Posted by Kathy F. on June 19, 1997 at 10:52:21:
In reply to Re: "Gentleman" posted by jj on June 18, 1997 at 22:49:30
] Clergymen is another thing I don't understand. Could a man just "go into the church" without any kind of training as long as someone has given them a parish, or a "living", the way Brandon did to Edward in S&S?
________
Edward studied to be able to "take orders." (If you are referring to the movie, I can understand the confusion--it's never really shown that Edward needed some study time.) In the book, Elinor is counting the days from the time Edward left London for Oxford to begin studying and the time when she thinks he will be in orders, and therefore able to take the living, and therefore able to marry Lucy. I think it says that she supposed it was a few months of studying. (I guess it just took too long for it to be shown in the movie.)
Kathy