It's 11 PM, but one of my favorite little Darcy/Elizabeth moments happens while she still hates him and thinks he's a depraved monster, and I find it really entertaining.
It's during the Kent section, when Darcy calls at the parsonage and finds Elizabeth alone. During a longer, awkward conversation in which they both deeply misunderstand each other, they have this tiny interchange:
[Darcy:] “This seems a very comfortable house. Lady Catherine, I believe, did a great deal to it when Mr Collins first came to Hunsford.”
“I believe she did—and I am sure she could not have bestowed her kindness on a more grateful object.”
“Mr Collins appears very fortunate in his choice of a wife.”
“Yes, indeed; his friends may well rejoice in his having met with one of the very few sensible women who would have accepted him, or have made him happy if they had. My friend has an excellent understanding—though I am not certain that I consider her marrying Mr Collins as the wisest thing she ever did."
So: they are in Mr Collins's house. Darcy tries to re-start the conversation with a polite nothing about the house. Elizabeth agrees about Lady Catherine's micro-managing, but can't resist the chance to make a sly jab at Mr Collins (who is not present) to Darcy (a genuine villain, as far as she believes).
Darcy's reply looks a bit like an attempt to redirect the conversation into safer waters (they can agree that Charlotte is cool!). But although his remark is only somewhat related to what Elizabeth said, I think it's a natural follow-up in his mind because he is also insulting Mr Collins, if more subtly.
He could have praised Mr Collins's judgment in choosing Charlotte or just said something nice about Charlotte; he doesn't. Instead, he suggests that Mr Collins's choice of Charlotte was a matter of good fortune—or chance, as Charlotte herself would say!—on Collins's part. Darcy and Elizabeth both know Collins is a fool and that his choice of a woman like Charlotte says nothing about his judgment, only about his good fortune. (Elizabeth has even better reason than Darcy to know how much Collins ending up with Charlotte was lucky for him, but Darcy can see it anyway.)
Darcy's phrasing gives him some plausible deniability, but I think he's generally quite careful with his wording and the implicit insult to Mr Collins is not accidental.
Elizabeth, I think, takes this exactly as intended. She's not at all confused about where this tangent came from or offended by it or anything. She readily seizes on the new line of conversation as encouragement to keep insulting Mr Collins and his appeal to women with functioning brainpower.
Elizabeth is pretty scrupulously polite in general, so I kind of love that she just starts venting about her absolute contempt for Mr Collins and the Collins/Charlotte marriage to Darcy in the middle of a tense and weird conversation in Mr Collins's house. And I love that Darcy, who is otherwise more or less dog-paddling his way through this conversation, is like "yeah, your friend seems really cool, that dumbass is lucky he accidentally chose someone with a brain."
Elizabeth: "Right? And, let me add-"
(Is it a bit of an asshole move on both their parts in the context of that scene? Yeah, I think a little. I also love it! Please trash-talk obnoxious hosts in their own parlours for the rest of your lives.)
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underrated part of pride and prejudice is when darcy is determined not to show any attention to elizabeth on her last day at netherfield, to the point where they’re alone for half an hour and he just determinedly stares at his book for that whole time
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I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.
– Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
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I have just finished Chapter 10 of Northanger Abbey. Some thoughts:
I kind of wish I had read this book first out of Jane Austen’s works, if only because I would have related to Catherine more
since I’m mostly familiar with Pride and Prejudice and Emma and Persuasion, and a little knowledgeable of Sense and Sensibility, (I have yet to even touch Mansfield yet, I am so sorry) I was immediately like what the heck do you mean Catherine’s got a brother
who is this man?? what is he doing here???
I’ve read too many P&P fics,,, the state of being brotherless is just so ingrained into the story conflicts and character dynamics in my head, whoops
Mr Thorpe was annoying from the first, and he has only gotten on my nerves even more (and do I smell a fortune hunter??)
Isabella is also hmm
at first I was leery of her and Catherine’s friendship because of how she’s older and more polished; I was sceptical of the sincerity of how quickly they seemed to get attached
also I get the vibe that she’s hiding something from Catherine (has she met Tilney before…?)
but if she’s really James’s love interest, then I see her as more harmless; more of a disappointment, less of a threat, I guess?
still absolutely relieved Catherine’s not overly attached to her now though
Miss Tilney intrigues me
I like her so far
might be my favourite character but we’ll see we’ll see
Mr Tilney also intrigues me but less decisively of a favourable bent
I’m kinda suspicious but idrk why
tryna withhold judgement since he hasn’t actually done anything sus yet (that I can think of)
plus I genuinely enjoy his and Catherine’s tête-à-têtes
so mostly on the fence
I am most curious about General Tilney, idk why but he is piquing my interest
the exposition about the late Mrs Tilney seems very deliberate
the whole family is just intriguing I s’pose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
loving the writing, unsurprisingly
I put off Northanger for a long time because I hadn’t expected it to be as lighthearted as it is due to some reviews I’d read but
there do be plenty of funny parts
and of course Miss Austen’s characteristic wit is ubiquitous <3
Please forgive me for any egregious mistakes, I am no literary academic and cannot spot themes or symbols or meta details for my life. 🙏🏽🙏🏽
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After all these years, I'm deeply entertained by how Elizabeth judges the appearances of Darcy & relatives:
Lady Catherine: might have been pretty once, looks somewhat like Darcy
Anne: looks okay but boring, doesn't look like Lady Catherine
Colonel Fitzwilliam (upon entering with Darcy): plain but gentlemanly unlike someone
Darcy: very handsome
Georgiana: not as good-looking as Darcy
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