]That made me think that Marianne, at this point, is kind of torn between these two ideas--wishing, perhaps, to find some peace in seclusion, yet still wanting (and believing she ought?) to 'nourish her woe' and seek out the wildness.

I agree. When you wrote the thread, Precious, Invaluable Misery, I got to thinking along the same lines and came up with a similar conclusion. In my notes I said that although Marianne was 'reinfected' with a bout of misery it seemed to me that it lacked the intensity of her former hysterics. I think she is betwixt and between also. It would take much more time or something drastic to bring about a more deeply and lasting change. Behaviors that one has nurtured for a lifetime, especially with the passion of Marianne, would IMO make a sudden and complete change unbelievlable. This is what makes Marianne's setback work for me. While it still focuses, to a certain extent, on some lingering selfishness on Marianne's part, it is in keeping with what we know of her so far making, for what I think, is a more credible storyline.