#cause it really defined a lot for chimney how he thought his life really didn't change after it

[fyrewalks]

also, justice for chimney han’s forehead scar. i miss it. 

[araeph]

Just found your blog through your P&P post and I really enjoyed it! I wanted to ask you about another P&P issue that has been bothering me lately: some people interpret Lizzy's opinion change towards Darcy happening due to her seeing Pemberley and liking it, i.e. she marries him because she realised what she would be missing if she didn't accept him. I feel it is quite a cynical interpretation and also incongruous with her character. What do you think? Would love to read your thoughts on it :)

“My dearest sister, now be serious.I want to talk very seriously. Let me know every thing that I am to know,without delay. Will you tell me how long you have loved him?”

“It has been coming on so gradually, that Ihardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeinghis beautiful grounds at Pemberley.”

Anotherentreaty that she would be serious, however, produced the desired effect; and she soon satisfiedJane by her solemn assurances of attachment. When convinced on that article,Miss Bennet had nothing further to wish.

—Pride andPrejudice, Chapter 59

 It is a truth universally acknowledged, thatthose who read a book about the perils of superficial judgment of character,all too often find themselves behaving in a similar manner. There is more thanone such person who gamely alleges that Elizabeth Bennet married Darcy becauseof his grand estate. Like Jane, I would entreat those critics to be serious,for a true reading of the text would put the mercenary motive to rest, even ifthere is a kernel of truth in Elizabeth’s facetious reply to her sister.

Elizabeth’s feelings for Darcy did indeed firstdevelop upon her visit to Pemberley, and all of them have to do with Pemberleyas a representation of Darcy’s character, rather than a representation of his wealth.

It was a large, handsome stone building,standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; andin front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, butwithout any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal nor falselyadorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which naturehad done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by anawkward taste. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at thatmoment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!

Elizabeth has witnessed firsthand Darcy liking to have his ownway, even when his inclinations run roughshod over good manners and thefeelings of his friend Bingley. It is telling that he is able to cedecontrol to nature where it is merited. Darcy is not the tyrant Elizabeth oncethought him to be on his own grounds, where he has the most liberty to be one.

Elizabeth also has cause for concern about Darcy’s fixation on social standing. In fact, this prevents her from going furtheralong the path of regret at refusing him, when she thinks he will come betweenher and the tradesman branch of her family:

“And of this place,” thought she, “I might havebeen 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,and welcomed to them as visitors my uncle and aunt. But no,”—recollectingherself—“that could never be; my uncle and aunt would have been lost to me; Ishould not have been allowed to invite them.”

Imagine her surprise when Darcynot only greets her aunt and uncle genially, but socializes with them andinvites them all to dinner. It is a sharp contrast to the man who thoughthimself above his company when they first met:

That he was surprised by theconnection was evident; he sustained it,however, with fortitude, and so far from going away, turned back with them, andentered into conversation with Mr. Gardiner. Elizabeth could not but bepleased, could not but triumph. It was consoling that he should know she hadsome relations for whom there was no need to blush. She listened mostattentively to all that passed between them, and gloried in every expression,every sentence of her uncle, which marked his intelligence, his taste, or hisgood manners.

The conversation soon turned upon fishing; and sheheard Mr. Darcy invite him, with thegreatest civility, to fish there as often as he chose while he continued inthe neighbourhood, offering at the same time to supply him with fishing tackle,and pointing out those parts of the stream where there was usually most sport.Mrs. Gardiner, who was walking arm-in-arm with Elizabeth, gave her a look expressive of wonder. Elizabeth said nothing, butit gratified her exceedingly; the compliment must be all for herself. Herastonishment, however, was extreme, and continually was she repeating, “Why is he so altered? From what can itproceed? It cannot be for me—it cannot be for my sakethat his manners are thus softened. My reproofs at Hunsford could not work sucha change as this. It is impossible that he should still love me.”

 Lastly, even though Elizabeth hascome to realize that Wickham gave her a false report  of Darcy denying him a livelihood, thesuspicion is still in the air that Darcy might not treat those beneath him well.After all, this was his reply to Elizabeth’s rejection of him:

“Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of yourconnections?—to congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose conditionin life is so decidedly beneath my own?”

Yet far from being an overbearingmaster, Darcy is uncommonly civil to his servants. Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, goes above andbeyond the call of duty to mention his virtues to Mrs. Gardiner:

“I say no more than the truth, and everybodywill say that knows him,” replied the other. Elizabeth thought this was goingpretty far; and she listened with increasing astonishment as the housekeeperadded, “I have never known a cross word from him in my life, and I have knownhim ever since he was four years old.”

This was praise, of all others mostextraordinary, most opposite to her ideas. That he was not a good-tempered manhad been her firmest opinion.

…

“If I were to go through the world, I could notmeet with a better. But I have always observed, that they who are good-naturedwhen children, are good-natured when they grow up; and he was always thesweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world.”

…

Elizabethlistened, wondered, doubted, and was impatient for more.

…

“He is the best landlord, and the best master,”said she, “that ever lived; not like the wild young men nowadays, who think ofnothing but themselves. There is not one of his tenants or servants but willgive him a good name. Some people callhim proud; but I am sure I never saw anything of it. To my fancy, it isonly because he does not rattle away like other young men.”

 The sentences in bold are directcontrasts to Darcy’s insulting and unexpected proposal at Hunsford, where shesaw the very worst of his pride and temper:

Elizabeth’s astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and wassilent. This he considered sufficient encouragement; and the avowal of allthat he felt, and had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well;but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subjectof tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority—of its being adegradation—of the family obstacles which had always opposed to inclination,were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he waswounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

Elizabeth then learns that Darcy not only has altered his manner, but that in hisown house and in familiar company, his cold exterior dissolves away. He is alsoan attentive brother:

On reaching the spacious lobby above they wereshown into a very pretty sitting-room, lately fitted up with greater eleganceand lightness than the apartments below; and were informed that it was but justdone to give pleasure to Miss Darcy, who had taken a liking to the room whenlast at Pemberley.

“He is certainly a good brother,” saidElizabeth, as she walked towards one of the windows.

Mrs. Reynolds anticipated Miss Darcy’s delight,when she should enter the room. “And this is always the way with him,” sheadded. “Whatever can give his sister any pleasure is sure to be done in a moment.There is nothing he would not do for her.”

 To someone with a closerelationship to her sister Jane, this means a lot.

 And finally, the willingnessDarcy demonstrates to change his ways and make amends clinches Elizabeth’sgrowing regard for him.

“But above all, above respect and esteem, there was a motive withinher of goodwill which could not be overlooked. It was gratitude; gratitude, notmerely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough toforgive all the petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him, and allthe unjust accusations accompanying her rejection. He who, she had beenpersuaded, would avoid her as his greatest enemy, seemed, on this accidentalmeeting, most eager to preserve the acquaintance, and without any indelicatedisplay of regard, or any peculiarity of manner, where their two selves onlywere concerned, was soliciting the good opinion of her friends, and bent onmaking her known to his sister. Such a change in a man of so much prideexciting not only astonishment but gratitude—for to love, ardent love, it mustbe attributed; and as such its impression on her was of a sort to beencouraged, as by no means unpleasing, though it could not be exactly defined.”

Pemberley is not merely anestate in Pride and Prejudice; it isa personification of Darcy himself. By visiting Pemberley and the nearby townof Lambton and speaking with their residents, Elizabeth and her family begin tounderstand Darcy in a way that was impossible before. No one is measuring thedrapes and counting the cost of Darcy’s chimney pieces; they are taking themeasure of the man through the environment he is responsible for and the people who happily live there.