Austen August: A Pride and Prejudice Read-A-Long discussion

This chapter opens with Austen basically saying that Mr Bennet should not have married his wife, but did so because her youth and beauty at the time made her have “an appearance of good humour”, and very soon after marriage, he found that appearance to be fake. “Respect, esteem and confidence had vanished for ever and all his views of domestic happiness were overthrown”. Ouch.

Elizabeth has always noted the way her father's “behaviour as a husband” and often disagreed with it but due to his affectionate behaviour for herself, she allowed herself to overlook it.

While Lizzie was happy for Wickham to go away, she is a little sad that the regiment has left, because there are no parties being held and because of this, her mother and sisters spend the days complaining about how dull every thing is.

She begins to think of her aunt's invitation from earlier this year to visit the lakes with them.

Lydia has began to write home, as she promised when she left, but they are short letters, basically describing which officers had paid her attention, the new gowns she got etc- typical Lydia stuff. She writes longer letters to Kitty but they are so heavily underlined they cannot be read to the rest of the family.

Slight timehop. A month passes along, and with the summer weather returning, the Bennets seem to have returned to their usual spirits now. Lizzie receives a letter from her aunt saying that due to time restrictions, they must give up the lakes and instead tour a shorter plan, just around Derbyshire instead. Lizzie is disappointed she won't be seeing the lakes, which she had set her heart on, but the thought of Derbyshire immediately made her think “of Pemberley and its owner..”

Another month passes, and the Gardiners arrive at Longbourn, stay one night and then take Lizzie with them on their trip.

And despite Lizzie being anxious in hoping that she doesn't bump into the owner in question: we are off to visit Pmeberley!

[END OF VOLUME 2!]