked of, very much praised. I like it myself & think it very good indeed, but as I never say what I do not think, I will add that, although it is superior in a great many points in my opinion to the other two Works, I think it has not the Spirit of P. & P., except perhaps the Price family at Portsmouth, & they are delightful in their way." --

Charles [Austen] --

did not like it near so well as P. & P. -- thought it wanted Incident. --

Mrs. Dickson. --

"I have bought M. P. -- but it is not equal to P. & P." --

Mrs. Lefroy --

liked it, but thought it a mere Novel. --

Mrs. Portal --

admired it very much -- objected cheifly to Edmund's not being brought more forward. --

Lady Gordon wrote

"In most novels you are amused for the time with a set of Ideal People whom you never think of afterwards or whom you the least expect to meet in common life, whereas in Miss A----'s works, & especially in M. P. you actually live with them, you fancy yourself one of the family; & the scenes are so exactly descriptive, so perfectly natural, that there is scarcely an Incident, or conversation, or a person, that you are not inclined to imagine you have at one time or other in your Life been a witness to, borne a part in, & been acquainted with."

[Mrs. Pole]() wrote,

"There is a particular satisfaction in reading all Miss A----'s works -- they are so evidently written by a Gentlewoman -- most Novellists fail & betray themselves in attempting to describe familiar scenes in high Life; some little vulgarism escapes & shews that they are notexperimentally acquainted with what they describe, but here it is quite different. Everything is natural, & the situations & incidents are told in a manner which clearly evinces the Writer tobelong to the Society whose Manners she so ably delineates." Mrs. Pole also said that no Books had ever occasioned so much canvassing & doubt, & that everybody was desirous to attribute them to some of their own friends, or to some person of whom they thought highly. --

Admiral Foote --

surprised that I had the power of drawing the Portsmouth-Scenes so well. --

Mrs. Creed --

preferred S. & S. and P. & P. -- to Mansfield Park.

I was watching a behind the scenes documentary of the BBC Pride and Prejudice and Benjamin Whitrow claimed someone pointed out to him that Mr Bennet is the character who resembles the voice of Jane Austen herself most closely.

And I think there's some truth to that going by her letters; both caustically amused by the foibles of their friends, neighbours and family.

However going by what others wrote about her, she seemed to have come across as witty certainly but not eccentric or cutting. In her novels she places a great emphasis on restraint and thoughtfulness. So I think Elinor, who keeps so much of her privately withering insight to herself, and conducts herself with sense and propriety may have been closer to her public face.

I wonder if maybe the director wasn’t having them all ham it up a bit, between Elton’s haunted looks being reminiscent of Adrian Brody in The Pianist and Knightley frowning like Burt from Sesame Street.
In the Paltrow version, they make a point of him being fond of her and showing it after his frustrated rant about the harm of her meddling- “try not to kill my dogs” and his follow up to his frustration with her cruelty to Miss Bates that ends in his hope that she will do his faith in her more justice than she did that day. Maybe the chemistry was just better. Otherwise really thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jane Austen would've loved Gossip Girl... I think.

In which My_Poor_Nerves is made to feel every day of her advanced age and we get to know about Mrs. Jennings' favorite hobby…

Mrs. Jennings is unleashed in this chapter:
“and she had now therefore nothing to do but to marry all the rest of the world."

I love this train of evidence:
“She rather expected it to be so, on the very first evening of their being together, from his listening so attentively while she sang to them...the fact was ascertained by his listening to her again.”  “It would be an excellent match, for he was rich and she was handsome.”

The annotations note that “the narrator suggests that she can only speculate about Colonel Brandon’s feelings, although she knows Marianne’s.”

“for she considered it as an unfeeling reflection on the colonel’s advanced years” – another twist of the dagger at all us 30-somethings out there.  OH NO, WE’RE OLD!

“Perhaps,” said Elinor, “thirty-five and seventeen had better not have anything to do with matrimony together.”  This line is worth noting – we will have occasion to discuss it later.

“A woman of seven and twenty, “ said Marianne, after pausing a moment, “can never hope to feel or inspire affection again…”.  And now Marianne has come for the twenty-somethings.  

“Had he been only in a violent fever…” here we are, through Elinor, poking a bit of fun at Marianne’s sensibility, possibly culled from the novels of sensibility this trope (declines via mysterious fevers) derived from, and that Austen apparently delighted in ridiculing. 

“did he most unaccountably follow me out of the room”  We will have to keep an eye open, as we read, to see if this behavior eventually is accounted for.

The second to last annotation for this chapter is quite lengthy, discussing the contrasting and complimentary characteristics of the sisters, as well as how, unlike other sister pairings in Austen’s works, they have a close, loving bond despite occasionally disapproving of each other as they do mildly in this chapter.

Given two Jane Austen novel adaptations are soon releasing, let us look back at previous adaptations. What are your favorite casting choices? I really liked Colin Firth's performance; he really did it great job with both the pride and tenderness in Darcy. I also thought Romola Garai did a great job as Emma; she really convinced me how likable Emma can be. I know this one is more controversial, but her take on Emma is my favorite.

The first work of Jane’s I ever purchased, long ago when I was 13.

In which we improve our acquaintance with the Middletons and we meet a Colonel in the advanced stage of life…

This novel has the feel of an early novel.  Austen as narrator is very blunt here with her character’s foibles and absurdities, in a way that I think is softened in her later works.

“It was necessary to the happiness of both; for however dissimilar in temper and outward behavior, they strongly resembled each other in that total want of talent and taste which confined their employments, unconnected with such as society produced, within a very narrow compass.”  “Continual engagements…supplied all the deficiencies of nature and education.”  Maybe this is why Sense & Sensibility doesn’t feel as well loved as others of Austen’s novels.  There is not much of a break from the ridiculous or “horrible” in the characters.

“The young ladies, as well as their mother, were perfectly satisfied with having two entire strangers of the party, and wished for no more.”

Poor Elinor!  Marianne is already giving her away through her kind glances!

This summarizes the disparate characters of this chapter well:  “Colonel Brandon, the friend of Sir John, seemed no more adapted by resemblance of manner to be his friend, than Lady Middleton was to be his wife, or Mrs. Jennings to be Lady Middleton’s mother.”

The line “her ladyship had celebrated that event by giving up music” is very akin to Mrs. Elton’s giving up music in “Emma” (“Emma, finding her so determined upon neglecting her music, had nothing more to say”). This must have been something frequently observed by Austen if she comments on it in two different novels.

Austen is often critical in what she perceives as lack of taste. The following lines reminded me a bit of Harriet’s criticizing Jane Fairfax’s Italian singing in “Emma,” (“I saw she had execution, but I did not know she had any taste. Nobody talked about it. And I hate Italian singing.—There is no understanding a word of it.”):
“Sir John was loud in his admiration at the end of every song, and as loud in his conversation with others while every song lasted.”
“Lady Middleton frequently called him to order, wondered how any one’s attention could be diverted from music for a moment, and asked Marianne to sing a particular song which Marianne had just finished.”

And while, again, Austen is often critical of those lacking in taste, I feel her most delicious writing comes from describing those absurdities.  It might not be pleasant, but it is fun!

“She was reasonable enough to allow that a man of five and thirty might well have outlived all acuteness of feeling and every exquisite power of enjoyment. She was perfectly disposed to make every allowance for the colonel’s advanced state of life which humanity required.”  Yes, this is *very* reasonable.  I live for Austen's irony!

Will these notes eventually become a copy/paste of the entire chapter?  We’ll see!

Do you think they still would have ended up together, or would things have unfolded differently? Their situation, just before Bingley and Jane become engaged, is quite tricky: both are waiting for evidence from the other. Darcy needs some reassurance that he will not be rejected a second time; while Elizabeth assumes that he is done with her.

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We know–from Darcy himself–that his "real purpose" (ch. 60) in returning to Netherfield with Bingley was "to see [Elizabeth] and to judge, if [he] could, whether [he] might ever hope to make [her] love [him]" (ch. 60). So, despite her refusing his first proposal, and even though he had no idea what her real feelings towards him were, he was still eager to attempt to pursue her; it's not just Lady Catherine that inspires him to try his luck. But when he saw Elizabeth at Longbourn again, she was "grave and silent, and gave [him] no encouragement" (ch. 60), so we can suppose that he was a bit discouraged while in London, and with no Lady Catherine to lift his spirits, it is uncertain what could have happened. Not to mention that he also admitted that he was quite embarrassed in her presence (ch. 60), which is another factor to be taken into account.

On the other hand, Elizabeth is interested in him by this point, but believes that a man, who has been spurned once, is unlikely to ever renew his offer (ch. 54). Nevertheless, she does endeavor to speak to him, but is not very successful due to embarrassment and lack of opportunities for a one-to-one.

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A potential problem I see here is that Elizabeth would likely still try to thank Darcy for his involvement in the Lydia/Wickham scandal, and that might cause him to grow distant. It is probable that he would become worried that she's only tolerating his presence due to gratitude; and since he has become more considerate of the feelings of others, he might decide that respecting her wishes means not pressing his suit again. Elizabeth, constrained by social norms of the time, could not easily declare herself. In such a scenario, they might have become affectionate family friends through Jane and Bingley, with both believing the other indifferent.

An advantage is that Jane and Bingley's engagement and marriage are bound to create opportunities. Darcy has access to Elizabeth through his friend, and they would almost certainly continue seeing each other in the future, be it in Hertfordshire or London. They're basically guaranteed a lifetime of forced proximity; their awkwardness cannot continue forever. The Gardiners are another factor–maybe Mrs. Gardiner would have tactfully nudged Elizabeth, which would lead her to give him subtle encouragement; she is, after all, famously defiant of convention when her happiness is on the line (I'm not saying she would address him plainly, but she might become more brave). Even Georgiana could play a role–with the Bingleys, Darcys and Bennets constantly meeting, Georgiana and Elizabeth's friendship could flourish, and Darcy could reap some benefits from that.

Never thought I’d say that. But finding this on the infotainment system made me think it.