Pride and Prejudice

Ø  Seventh child of the rector of the parish

Ø  Moved to Bath after her father retired in 1801

Ø  In 1809 settled in Charton, near Alton, Hampshire

Ø  In 1817, moved to Winchester to be near her doctor

Ø  Died in 1817, July 18 at Winchester

Ø  Father- Rev. George Austen; Mother- Canadra Leigh

Ø  Her father had constructive influence on her growth as an artist

Ø  Few things about her family:

Ø  Austen described to her nephew Edward about her works modestly as “the little bit (two in inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a Brush as produces little effect after much labour.”

Ø  Four novels published in her lifetime:

o   Sense and Sensibility (1811)

o   Pride and Prejudice (1813)

o   Mansfield’s Park (1814)

o   Emma(1815)

Ø  Two novels- “Northenger Abbey” and “Persuasion”- published posthumously in 1817 with a biographical notice by her brother, Henry Austen. With this formal announcement of her authorship was made

Ø  She left two earlier compositions- a. A short epistolary novel “Lady Susan”. B. An unfinished novel “The Watsons”

Ø  Pride and Prejudice was Austen’s second novel

Ø  The pen name of Jane Austen is A Lady

Ø  Austen in her earlier period wrote  short parody pieces of fiction known as her Juvenalia

Ø  First version of Pride and Prejudice was entitled “First Impressions”

Ø  First Impression was refused by a publisher

Ø  Austen accepted a proposal of marriage from Harris Bigger Wilther, but she changed her mind on the following day

·       Pride and Prejudice can be best described as a popular romantic drama

·       Austen described Pride and Prejudice as “rather too light and bright and sparkling” in her letter

·       First full- fledged English novel- Richardson’s Pamela

·       The course of Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship is ultimately decided when Darcy overcomes his pride, and Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice, leading them both to surrender to their love for each other.

·       Elizabeth Bennet is twenty years old and is intelligent, lively, playful, attractive, and witty—but with a tendency to judge on first impression (the “prejudice” of the title) and perhaps to be a little selective of the evidence on which she bases her judgments.

·       Mr. Darcy is the twenty-eight year old wealthy owner of the renowned family estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire, and is rumoured to be worth at least £10,000 a year.

·       Mr. Bennet, Esquire is a late-middle-aged landed gentleman of a modest income of £2000 per annum

·       Jane Bingley (née Bennet) is the eldest Bennet sister. Twenty-two years old when the novel begins, she is considered the most beautiful young lady in the neighbourhood. As Anna Quindlen wrote, Jane is “sugar to Elizabeth’s lemonade”.

·       Mary Bennet is the only plain Bennet sister, and rather than join in some of the family activities, she mostly reads and plays music. According to James Edward Austen-Leigh’s A Memoir of Jane Austen, Mary ended up marrying one of her Uncle Philips’ law clerks (name not mentioned), and moving into Meryton with him.

·       Catherine “Kitty” Bennet is the fourth daughter at 17 years old

·       Charles Bingley, Esquire is a handsome, affable, amiable, good-natured and wealthy young gentleman (a parvenu/nouveau riche) of 23-years-old at the beginning of the novel, who leases Netherfield Park, an estate 3 miles from Longbourn, with the hopes of purchasing it. his two sisters, Miss. Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Louisa Hurst

·       Caroline Bingley is the vainglorious, snobbish sister of Charles Bingley, with a dowry of £20,000

·       George Wickham has been acquainted with Mr Darcy since infancy, being the son of Mr Darcy’s father’s steward

·       William Collins, aged 25, is Mr Bennet’s distant, clergyman cousin, and heir presumptive to his estate of Longbourn

·       Edward Gardiner is Mrs Bennet’s brother and a successful tradesman of sensible and gentlemanly character. Aunt Gardiner is close to her nieces Jane and Elizabeth

·       Charlotte Collins (née Lucas) is Elizabeth’s friend who, at 27 years old

·       In Pride and Prejudice, the failure of Mr and Mrs Bennet as parents is blamed for Lydia’s lack of moral judgment

·       American novelist Anna Quindlen gave an introduction to an edition of Austen’s novel in 1995.

·       Money plays a key role in the marriage market, not only for the young ladies seeking a well-off husband, but also for men who wish to marry a woman of means.

·       Pride and Prejudice, like most of Austen’s other works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech, which has been defined as “the free representation of a character’s speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character’s thoughts, or the way the character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke”.

·       Austen began writing the novel after staying at Goodnestone Park in Kent with her brother Edward and his wife in 1796.

·        It was originally titled First Impressions, and was written between October 1796 and August 1797.

·       In the years between the completion of First Impressions and its revision into Pride and Prejudice, two other works had been published under that name: a novel by Margaret Holford and a comedy by Horace Smith

·       Anne Isabella Milbanke, later to be the wife of Lord Byron, called it “the fashionable novel”.

·       An example of a social custom is voiced by Lady Catherine: “Young women should always be properly guarded and attended, according to their situation in life” (Austen 179)

·       Elizabeth and Darcy married on terms of equality, which Austen makes clear is the better marriage: “He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal.”

·       Pride and Prejudice was written during an epoch when France was in the midst of a violent revolutionary upheaval and vividly depicts the social response to those events in England. England had already undergone a major social upheaval with the dethronement and execution of Charles I and the Glorious Revolution of 1688, laying the essential basis for evolution of liberal democracy.

·       Pride and Prejudice depicts this silent process of social transformation in the lives of the English gentility. The whole process is summarized in Elizabeth’s accusations against Darcy, accusing him of arrogance, pride, conceit, and selfish disdain for others. Darcy’s conscious individual response epitomizes the collective subconscious response of the English upper classes.

1.      “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune not be in want of a wife”- An equivocal statement

2.     The prosperity of the heroines be described, particularly Elizabeth as – upward social mobility

3.       The title Pride and Prejudice  taken from Frances Burney’s Cecilia

4.      “… they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.”- The speaker is Mr. Bennet

5.       Chaise and four: a four wheeled closed carriage drawn by two or four horses, used as a family carriage which could hold three people. An income if 800-1000 pound yearly was needed to keep such a carriage. A  ‘coach’ would be a covered carriage having two facing seats for six people

6.      “Michaelmas” refers to 29^th September, the feast of St. Michael

7.       “Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts”- Here ‘parts’ means – ‘a personal quality or attribute … intellectual kind… abilities, capacities, talent” OED

8.     “to be sure”– Mrs. Bennet’s favourite expression may owe something to Sheridan’s School for Scandal(1777) .

9.     ‘four or five thousand a year’: a large income which places Bingley’s among the wealthiest of the characters in Austen’s fiction.

10.   ‘quick parts’: quick witted possessing natural talents.

11.     ‘develop’: Austen’s use of the term is now closer to its obsolete meaning, ‘to unfold or unfurl’, in this case suggesting that Mrs. Bennet’s thought process are not difficult to discern.

12.     “Where she was discontented she fancied herself nervous”– ‘nervous’ means a state of mind, fashionable during the 18^th century, associated with mainly women. A kind of physical and mental depression

Chapter –II

13.     “… who shall meet him at the assemblies”– ‘assemblies’ refers to public halls funded by subscription usually, sometimes attached to an inn

14.    “Do you consider the forms of introduction…”- ‘forms of introduction’ refers to strict hierarchical rules to be followed while introducing a person to another

15.     “If I had known as much this morning, I certainly would not have called on him.”– Mr. Bennet to his wife

16.    “…They were at last obliged to accept the second lord intelligence of their neighbour Handy Lucas”- ‘Intelligence’ means news, information here

17.    ‘trimming a hat’: decorating hats was very fashionable in the later 1790s.

18.   ‘assemblies’: public halls funded by subscription and held in assembly rooms which might be purpose built or part of an inn.

19.   Circumspection: cautious observation of the circumstances.

20.  I’m the tallest: Lydia’s pride is partly an indication of her early physical maturity, and partly a reflection of contemporary ideals of feminine beauty.

Chapter –III

21.     “But his friend … soon draw the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome feelings, noble mein’– Who is meant by ‘his friend’?- Mr. Darcy

22.    Darcy’s income- $10000 per year

23.    “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me”- Where did Darcy say this?

24.   “Elizabeth had been obliged by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances”- Why?

A.    The rules based on Bean Mashes dictated that partners were changed after two dances

25.   Where did the Bennet family live?- Longbourn village

26.  Blue coat: blue was a fashionable colour for men’s coat.

27.   In town: in London

28.  ‘Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly’

29.  ‘decided fashion’: unquestionable style. ‘decided’ also carries suggestion of resolution or determination, and ‘fashion’ is now obsolete of his high social status.

30.  ‘ten thousand a year’- Mr. Darcy’s income is double that of Bingley’s- a vast fortune.

31.    ‘large estate in Derbyshire’: Mr. Darcy’s wealth is based on land ownership. Derbyshire is a county in the north Midlands renowned for its beautiful scenery and fine country houses.

32.   Amiable: friendly disposition, causing someone to be liked by others.

33.   Stupid: Bingley probably uses the word in its contemporary colloquial meaning of tiresome or boring.

34.   ‘down the dance’: dances generally involved in the lines of couples and often required those at the head to pass down the line to the other end.

35.   Boulenger: a lively dance originating in France

36.  Lace: a fashionable and often very expensive trimming for the dresses in the period.

Chapter –IV

37.    “Oh! You are great deal too apt you know, to little people in general. You never see fault in any body. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being i my life”- Elizabeth to Jane while reflecting upon the days with in Bingley

38.   “It is just what a young man ought to be”- Jane said of Mr. Bingley

39.   “Affectation of Candour is common enough…”- ‘Candour’ means “Sweetness of temper, purity of mind ingenuity, openness”- Dr. Johnson

40.   “But to be candid written ostentation as design”- to take the good of everybody’s character and make it still better, and to say nothing of the bad- belongs to you alone.- Elizabeth to Jane

41.    “Private Seminaries”?- Boarding schools for girls coming into existence in the 18^th  and 19^th centuries. Fees from 12 to 100 pound a year. Typical curriculum: English, French, Geography, History, writing, drawing, dancing and music.

42.  Mr. Binglay inherited  property from his father amounting to – a hundred thousand pound

43.   “Liberty of a man as” means – the right to school game

44.   ‘Binglay was endeared to Darcy because of the easiness, openness, ductility of his temper.”

45.   Binglay depended on Darcy’s strength of regard and his judgement’

46.  “Miss Bennet, he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.”– First impression. But she was considered a ‘sweet girl’.

47.  Candour…..candid: rather than suggesting the modern meaning of excessive frankness, these words are defined by Johnson as ‘candour- sweetness of temper, purity of mind, openness, ingenuity and kindness’ and ‘candid- free from malice; not desiring to find fault’.

48.  Trade: those whose wealth derived from trade were often regarded as lower in the social hierarchy than the older landed families.

49.  Liberty of a manor: the rights to shoot game.

50.  Of age two years: Bingley is 23. At this period men came of at 21, acquiring adult status in legal terms.

Chapter –V (V.I)

51.    Sir William Lucas –

Ø  Was a trader in Merryton

Ø  Became a mayor through election by councillors

Ø  Knighted during the reign of George III (1811-1820)

Ø  This made him hate his business

Ø  Left business and settled as a pseudo-gentry

Ø  Austen’s satire is obvious here

52.   Eldest Miss Lucas (Charlotte, friend of Elizabeth was aged – 27

53.   “Pride relates more to our opinions of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”- Mary Bennet said this

54.   ‘address to the king, during his mayorality’: the mayor was the head of the local council, usually elected by other members. The king in question is George III

55.   Lucas Lodge: perhaps inspired by The White Lodge in Richmond Park built in 1727 for George II

56.  St. Jame’s…..courteous: the Court, where Sir William was knighted – hence the carefully chosen courteous.

57.   “keep a carriage…a hack chaise”: Mrs. Long’s inability to afford a carriage means that she had to hire her transport to the ball. The cost of keeping carriages made them a ready indicator of social status and success

58.  ‘pride’: Mary’s observations reflect her study of great books and Austen’s ability to parody the sermons and conduct of literature of her day.

59.  ‘pack of fox hounds’: fox hunting became increasingly popular in the eighteenth century, gradually superseding hare or stag hunting.

Chapter –VI (V.I)

60.  “The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on chose of Netherfield”- ‘waited on’ means ‘visited’

61.   “A steady relationship of good will increased between Jane and Mr. Binglay. While Jane was hopeful, Elizabeth still saw superciliousness in their treatment.”- ‘superciliousness’ means?

A.      coolly and patronizingly haughty

62.  “But if a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find out”- Elizabeth told Charlotte about Jan and Binglay. But Charlotte’s observation is more practical in following a proactive approach.

63.  “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” – Charlotte Lucas observed it

64.  In the initial stage Darcy-

·       Began to find that though Elizabeth had hardly a good feature in her face, it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes.

·       He was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing

·       In spite of her prejudiced behaviour with him, he “was caught by their easy playfulness.”

·       Elizabeth was prejudiced again him and could understand nothing of it

65.  “Complaisance” and “Complacency”:

Ø  “Complaisance” –‘the action of habit of making oneself agreeable: desire and care to please.” (OED)

Ø  “Complacency”- ‘the fact or person tranquil pleasure or satire facts in something or one”

The two words could be synonymous in Austen’s time

66.  “I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow.”- Darcy to Miss Bingley after Elizabeth’s refusal t dance with him

67.  “A lady’s imagination is very rapid, it gives from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment”- Darcy to Miss Bingley after his professed praise of Elizabeth

68.  “Entitled in default of heirs male”

Ex: The Bennet estate was entitled in “fee tail male”, a frequent common low- arrangement which ensured that only male could inherit.

69.   The village of Longbourn was only one mill from Meryton

70.  Conceals her affection: Charlotte’s comment reflects an issue that figures in 18^th century conduct literature.

71.    ‘Vingtun better than Commerce’– popular card games involving bates and barters.

72.   “keep your breath to cool your porridge”: a proverbial retort to someone offering unwanted advice.

73.   “… long concerto, was glad to purchase praise and gratitude by Scotch and Irish airs”: Mary’s concerto seems lengthy to those listening. The less formal airs that follow reflect the popularity of Scottish and Irish songs and dances in the period.

74.  “Every savage can dance”: a commonplace of Enlightenment thought.

Ch- VII

75.   Reverie: the French word had the fashionable following the publication of Rousseau’s “Reveries of a Solitary Walker” in 1782

76.  “estate of two thousand a year… in default of heirs male”: Mr. Bennet’s estate indicates his social position as a gentleman of modern fortune.

77.   ‘milliner’s shop’: shop selling fabrics, fancy work, clothing, and accessories.

78.  ‘militia regiment’: the militia was a civil defence force, embodied at moments of national crisis. Austen’s brother Hemry joined the Oxford the militia in 1793.

79.  ‘the regiment of an ensign’: the militia was a civil defence force, embodied at moments of national crisis. Austen’s brother Henry joined the oxford militia in 1793, when the war with France broke out.

80.  Effusions: enthusiastic outpourings. A popular title for contemporary poems representing expressions of uncontrollable feeling.

81.   “I like a red coat myself very well”: a possible reminiscence of Sheridan’s “The Rivals”(1775).

82.  ‘Clarke’s library’: a circulating library lending books to subscribers. The Austens subscribed t Mrs. Martin’s Library when it opened in Stevenson in Dec. 1798

Chapter –VIII (V.I)

83.   ‘half past six’: this was late for dining in the period and suggests the influence of fashionable London habits.

84.  “I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost ill”- Mrs. Hurst (Binglay, elder sister) said of Elizabeth on the latter’s dirty appearance because of walking all the way t Netherfield from Longbown on foot.

85.  “I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud.”- Miss Bingley

86.  “… above her ankles in dirt… it seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum”- Miss Bingley said to Elizabeth

What is “decorum”?

87.  “It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing”- said Mr. Bingley

88.  “… they (Elizabeth’s eyes) brightened by the exercise”.- Darcy said

89.  “Yes they have another (uncle) lives somewhere near Cheapride”- What is Cheapride? – Cheapride was located in London and was near a place for trades

90.  ‘Loo’ was a game of cards. The ‘loo’ was the same forfeited by any player who fails to win a trick

91.   ‘Comprehend’– used in Johnson’s first sense “to compromise, to include, to imply”

92.  “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages to deserve the world… or the world will but half deserved.”- Miss. Bingley said with obvious reference to the lack of manners among the Bennet sisters. Austen’s insistence on female education is evident here

93.  “I can’t boast of knowing more than half a dozen in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished”- Darcy said . ‘Accomplished’ means educated and adept in female arts of period

94.  “I never saw such a woman (accomplished), I never saw such capacity and taste, and application and elegance as you describe, united”- Elizabeth, meaning that superficial arts cannot be a measure of a person’s value. An indirect criticism of contemporary female education by Austen

95.   “… there is meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable”- Darcy said in a veiled criticism of Miss Bingley’s art of following Darcy

96.  “ the improvement of her mind”: Darcy’s comment recalls the titles of temporary conduct books like Hester Chapone’s “Letters on the Improvement of the Mind”(1773)

Chapter –IX (V.I)

97.  “In a country neighbourhood you, more in a very confined and…… society”- Darcy

98.  “But people themselves alter so much that there is something now to be observed in them forever.”- Elizabeth

99.  ‘poetry as the food of love’: an allusion to Orsino’s speech in Twelfth Night, “If music be the food of love, play on.”

Chapter –X (V.I)

100.   “Piquet”- Complex game of cards played by two people using 32 cards

101. “Darcy had never been so bewildered by any woman as he was by her: He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of …. he should be in some danger”- The danger of falling in love

102. “It would not be easy to cater their expression their colour and shape, and the eye lashes, so remarkable fine, might be copied”- Darcy to Miss Bingley in reply to latter’s proposal for a portrait of Elizabeth at Pemberlay

103. “The picturesque would be spoilt”- Elizabet refers jokingly to the contemporary fashion for the picturesque– fashion in both landscape and gardn design, somewhat different from the classical by being ‘natural’ a symmetrical lines

104.                  “Miss Eliza, let me persuade you to follow my example and take a turn about the room- I assure you it is very refreshing…”  Miss Bingley’s real purpose was to cross cheque whether Darcy would ‘look up’

105. “Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride- where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always a good regulator”- Elizabeth

106.                  “I cannot forget the follies and vices of others as soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My good opinion once lost is lost forever”- Darcy

107. “There is … in every disposition a tendency to some particular evils a natural defect , which not even the best education can overcome”- Darcy

Chapter-XI

108.                  Stretch himself on one of the sofas: Austen’s favourite poet, William Cowper, light-heartedly presented the sofa as a symbol of luxury and indolence in his mock-heroic opening to “The Task”.

Chapter -XII

109.                  ‘through bass’: a study of musical harmonies. There is also a pun on ‘base’, reflecting Mary’s great interest in the sins of mankind.

Chapter -XIII

110.  ‘the offered olive branch’: the phrase echoes that used by Elisa Brand, the obsequious and insensitive clergyman in Samule Richardson, epistolary novel, “Clarissa”

Chapter -XIV

111.   ‘quadrille’: card game for four people, playe with 40 cards.

112.  ‘Fordyce’s Sermons’: James Fordyce’s “ Sermons to Young Women” (1776)

113.  ‘backgammon’: a board game for two players.

Chapter –XV (V.I)

114. Collins got a parish at Hunsford

Chapter –XVI (V.I)

115. “How abominable- I wonder that the very pride of this Mr. Darcy has not made him just to you / If from the better motive, that he should not have been too proud to be dishonest”- Elizabeth to Wickham

116.  “It is wonderful, for about all his actions may be traced to pride”- Wickham to Elizabeth

117.  ‘the fish’: small counters used in games, often in the shape of a fish.

Chapter –XVII

118.   ‘the shrubbery’: shrubberies had become popular in late 18^th century gardens, providing convenient seclusion.

119.  ‘shoe-rose’: ornamental roses made from ribbons became fashionable decorations for shoes in the 1790s.

Chapter –XVIII

120. “A deeper shade of hauteur miss read her features…”- “hauteur” means loftiness.

121.  “You have delighted us long enough. Let other young ladies have time to exhibit.”- Mr. Beaunet to Marcy

122. “tythes”: Also spelt ‘tithes’- a tent of the gross income from all cultivated land within a parish

Chapter –XIX (V.I)

123. Collins proposed to Elizabeth and the latter refused

124. “ to reject the address”: although Mr. Collins refers to refusals of marriage  proposals, his phrase has topical resonance: “Rejected Addresses” was the title of parodies by James and Horace Smith.

Chapter –XXI (V.I)

125. “An unhappy alternative is before you. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins and I will not see you again if you do.”- Mr. Beaunet to Elizabeth

Chapter –XXI (V.I)

126. Grosvenor Street: street running from New Bond Street to Grosvenor’s square in London’s exclusive Mayfair area, just to the east of Hyde Park.

127. “…. Miss Lucas (Charlotte) accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested device of an establishment. Cared not how soon that establishment were gained.”- said about Collins Charlotte

128. “Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony , marriage had always been her objects; it was the only honourable persuasion for well educated young men of small fortune.”- said about Collins- Charlotte

129. “I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic you know. I ask only a comfortable home … I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state”- Charlotte to Elizabeth

Chapter – XXII

130. ‘coming out’: entering society. Being out meant that a young woman was considered to be of marriageable age.

VOL-2

Chapter -24

131.  “The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it, and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense”- Eliza to Jane

132. “I have met with two instances. Lately one I will not mention; the other is Charlotte’s marriage”- What is the first one?

Ans: Marriage between her father and mother

133. “Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man…”- Elizabeth to Jane

Chapter -25

134. Gracechurch Street: a street in the city of London , running north from London Bridge to Bishopsgate.

Chapter -27

135. “Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains?”– Elizabeth on the plan to visit to the Lake district

136. The lakes: The lake district in the north west of England, a popular tourist destination by the late 18^th century

137. Spleen: irritability and low spirits.

138.                        “We will know where we have gone – we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains and rivers shall not be jumbled together in our imagination”- Elizabeth- romantic sensibility

Chapter -28

139. “She looks sickly and cross- Yes, she will do for her very well. She will make him a proper wife.”- Elizabeth after seeing Miss De Borough

140.                  ‘low phaeton’: Felton commented that ‘timid and infirm people prefer low phateons; the infirm because they are easy of access.

Chapter -29

141. “enumeration of the windows… what the glazing altogether had originally cost”: windows had been subject to tax since 1696.

142. ‘to town every spring for the benefit of masters’: private musical tuition was available in London.

143. “Without a governess you must have been neglected”- Lady Catherine

Chapter -30

144.Gig: an open two-wheeled carriage with a seat for the driver and one passenger, sometimes a groom’s seat behind.

145. ‘not in the commission of the peace . . . parish: although lady Catherine does not officially serve as a magistrate or Justice of the Peace, appointed to preside over minor legal cases in the area, she behaves as if this is her role.

Chapter -31

146.                  “I should have judged better, had I sought an introduction, but I am still ill qualified to recommend myself as strong as”- Darcy to Eliza

Chapter -32

147. ‘All field sports were over’: by April, the hunting and shooting seasons had finished, leaving the young men with less to occupy their time in the country.

Chapter -33

148.‘love of solitary walks’: solitary walks suggest Elizabeth’s affinities with important writers of the period, such as Rousseau, whose “Reveries of a Solitary  Walker” had appeared in 1782.

149.                  “… tis congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage”-

Chapter -34

150. “ If you my dear father will not take the trouble cheating her exuberant spirit, and … .Must her present pursuit  are not to be the business of her life, she…………….” Eliza to Lydia.

Chapter -35

151.  ‘turnpike road’: road kept up by tolls charged by travellers

152. ‘reading that letter?’: Mr. Darcy’s letter breaks contemporary social convention since correspondence between the sexes was only acceptable if the couple were engaged.

153. Ramsgate: a seaside town on the Kent coast, probably visited by Austen in 1803 when her brother Frank was stationed there.

Chapter -36

154. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s mother was Lady Anne Fitzwilliam, Colonel Fitzwilliam’s aunt. The ‘Fitz’ prefix indicates the name of an aristocratic family.

Chapter -37

155. ‘daughters are never of so much consequence to a father’: Lady Catherine.

156. ‘the Bell’: a coaching inn at Bromley, then a village south-east of London on the road from Kent.

Chapter -39

157.  Bonnet: Lydia’s desire to pull it to pieces reflects the common practice of altering hats at home.

158.  Brighton: a very fashionable resort on the south coast of England, patronized by the Prince Regent.

159. ‘the welfare and poultry’: Austen’s use of the zeugma (the same verb used for two unrelated objects) is a comic technique perhaps learned from Pope.

Chapter -42

160.                  “Her father captivated by youth and beauty and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give had married a women whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in…”

161.  “… the continual breach of conjugal obligation and decorum…”

162. “talents, which, rightly used, might at least have preserved the respectability of his daughters…”

163. “I may enter his county with impunity, and rob it of a few petrified spars without his perceiving me.” – ‘Impunity’ and ‘Spars’ mean?

164.                  “It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills”- Pemberley

165. “…and at that moment she [Elizabeth] felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!” Note the chapter here.

166.                  “And of this place,” thought she, “I might have been mistress! With these rooms I might now have been familiarly acquainted! Instead of viewing them as a stranger, I might have rejoiced in them as my own. . . I should not have been allowed to invite them.”

167. “This was a lucky recollection—it saved her from something very like regret.”

Volume-III

Chapter -43

168.         Mrs. Reynolds: the name of the housekeeper is surely no accident: normally the Reynolds in a gallery would be on the wall.

169.         ‘affable to the poor’: in his courteous behaviour to the poor, the elder Mr. Darcy embodied a late 18^th century ideal of benevolence.

170. Pain or of a pleasure: a common opposition in 18^th century writing.

171.  Bakewell: a small town on the Wye in Derbyshire.

172. Curricle: an open carriage with two wheels.

Chapter-45.

173. Brown and coarse: pale complexions were fashionable for women, but Elizabeth’s suntan reflects her disregard for constricting fashions and her enjoyment of being out of doors.

Chapter -46

174.  Meryton is 10 miles from the great North Road.

175.  Barnet and Hatfield: Hertfordshire towns, where Wickham and Lydia might be expected to alight, as the horses were changed for the next leg of the journey.

Chapter -47

176.  Grenta Green: the Scottish town nearest the Border, on the main road north from Carlisle, and hence famous for marriages of eloping couples.

Chapter -49

177.  Monday, August 2: the date of this letter has been much debated in attempts to fit the novel to a particular year.

Chapter -50

178. ‘Ensigncy in General’s regiment’: Wickham, now helped out of his financial difficulties, has the prospect of a commission in the regular army rather than the militia.

Chapter -51

179. Newcastle: a town on the north-east coast of England, famous for its trade in coal from the Durhamm coal mines.

180.         First of September: the shooting season for partridges begins on 1^st September.

181.  ‘the Little Theatre’: built in 1720 in the Haymarket in London’s West End was demolished in 1821.

182. Beyond the hour: marriages could not take place after twelve noon.

Chapter -52

183. ‘borrowed feathers’: the reference is to Aesop’s Fable of the Jackdaw or Jay which represents the man in debt, who shows off using other people’s money.

Chapter -55

184. Equipage: an elegant carriage with its attendants. The carriage would undoubtedly be decorated with the crest of the De Bourgh family.

185. ‘A report of a most alarming nature’: the source of this report has been a matter of speculation.

Chapter -56

186.         ‘a young olive-branch’: Mrs. Collins is expecting a baby. If it is a boy, he will be the heire to the Bennet estae.

Chapter -59

187. ‘the restoration of peace’: this may refer to the Peace of Amiens of 1802, which would mean that the novel is set in the 1790s at the time if its original composition.

A.     Her father

2.     “…the little bit (two in inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a Brush as produces little effect after much labour.” Who described Austen’s work thus:

A.     Austen herself

3.     Where do we get hint of Napoleanic War with England?

A.     In the movement of the troops which Wickham joined

4.     The attributes ‘Pride’ and ‘Prejuce’ are shared by

A.     Elizabeth and Darcy

5.     The title refers to

A.     Attributes of mind [not characters]

6.     Was Austen a feminist

A.    Not sure [sometimes feminist, sometimes accepting the conservative society]

7.     The novel is marked by its structural use of

A.     Irony

8.     The places where balls would be arranged were also called:

A.     Marriage Mart

9.     In Pride and Prejudice, money means

A.     Land ownership

10.   What is the narrative point of view in the novel?

A.     Third Person (Omniscient)

11.     What kind of literary work is the novel?

A.     Romantic Comedy

12.    Does the ending of the novel suggest that Austen supported the status quo?

A.    Yes

B.     No

C.     Uncertain [some consider Austen a conservative writer, some consider her subversive]

13.    Who said,  “Indeed, Jane, you ought to believe me. No one who has ever seen you together can doubt his affection”?

A.     Elizabeth

14.   Who said, “So, Lizzy,” said he one day, “Your sister is crossed in love, I find. I congratulate her”?

A.     Mr. Bennet

15.    When does the novel reach its climax?

A.    Darcy finally proposes to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth accepts him.

16.   Pride and Prejudice employs the narrative technique of

A.      free indirect speech

17.    Mr. Bennet’s estate is entailed to Mr. Collins because he is

A.     Closest male heir

18.   Where is Elizabeth when Darcy first proposes to her?

A.     Charlotte’s home in Kent

19.   Who does Elizabeth believe is primarily responsible for Bingley’s lack of attentions to Jane?

A. Binglay’s sisters

20.  Who is Elizabeth with when she surprises Darcy at Pemberley?

A.     Her aunt and uncle

21.    Who is particularly jealous of Darcy’s admiration of Elizabeth?

A.     Caroline Bingley

22.   Who says the following: “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.”

A.     Charlotte Lucas

23.   Who says the following: “I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow.”

A.     Darcy

24.  Who says the following: “Ten thousand a year! Oh, Lord! What will become of me! I shall go distracted!”

A.    Mrs. Bennet

25.   Whose visit makes Darcy hope that Elizabeth might accept his proposal of marriage?

A.     Lady Catherine De Bourgh

26.  Wickham claimed that Darcy denied him the living of which profession?

A.     A clergyman

27.   Where do Darcy and Elizabeth first meet?

A.     Local ball

28.  Which of the following is revealed in Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth?

A.     Darcy’s innocence regarding Wickham’s situation

29.  “Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts” “Quick parts’ means

A.     quick witted, possessing natural talents

30.   “…They were at last obliged to accept the second lord intelligence of their neighbour Handy Lucas”- ‘Intelligence’ means

A.     news, information here

31.     The village of Longbourn was only

A.     one mill from Meryton