Jane Austen discussion

(Gardiners' tour of the Lakes to Derbyshire, and Pemberley. The housekeeper backs up he changing opinion of Darcy and then Darcy himself arrives, and they are invited to dine at Pemberley.)

This has some of my all time favourite scenes! I love when they are walking around Pemberley hearing such a good account of Darcy from the house keeper and seeing the beautiful grounds and then the master himself turns up and is so affable and kind! The talk between then is so sweet- begins awkwardly and then they relax a little! I also love it when they go to Pemberley and we get the amazing line 'for it has been many months since I have considered her one of the handsomest woman of my acquaintance!' Boom! Ha Caroline Bingley!

Haha, yeah, Caroline, in your face!

It's especially well-crafted, because the readers are all, "Awww, he's in love! He's being so sweet and caring" but the thing is Lizzy's feelings are all still muddled and she's still not sure what she does feel for him. By this point we as the readers are already in love with him, but Lizzy's right in the thick of it that she can't deduce everything she's feeling. Her confusion of whether it's just gratitude, or actually love is really displayed well.

I've read this so many times that I tend to forget that just because Lizzy reads that letter doesn't mean she thinks he's going to be totally different in his manners. She's very surprised at how polite he is to the Gardiners etc., and how totally opposite his behavior is, compared with that in Meryton. It just struck me reading it this time around.

Mr. Darcy has been smitten from early in the novel, it was just his opening line that messed him up. haha

I agree LadyD. Poor Lizzy's mind is all confused! The letter is what messes with her mind, and then Darcy is so nice and all the other instances happen and they all add up to sort out her opinion for good :)

hahaha Marren! That is true ;) and this line is him expressing just how smitten he is, outloud!

I agree that Lizzy is very confused but I think there's also enough in these chapters to disprove the notion (from one of the other chats) that her feelings had anything to do with his property.

Certainly she begins to understand his background from it, why he is so proud of his heritage, and to think about what he was actually offering her, but she reminds herself that she would have had to give up her own family and that is enough to staunch her regret. There is no ambition there.

And I think she is right, if she'd taken him on that first proposal he would have always expected her to be grateful and would have tried to make her into a wife fit for the Darcy's of Pemberley, rather than being forced to look for the worth in who she really is.

She then begins to see Darcy differently and to realise that whatever her feelings are, he is not the man she thought him. Once she sees that he is someone whose good opinion is to be valued, she wants him to like her and she is open to liking him in return.

Wonderfully put and I couldn't agree more! :)
There is definitely enough evidence in those chapters!