I have read this
novel so many times that I could quote it to you. The first few times, I really
appreciated Elizabeth for her snark and wit. I thought it brought a nice
contrast to Jane who is rather prim and proper. Jane always seemed boring to
me. Events seem to happen around her and not to her. Does anyone agree?
I thought I liked Elizabeth. This read, I became annoyed with
her. One of the times I was particularly irritated was in Chapter 4 when she said
“Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never.” I know I would have
been in trouble had I said that today, and could only imagine how that would
have gone over coming from her when the book was published. Darcy was also
easily dislikable with his arrogant pride. He seems to be down on others opinions
and replies with an air of superiority to them.
My main issue with the two characters is there is little to
like. They have little in common, so I was given the impression that their
relationship was incredibly forced and the only real likable quality and similarity to them is
the fact that they are so unlikable that a reader can feel bad for them, at least I did. The fact that
they both seemed out of place was the only explanation to their relationship to
me. Did anyone else have this kind of issue with the characters?
If their relationship was forced, I feel it was meant to be that way. I feel there are two things going on here; First I believe that Jane Austen is poking fun at members of the upper class (of which she was a part of), secondly I feel that with the bigger issues and an unsure future lurking behind her Elizabeth needs a marriage to protect her. I find Mr. Darcy unlikeable, but I think that is supposed to be the point of his character.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes across as being forced because they both harbor this immediate disdain for each other. Mr Darcy feels he would be settling for the less attractive sister and Elizabeth finds him to be a nuisance. I think Austen wants it to feel forced so that if the characters end up together, the reader wouldn't necesarrelly see it coming. They would be caught off guard by how these two people who don't want each other end up wanting each other. I think there is a method to Jane Austen's madness but I agree that the opinion of the characters is entirely up to the reader.
ReplyDeleteCaroline: I love that you are thinking about how your own response to the novel has evolved/changed. I believe that happens as we re-read texts and come to "know" the characters better and better, a bit like how your response to actual people can evolve over time.
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