Sensation seeking
Posted by Patrick on January 19, 1998 at 15:27:44:
In response to She obviously didn't read P&P "creatively" enough, written by Erin on January 15, 1998 at 20:01:42
Erin:
] But you don't seem to accept what 'proof' I've offered to shape my point (e.g., Elizabeth's marital choice contra Charlotte's; or contrast between Elizabeth and Mary's intellectual approach, in my view each example discloses --on the part of Elizabeth-- a balance of sensibilities, a "happy medium" of will). I'll offer more here (although I do it with some pessimism, since I know you'll ultimately reject them).
Patrick:
Sorry to make you pessimistic :-(
My point is that the "proof" you offer can be taken as proof of different things - some in opposition to your own thesis. I shall attempt to make that case here.
Erin:
] On balance and rationality...on choice grounded in rational reflection versus choice based on the immediacy of sexual attraction: Lydia contra Elizabeth's marriages (even Mr. Bennet --ala Lydia-- vs. Elizabeth). In the former's debacle, clearly Austen is critical of Lydia's mode of attachment --she offers no true relief, movement (psychologically) for Lydia or Wickham. Why? I contend Austen disapproves of the way in which Lydia becomes attached to Wickham, out of lust, selfishness, and pride. (In this case, I'd emphasize the concept of 'lust' since selfishness and pride can result from reflection, however distorted).
Patrick:
Is Lizzy's choice grounded in rational reflection? I don't agree that the contrast between Lizzy and Lydia shows JA pushing "balance." In fact, I don't think that Lizzy vs. Lydia is a useful contrast, because it obscures the larger contrast mentioned in my last post. In other words, the difference between Lydia and, say, Charlotte, is less important than their similarity: neither of them makes authentic contact with other human beings. The contrast between Lizzy and the large set containing her parents, her sisters, Mr. Collins, the Bingley sisters, Lady C., the Lucases, and so on is not about balance and reflection, or lust constrained. It is about accepting the standard way of relating to people or overthrowing it. Lydia may violate a social proscription on sex before marriage, but that is not a revolutionary act. She is not creating a new way to relate to people.
Erin:
Elizabeth's choice of mate is grounded not in lust; rather out of products produced through detached (cf. period after Darcy's letter and her first visit to Pemberley), reflective thought.
Patrick:
Here, perhaps we can agree to disagree. What reflective thought she manages need not be seen as leading to her engagement to Darcy. It is rather beside the point. She repeatedly misreads Darcy, and late in the book, after Jane's engagement to Bingley, still has little intellectual access to his state of mind. (There's a passage, I think, where she says to herself something like, "If he does not say one word to me (or look at me, perhaps) tonight, I'll give up hope.") Her steady progress towards union with Darcy is driven by her emotions, her need for a genuine emotional bond with another human, not by her rather flawed thinking.
Erin:
Again, it's more of a general aesthetic of balance. Consider the fact when a smelling the rose, it inherently possesses a balance of fragrance and shape that appears (to most) pleasant to the nose and the eye.
Patrick:
No, IMHO, the rose does not inherently contain that balance. That balance is in your perception (because you're a rational person?).
Erin:
Rather for [Austen], authentic relationships are grounded in thoughtful, rational reflection. Again, re-read the steps Elizabeth begins to take after she reads Darcy's letter, read the scene where Elizabeth stands before Darcy's portrait at Pemberley...see how carefully Austen articulates those moments, she uses words like "discernment", " [she stood] in earnest contemplation" "gentle sensations [in her mind]", "every idea" "he represented", "she remembered his warmth"...all of these words/phrases imply acts of the mind, acts of reflection which are guided by the heart, open to itself. (Another example of the balance-aesthetic.)
Patrick:
No such implication for me. It is possible to read the text focusing on the sensory vocabulary: 'gentle sensations' and 'his warmth' are two examples from your post. One can see JA's real meaning in these words - not about rational reflection, but about sensation, about experiencing other people rather than evaluating and measuring them.
Erin:
] I think you're often correct in your intuitions, Patrick.
Patrick:
That makes you a member of a very small club. :-)
Erin:
I don't necessarily see our views as mutually exclusive.
Patrick:
Nor do I.
Erin:
I think you're right to say that Elizabeth and Darcy represent a 'victory' over the tyranny of social roles and rituals; but I don't think Austen attempts to show how one might renounce society, rather she presents a picture of how to receive relief within it.
Patrick:Renounce society? In the sense of going to live alone on an island, no. Lizzy and Darcy are not overtly trying to renounce society - but through them, JA is trying to change society.
Cheers,
Patrick
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