Textual Evidences for Jane and Joan, too (rather long)
Posted by Mylan on May 14, 1998 at 12:36:41:
In consequence of the missive, the actual words JA used, for your side? , penned by Jane Farmer on May 14, 1998 at 02:04:37
] ... the actual words JA used...
If you just take what she wrote and do not let your imagination does some exercises, what does JA's opening sentence mean to you "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."? Should I just take this in the spirit it was written? or should I infer some irony on JA's part?
Well, here are some clues in JA's words. Since she did not say,"I say this is what Lizzy is!", I think I am safe to make some interpretations of my own :-)
a) I believe that Darcy's snubbing Lizzy at the first ball, by wounding her pride, effectively piqued her interest in him, but not for material or marital purpose. In essence brought him to her attention more so than say, Bingley, who was handsome as well as obliging, but who probably did not interest her so much. AndreaDP believed that Lizzy was initially attracted to Darcy, but disengaged her possible feeling for a man who was capable of such "selfish disdain of the feeling of others" (wisely, too I may add!), but unable to forgive his pride, because he had mortified hers. I found nothing wrong with this opinion. It confirmed my belief that she was like any woman to feel slightly wounded when her beauty was judged as not enough to tempt a particular man, thus setting the stage for subsequent events.
b) I stated this before in my previous post, but here it is again: I've noticed that JA had used the word "arch" or "archly" few times to describe Lizzy's behaviors around Darcy. The first time, when she refused to dance with him, she looked "archly, and turned away." The second time, during the dance at the Netherfield ball, after Darcy asked," Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?". "Both" replied Elizabeth archly; "for I have always seen a great similarity in our turn of minds...". And then, finally, after dinner at Rosings, Lizzy was at the piano with Col. Fitzwilliam, saw Mr. Darcy approached, "turned to him with an arch smile, and said 'You mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy....?'". I could not find any other instance where JA used this term to describe the way Lizzy talked to either Wickham or Fitzwilliam. And even Darcy found Lizzy this way, too:
(While nursing Jane at Netherfield, in one evening when Darcy asked Lizzy to dance a reel and she refused) - ... Elizabeth, having rather expect to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner, which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her.
c) The dance at Netherfield! Other opinions informed me that he ambushed her into dancing with him and that how that conversation started. Again it was not consistent with Lizzy, in my opinion. She had already refused to dance with him twice!. One when being goaded on by Sir Lucas (and here was when she piqued Darcy's interest by refusing him) and one at Netherfield. If she really did not want to dance with him, she could turn him down. Refusing him again would not be a novel experience for her. Again, it was not what she said that gives me the clue, rather, it was what she did.
d) Even after discovered what has transpired between Wickham and Darcy - as reported by Wickham, Lizzy still, as Laura in her post phrased it:" Sought him out as a verbal sparring partner." Granted, he started the conversation, but was it necessary for her to engage in the "verbal swordplay" (Laura's words) if she really had no interest in him?
I did not think any of us ever said that there were evidences in the book that prove this, only clues. Evidences are for seeing, clues are for inferring. You cannot blame us for deducing certain things from the clues JA left and cannot demand of us always to come up with textual evidences because, frankly, I am exhausted ;-))) After all, there are the lawyers and there are the detectives; I guess some of us just want to be the detectives...!
I hope this will somewhat prove that we (Erin L., Marsha, Laura, and I, and anyone who has the same opinion) are not such an irrational bunch ;-) There are certain things that prompt us to feel that way. I don't even mention P&P2 because, like someone pointed out, was quite obvious in there too (look at JE's facial expressions around CF's Darcy). Someone at the helm of P&P2 certainly thought the same thing, so we cannot really be just an odd bunch of renegade! ;-))
(PS. I hope I did not displease anyone by mentioning your name and opinion in my post. If anyone have more to add, please do. Hopefully you will be more coherent than I...;-))
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