Question about/Pride and prejudice/

[symaa]

We do- I have moved the thread there.

Okay ,as you want but I think this forum is "devoted to writing essays, articles and stories where you can get help and advice about structure and style from other authors." But I just want to discuss the novel.Anyway thank you teacher.
Best regards

[elvis93]

Hello,
I hope that you had had a nice day.


Mr.Darcy offered Lizzy a proposal to marry her, and revealed his strong feeling that he admired her for a long time, but Elizabeth refused him beacause she had judged him unfairly.

So, my question is :

Why Mr.Darcy dissembled his feeling for quite a long time? And when they had met either in Netherfield or in Hunsford or wherever, he did not talk to her so much, just greeting or looking at her, moreover he was extremely cautious and felt the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.


Is it because he was too proud or he had some real reasons or justifications ?

Undoubtedly pride is one of the most obvious reason.
But that's not the only one.
It's important to notice the period when the story takes place : the eighteenth century.
A nobleman would have been seen as impure or insane if he had married a poor girl with such a low connections.
It's evident that Austen wants to highlight the struggle between "reason" and "feelings".
Darcy uses reason when he tends to avoid her or not speak to her.
Only afterwards he realizes that it's useless to put up a fight against "The Heart".

[5jj]

It's important to notice the period when the story takes place : the eighteenth early nineteenth century.
A nobleman would have been seen as impure or insane if he had married a poor girl with such a low connections.
I don't think 'impure' is an appropriate word here, though he would certainly have been considered very foolish. While the Bennetts were a little lower down the social scale than Darcy, and were tainted by having relations in trade, Darcy was a gentleman, not a nobleman; Lizzy's father was also a gentleman, as Lizzy pointed out quite sharply.

5

[elvis93]

Thanks for correcting me Mr. Fivejedjon.
That's interesting: I've always thought of Darcy as an exponent of the high aristocracy, i.e. a nobleman, because of his family relationship with Lady Catherine de Bourgh and his wealth :D

[symaa]

A nobleman would have been seen as impure or insane if he had married a poor girl with such a low connections./Especially lady Catherine who attempted to do everything in her power to oppose such a marriage which could, as she thought, damage Mr Darcy's position in society, moreover, Mr darcy himself was worried about marring Lizzy who belong to a family so much below his own in social importance/
It's evident that Austen wants to highlight the struggle between "reason" and "feelings".
Darcy uses reason when he tends to avoid her or not speak to her.
Only afterwards he realizes that it's useless to put up a fight against "The Heart"Good idea.

Thank you very much Elvis for your answer
I wish you all the best,

[symaa]

5

I don't think 'impure' is an appropriate word here, though he would certainly have been considered very foolish. While the Bennetts were a little lower down the social scale than Darcy, and were tainted by having relations in trade, Darcy was a gentleman, not a nobleman; Lizzy's father was also a gentleman, as Lizzy pointed out quite sharply.Yes ,you are right, when Lizzy talked to Lady Catherine she mentioned this:
``In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far we are equal.''
``True. You are a gentleman's daughter. But who was your mother? Who are your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of their condition.''
``Whatever my connections may be,'' said Elizabeth, ``if your nephew does not object to them, they can be nothing to you.''

But I think ,and as my teacher told us, that the bennets' family belong to the middle class while Darcy and Bingley to the aristochracy one, and Darcy himself mentioned this more than once.We can perceive the low position of her family by examinaning the behaviour of Lydia when she run away with Wickham, and the one of her mother and her sisters which was almost the time irritating and not acceptable and Elizabeth herself admitted that
Thank you sir Jed for your participation in this discussion
Best regards

[5jj]

That's interesting: I've always thought of Darcy as an exponent of the high aristocracy, i.e. a nobleman, because of his family relationship with Lady Catherine de Bourgh and his wealth :D

Darcy was very closely connected to the nobilty as the grandson of an earl. Indeed, had the earl been his paternal, rather than his maternal, grandfather, Darcy would have inherited the title.

However, in England/Britain, the right of younger offspring and females to titles of nobility has always been more restricted than in some other European countries. Darcy's mother would have had the title of 'Lady', but Darcy himself had no title. (If his mother had married a man with a title, Darcy would have inherited that title on the death of his father).

Darcy might be loosely described as a member of the aristocracy, but not of the nobility.

[symaa]

Thanks for correcting me Mr. Fivejedjon.
That's interesting: I've always thought of Darcy as an exponent of the high aristocracy, i.e. a nobleman, because of his family relationship with Lady Catherine de Bourgh and his wealth :D

That's was my opinion too,
Best wishes,

[symaa]

Darcy might be loosely described as a member of the aristocracy, but not of the nobility.

So, there is a difference between an aristochrat and a noble.
Thank you for your clarification teacher.I wonder If you have the same point of view of Elvis?
Respectfully yours,

[konungursvia]

I've moved your thread.
I love this book.

Elizabeth was disappointed in Charlotte for settling for someone who was, frankly, a pompous jerk. Elizabeth would not accept him because she knew they would make each other happy; she is convinced her dear friend Charlotte will not be happy either.

Elizabeth's family (specifically, her mother and the younger sisters) do know that Mr. Collins will inherit their estate, and whoever marries him will be the new mistress of their home. But they did not expect it to be someone they knew. Mrs. Bennett is easily able to convince herself of facts that are not true. (Remember how she tells everyone of Lydia's marriage later, and seems to actually believe it was as romantic and beneficial as she tells it.) To cover her own disappointment that Elizbeth will not inherit their own home, she convinces herself that Charlotte deliberately set about trying to snatch Mr. Collins (and their estate) from the Bennett family.

That's a great answer; but I don't find him a pompous jerk; I feel he was portrayed as formal and superficial, or lacking down-to-earth sincerity. His competitor was less handsome, but really kind. Just my view.