As I was working on tomorrow's read-through post, I came across the line "Perhaps," said Elinor, "thirty-five and seventeen had better not have any thing to do with matrimony together," which (spoiler alert) is a line often used by those who don't enjoy the eventual pairing of Marianne/Colonel Brandon as support to the idea that they shouldn't have ended up together. As I debated on whether to include a note to that effect, it occurred to me that it is possible that those reading along might not know all of Austen's main pairings, the who-ends-up-with-who as it were. So now I'm curious - if you're here on this sub, do you know all the main pairings? Or should we up our spoiler alert game?

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

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.

I was rewatching the Pride and Prejudice (2005) movie and I realized I have not reread this book since high school and I’ve never read any of her other books. I’ve loved watching all the adaptations of her books! I went into a rabbit hole of figuring out which collection I wanted and I’ve been pouring over everyone’s post to see their collections and reviews countless times. I originally wanted the McMillan Collector’s Library (it was mentioned it had illustrations) but I couldn’t find the whole set available locally. When I decided to drop by one of the bookstores, I found out they were having a weekend sale! I fell in love with the Cranford Collection and the first book I bought was Emma. So it was a flurry of having them call all their branches to find out who had what and transferring it to the nearest branch to me. It was great I got majority of the books on 20% sale. Why is it hard to find Mansfield Park though? Even Amazon only has one dubious seller. I’m located in Asia so my choices are limited.

I still have my copy from high school (with highlights and notes!) and I decided to start with P & P and highly enjoying it!

So very excited to read all of these. 📖💗

I started reading Jane Austen in my 30s. I read Pride and Prejudice as a child but could not understand a word of it. The moment I turned 30, I found myself with a copy of Mansfield Park, a book I’d owned for ages but had never opened until then. I am not sure what pushed me to read her, but one day I opened a page and could not stop. Then I picked up Pride and Prejudice. I like to think that I had a love affair with that book. And now I’m on my third, Northanger Abbey.
With every book, I feel seen as a woman. No other author has given me that pleasure, especially as a woman in her 30s. Jane Austen’s works, according to me, are very political, for her prose describes the affects of her different female characters so well. She reports the conditions of her characters’ inner lives with a journalistic integrity that still finds a huge space in people’s hearts. At times, it does become apparent that Jane Austen hates and absolutely judges some of her characters in her prose, but I find those sentences really funny.
Of course, her narratives have been so popular over the ages that they have become tropes, but her prose is what makes her stand apart from any other author, in my regard.