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Pride and Prejudice Commentary

 

Laws of life as Seen in Every Page of the Novel

Chapter I

Page 1:            Presence of a tangible opportunity arouses the entire population.

                        The wish to grab another ignores the other's view.

                        Women hear everything that happens and every event that has not happened.

                        The woman, who waits for the man to approach her, is energetic in taking initiative.

                        An atmosphere of freedom unleashes Self-invitation.

    Word of mouth is more powerful than an advertisement in The New York Times.

Page 2:            A woman cannot cease to think of her beauty, regardless of age.

                        Initiative interferes.

                        Expectation postpones.

                        Flattery never fails.

Page 3:            Parents are partial.

                        The last born is the mother's pet.

                        Attachment can see all that it wants.

                        Self-awareness helps achieve.

                        Liking is irrational.

                        Poor nerves are superstitious.

                        Managing incapacity is marriage.

                        One suffers for one's lack of endowments.

                        Sarcastic humour despoils the atmosphere of its potential generosity.

                        Knowledge that requires intelligence cannot be acquired by experience.

                        Nervousness is the discontentment of the less developed mind.

   Human determination is fulfilled by the social atmosphere.

    Even the subtle atmosphere can do it.

                        Compensation by an opposite value is a rule.

Chapter II

Page 4:            Unwillingness to accept an idea is readiness to act.

                        Final accomplishment is indicated by the subtle communication.

                        The oblivious physical is unaware of the subtle.

                        Penetration perceives.

                        Jealousy overrides courtesy.

                        One evaluates another as oneself.

                        Secrecy generates self-enjoyment.

                        Incapacity to contain an emotion bursts out as anger.

                        Physical cough reconciles emotional disagreement.

                        Fretfulness is inability to accept the atmosphere.

                        The physical can hardly wait.

                        Sarcasm vexes to amuse.

Page 5:            Humour is not for an uncultivated mind.

                        Subtle perception tells you what a man is in the first few contacts.

                        Opportunities are not for the dull witted or slow moving.

                        The heart chooses in a trice; the speech rises to social occasion.

                        Personal interest makes for the best alertness.

                        The physical demands direct communication.

                        Reading raises personality.

                        In society FORM carries significance.

                        It is not given to man to speak out all that he knows.

                        Ideas adjust themselves in the mind.

                        Disgust is lack of comprehension.

                        Practical jokes are unsavoury.

                        The delay in the first communication delays the first proposal.

                        Surprise is for the subtle.

                        The dullest is most enthusiastic.

                        Wisdom after the event is for the slow witted.

                        Success makes the detestable sweet.

                        The possessive physical claims all the credit to itself.

                        Surprise surpasses existence.

Page 6:            Polite patience is a strain on the mind as well as body.

                        Pliable vital characters move from one extreme to the other.

                        Conservation enjoys known company.

                        Passionate attachment is shameless.

                        Elder children represent the father, younger, the mother.

                        No enjoyment is greater than the enjoyment of expectation.

                        Man singles himself out for special favour.

Chapter III

Page 6:            The more you try to elicit, the more it is resisted.

                        Expression of a wish eliminates its possibility.

                        Building on the first wish, is a sure indication of its impossibility.

Page 7:            Expectation cancels.

                        Imagination runs riot indicating the absence of results.

To Mrs. Bennet her own importance is the only thing that exists.

Imagination takes wings when interest is great.

Mind sees everything from its point of view.

Any lady instinctively hates another lady.

A lady likes to be adored by all men present with undivided attention.

Measure of satisfaction is determined by the measure of expectation.

The unseen possibility becomes a wonder.

Pleasant exterior may be hollow inside.

News of wealth travels fast.

Wealth makes one good looking.

Page 8:            The richer the man the more handsome he is.

                        Admiration is the expansiveness of the unformed.

                        The merest exterior is taken for the inmost content.

                        Man is indifferent to the unattainable.

                        Pride pricks.

                        One's own prestige is more valued than another man's property.

                        Indifference issues out of inaccessibility.

                        Unavailability alters its character.

                        Pleasant exterior makes for popularity.

                        Liveliness attracts.

                        Unreserved behaviour is self-giving.

                        Popularity is to accept a population at their level.

                        Intensity longs for eternity.

                        Amiability is universal indulgence.

                        Goodness shines by contrast.

                        Any value prefers to preserve it.

                        Superiority is supercilious.

                        Vanity seeks no solitude. It seeks isolation in company.

                        Untouchability in India is social aloofness in England.

                        Social attitudes are decided by social benefit, not by the intrinsic value.

                        Vital dislike is physical detachment.

                        Violence is reverse of attraction.

                        Intense feelings always find excuses.

                        Eligible men are ever scarce.

                        Darcy and Elizabeth were all by themselves, for different reasons.

                        Do as I do.

                        Strength asserts, weakness conforms.

                        Conservatism insists on conformity.

                        Darcy attends all balls having found the first insupportable.

Page 9:            Man refuses vehemently what he will soon court.

                        Bingley is in love with the whole sex.

                        Bingley first spoke of Elizabeth to Darcy.

Darcy interfered with Bingley's marriage - injury in return of a reward.

Rudeness appreciates value by abuse.

He who is slighted by everyone talks of slight.

Laughing at abuse is strength.

Liveliness and playful disposition is psychological strength.

Wisdom delights in the ridiculous.

The success of the daughter is a greater fulfillment to the mother.

Psychological gratification can cancel the accomplishment.

To delight in another's joy is spiritual.

Recognition reconciles.

Occupation is the ultimate joy for the youth.

                        Occupation does not oust expectation.

Page 10:          Mr. Bennet's expectation of disappointment comes true later.

                        Spite against the wife overcomes the welfare of children.

                        Enjoyment exhausts.

                        Mrs. Bennet praises herself in Jane.

                        In positive attitude, the smallest becomes the greatest.

                        One, who admires me, should admire none else.

                        Small minds are exclusive.

                        No detail escapes the interested mind.

                        Mr. Bennet was petulant, a reason for initial reversal.

                        Mr. Bennet was disappointed for Lizzy.

                        He could not triumph over the wife, nor was Lizzy recognised.

                        Mrs. Bennet's silliness and Mr. Bennet's petulance balance each other.

Mr. Bennet's irritation was not against the lace, but an expression of his failure.

Mrs. Bennet's excitement turns to bitterness against Darcy.

Excitement and bitterness are the same.

Mrs. Bennet's description of Darcy is a self-portrayal.

Page 11:          Mrs. Bennet's abuse of Darcy was an inverse prelude of her speechless admiration in the end.

 

Chapter IV      True love is offended in mentioning it to another.

                        Acknowledging her admiration to Elizabeth, Jane's mind moves into the subtle plane.

                        Elizabeth's love for Jane is in the causal plane, a plane of accomplishment.

                        Love sees no blemish.

                        To a lady in love, a handsome man is a perfect man.

                        Mutual confidence creates power.

                        Not expecting made him ask.

                        Elizabeth's expectation is good will.

                        More than her beauty, it is Elizabeth's good will that gets Jane married.

                        Good will is powerful.

                        Stupidity is attractive to men and women.

                        Jane could never conceive she was stupid. She is oblivious.

Jane is superstitious. She sees no faults. No one's faults disturb her in the end.

Incapacity to censure is capacity to accomplish.

Honest blindness to other's follies is pure goodness or dullness.

Elizabeth is all perception. That drives people away.

Sometimes stupidity is an asset. Subtlety benefits.

Page 12:          Affection of candour eliminates friends, gains society. 

                        To be candid without ostentation or design is truth of character.

                        To recognise the good, be oblivious of the bad is noble.

                        Jane's candour is of the purity of a simpleton, does not carry weight of personality.

                        Jane is not shrewd enough to see the affectation of Caroline.

                        Hence she was her victim.

                        Jane takes Caroline's words for facts, becoming a willing victim.

                        Several well formed characteristics can be harboured in one's behaviour.

                        Amiability and conceit can coexist.

                        Education gives behaviour, not character.

                        Quickness of observation needs intelligence. It is of character, not behaviour.

                        Behaviour can please all; character never escapes observation.

                        Silent listening is not conviction.

                        Pliancy of temper prevents fixities.

                        A judgment unassailed by any attention to herself is impartial.

                        Ready approval makes for easy victims.

                        Cultivation can make for fine ladies.

                        Excess vital energy is good humour in positive individual.

                        First private seminary can produce fine cultivated specimens.

                        Spending more than they ought, gives a social strength of steady domination.

                        Association with people of rank is status.

                        Thinking well of themselves is self-conceit.

                        To think meanly of others is not to be cultured.

                        Family prestige is in one's blood.

                        Recent wealth will not bring family tradition.

                        Not money, but landed estate carried prestige then in England.

                        Easiness of temper does not exert.

                        Estate makes one a gentleman, not wealth.

Page 13:     More than men, women are anxious for status.

Not only appearance of status is readily acceptable, but they canvass for status.

Bingley is casual, non-serious. He will be pliable.

To him his status and Darcy are important, not work, and not even Jane.

Second generation of neo-rich cannot exert, as they have no strength.

Bingley and Jane are only subplots. Elizabeth and Darcy are the main plots.

Darcy's approval is the sanction of causal plane for Bingley.

Steady friendship is because of opposition of character not in spite of.

The greater the opposition, the closer the friendship.

Easiness, openness, ductility are Bingley's characteristics.

They make for easy domination.

Bingley had enough strength to possess the wealth.

Darcy enjoyed pliability with Bingley which crafty Wickham never allowed.

The strong enjoys a weak companion.

A strong character evokes a firm reliance and highest opinion.

Superior understanding evokes respects. Even cleverness does it.

Haughty, reserved, fastidious nature is acquired by single child.

Pet children are pampered and become fastidious.

Elizabeth was the first touch of life, Darcy had.

Good breeding need not be pleasant.

Bingley sought approval by being amiable.

Darcy gave offence by being aloof.

Opinion expressed expresses character.

Those who accept Bingley are pleasant to him; it need not necessarily be true.

Being in love with the whole sex, every girl is pretty to Bingley.

His money received kind attention.

Second generation has not acquired formality, nor strength for stiffness.

Good looks make the first impression.

Darcy, being vitally sensitive, sees a collection of people.

Bingley seeks people; he sees a  pleasant gathering.

Darcy, who expects high fashion, found none.

Opposite characters find in the same circumstance opposite things.

Jane is pretty but weak which makes her smile too much.

                    Women accepting another women's beauty is rare.

Page 14:     Jane's sweetness is something unmistakable.

Bingley was authorised to think well of Jane shows the extent to which Bingley is pliable. He can never be a hero.

Chapter V

                  Intimacy is proximity.

                   Though service is rewarded, it was rewarded for the rich.

Anyone who comes near the king, the seat of power, shares his power.

Man kicks away the ladder by which he rose.

Distancing from others is a form of status.

The business that raised him instead of receiving gratitude receives disgust.

Names of the houses are symbols of prestige.

Man dwells constantly on his small achievement.

The small saturates itself with self-adulation.

By pleasing others Lucas pleases himself.

Empty smallness is elated.

Small strength becomes supercilious by rising.

Energy in him expresses positively pleasing others.

Goodness rewarded is inoffensive.

He who has received no offence can be inoffensive.

Bingley is inoffensive by nature as well as his position.

Being inoffensive, not only attracts people but wealth too.

A good kind woman is incapable of malice.

Lady Lucas, to preserve her new status, is obliged to be good.

Even she is not incapable of spreading Lydia's elopement.

Real kindness and goodness is helpless against human nature.

By 27, a girl at that time, goes out of the marriage market.

A ball is the real centre of social existence of women.

The less important goes to the weighty neighbour.

More than the ball, the discussion of the ball is lively.

Civil Self-command is a social virtue, however thin it is.

To please another at least by speech is not easily acquired.

Miss Lucas speaks the truth in the same strain.

Raise in social status, obliges one to be courteous.

Miss Lucas is incapable of competition.

                     Without goodwill, good speech is impossible.

Page 15:          Jane's beauty was striking. So Bingley readily chose her.

His marrying her readily in the end is shown by this ready choice.

The unreserved good opinion of Charlotte expresses the value of sincerity.

Sincerity is a value that takes one to the causal plane.

What Mrs.Bennet believed, she saw.

Robinson elicits Bingley's opinion; he does not wait for him to speak, not in taste.

Bingley's good opinion of Jane is unequivocal.

Mrs. Bennet's ‘It may all come to nothing' becomes initially true.

Charlotte overhears. It is one reason why her value of good will is diluted.

Charlotte's reporting ‘tolerable' is not in good taste.

Even Mrs. Bennet is sensitive to her speaking so. Meryton does not enjoy high manners.

Mrs. Bennet's ‘misfortune' later comes true.

Not to speak without introduction is British culture.

Jane finds no fault in Darcy.

Mrs. Long speaks without introduction, a rude manner.

Jane justifies Darcy's behaviour. Her wanting to be flawless makes her think the world is flawless.

Harmony of the weak reflects weakness, not harmony.

                    Mrs. Bennet has a fertile imagination about her not having a carriage.

Page 16:          Miss Lucas has great goodwill towards Lizzy, but indelicate.

Mrs. Bennet persisting in denouncing Darcy, confirms in the subtle plane her wedding.

Miss Lucas is not offended by a wealthy man's pride. She marries a stupid man for his wealth unoffended by his stupidity.

Money is social power. It excuses even arrogance.

Charlotte admires family and fortune. They come to her as wealth and patronage.

(Also family and fortune came to Elizabeth who scorned it in a greater measure.)*

Mind can be rational, not emotions.

Ideas of Mind press for expressions.

Darcy's offence to Eliza finds justification from neglected Mary.

Self-complacency, Self-esteem, Pride, Vanity are the grades in self-evaluation.

Wealth in a small man overrides culture, turn to enjoyable possessions.

Even as a thought Mrs.Bennet could not concede prosperity to another.

Imaginary positions are intensely real to excitable personalities.

Physical personalities cannot stop quarrelling unless separated.

                     Mrs. Bennet and the young Lucas are of the same level.

Chapter VI

Page 17:     To be civil is on the surface; to be cultured is real; it is deep down.

Within limits shallow goodness wins laurels.

Sweetness evokes good will.

Real goodness overcomes really exhibitionist excitement.

Absence of cultivated manners, removes the possibility of better relationship.

Sense attracts; sensibility impresses.

Recognition of real worth is pleasure in the depths.

Clarity of thought clearly penetrates.

Fastidious fashion never touches a fabulous character.

Bingley's admiration weighed with the sisters.

So, it is obvious they changed their attitude because of Mrs.Bennet's pushy behaviour.

Elizabeth is penetratingly perceptive. It prevents  from emotions taking shape.

Evident admiration of Jane was enough for good friendship, nor for wedding.

Preference maturing into admiration does not have the strength of love.

Jane's anxiety to hide her admiration undermined her chances.

Composure of temper wins friends, not a lover.

The suspicious of the impertinent is divination of the real intention.

Creation of an impression and gaining your desert do not go together.

Jane's unrealistic dissimulation is the cause of the scandal later.

Charlotte goes by non-romantic realism. She gets a husband of that description.

Jane lives in a world of illusions. Even she was richly rewarded by the atmosphere.

Charlotte is practical, Elizabeth is deeply romantic. Both are equally rewarded as the intensity of Darcy's Love is powerful and passionate.

Accomplishment cannot leave anything to chance.

Human love needs encouragement in love.

In romance the inner intensity brings the object of love. Marriage needs the affection to be shown.

Attachment thrives on vanity.

Unless affection is expressed felt or unfelt, it is powerless.

Charlotte, having the greatest practical sense, got married first.

Romance is a burning flame; marriage is a net spread.

Bingley's liking Jane is beyond doubt. That truth finally realised itself.

Elizabeth first confided in Jane about Jane's partiality for Bingley. Miss Lucas is one of goodwill and common sense. Her advice was disregarded, but the good will completes the wedding.

Page 18:     Liking matures into love by human nourishment.

Lizzy wants to put up proper behaviour. Charlotte wants to accomplish. She does not have Elizabeth's sensitivity.

This is the conflict in Eliza of being Mr. Bennet's and Mrs. Bennet's child.

Elizabeth wants Bingley to know Jane's love. Charlotte wants Jane to display it.

High romance is at first sight. Marriage is made by human initiative.

Darcy's love for Eliza is well concealed from all but Caroline and Charlotte.

Liking matures into love by intimacy that is prolonged.

Intimacy requires privacy.

General conversation never conveys personal preferences.

Charlotte talks of fixing Bingley, securing him, downright practical. She gets Collins who suits that description best.

As Elizabeth later refuses Lydia getting all their sisters husbands, she now flatly rejects this mercenary attitude which is fully reflected in Darcy's ideal attitude. True ideal realises itself.

Charlotte is not ashamed of giving a mercenary advice to Lizzy. She is not ashamed of marrying a stupid man for his money.

Generous goodwill of magnanimity, supreme commonsense of ripe age and stupid shameless mercenary practicality dwell together in Charlotte.

Bingley spent four evenings with Jane but never disclosed his irresistible interest. He certainly is not violently in love with her as lovers cannot wait.

Page: 19          Charlotte has the strategy of mature practical wisdom that can abridge a year in a fortnight.

Marriage ensures security; not happiness.

After marriage parties discover the other side of the spouse.

Man enjoys vexation more than felicity is a subconscious truth.

Not to know the defects of the other facilitates the wedding.

Charlotte knows people act exactly opposite to their understanding.

Elizabeth does not.

Elizabeth was oblivious of Darcy's interest in his, observing Jane and Bingley.

What attracts is not necessarily a pretty face.

Shallow persons fall for a face.

Strong characters are attracted by character not by beauty.

Eyes express strength of character.

Darcy's haste to criticise is the inversion of strong attraction.

Dark eyes are of deep characters.

Not having one good feature, Elizabeth is still powerfully attractive.

Handsome face prevents seeing the character.

Each positive factor is balanced by a negative trait.

Lightness of figure indicates a free soul.

A pleasing figure is that of a happy personality.

Fashionable world gives a countenance.

Easy playfulness is of inner freedom and is strikingly charming.

An adverse comment rankles even as a pleasant remark touches deeply.

 Concentration on another evokes a response from the other without fail.

Page: 20          Elizabeth sees satire in Darcy's eyes of love. Intense longing of an unwilling attitude takes on the appearance of satire.

                        Her alternatives are impertinence or fear which later proves to be abundantly true.

                        Impertinence is suppressed fear.

                        Darcy is oblivious of Eliza's insinuation.

                        Darcy is unaware of his severity on women.

                        Miss Lucas is bent upon Darcy appreciating Elizabeth, a great act of magnanimity.

                        Neglect creates talents in Mary.

                        Impatience to display in Mary is her mother.

                        Pedantry is absence of taste.

                        Physical or personality defects compensate talents. There is no one in whom talents are not in potential. Potentially everyone is a genius.

                        Impatience is awareness of insignificance.

                        Vanity turns into pedantry and conceits.

                       

Page: 21          A higher degree of excellence is incapable of display.

                        Less talents of a higher character are better appreciated.

                        Society is pleased by behaviour not by talents.

                        What is charming to Mr. Lucas causes indignation to Darcy.

                        Darcy is angry that his love is not responded to.

                        Low culture is exhibitionist.

                        Familiarity of the low prods the proud conceit.     

                        Darcy's anger at Lucas's intimacy comes back to him as intense violent abuse at his proposal.

                        The first refinement for Lucas is a savage endowment for Darcy.

                        No gentleman is capable of Darcy's vituperation.

                        For the neo-rich inadvertence is intimacy with superior society.

                        Loud thinking is a self-satisfying emotion even as it helps understand.

Page: 22          It is noteworthy that Elizabeth refuses with determination the first fond introduction of Lucas, presaging her response to Darcy's proposal.

                        Mr. Lucas is blatantly blind and oblivious of Darcy's affront.

                        Elizabeth is more conscious of neglect by men than the introduction.

                        Positive grave propriety is offended by its gravity.

                        Sir William is too light for Eliza's character of determination.

                        Sir Williams' persistence is equaled only by his impenetrable dullness.

                        Mr. Lucas' effort at introduction is the forerunner to Charlotte's effort to bring Darcy to Elizabeth.

                        Actually Eliza's refusal sends Darcy into a reverie of her fine eyes.

                        In love, a rival can never escape.

                        Dullness tries to attract by offence.

                        No one, not even the lover, can know another man's thoughts.

                        A lover hastens to endorse the thoughts of his beloved.

                        The cultured do not resent the uncultured.

                        Sensitivity is the index of the unripe culture.

                        Caroline's self-importance is offended by the self-importance of the Assembly.

                        In a weak position life responds with the opposite.

                        Man describes himself in describing others.

                        While in love, one cannot miss a single small opportunity.

                        What attracts Miss Bingley is Darcy's focus on Elizabeth.

Page: 23          Caroline was the only person to whom Darcy speaks of Eliza. It was because she was in love with him.

                        Lovers are sensitive about their love; still they itch to talk of them.

                        Eyes express the soul.

                        Serious Romance defies one's strength if he has to speak.

                        Culture expresses resentment by congratulations.

                        Admiration to love, love to matrimony is the speed with which the lovers act, not only the imagination of a lady.

                        God makes up His offence by more offence. Stupidity acts like God.

                        Darcy courted Mrs. Bennet in Elizabeth.

                        Mrs. Bennet at Pemberly is a powerful incentive to drop Elizabeth.

                        To take advantage of Darcy's silence is a losing game for Miss Bingley.

                        The weak are satisfied in giving utterance to their aspirations.

Chapter VII

Page: 24          Imagination filled with possibility is excitement that is endless.

                        Incessant talk is ever present excitation to the nerves.

                        Physicality expands by the thought of fortune.

                        Small reality possessed is more real than a great possibility that is distant.

                        Walking that is physical, fills the empty physical mind.

                        Mr. Bennet who cannot abuse Mrs. Bennet abuses his daughters.

                        Total physicality is totally indifferent to values, even abuse.

Page: 25          While Mr. Bennet regrets the emptiness of his children.

                        Mrs. Bennet is fond of that very emptiness.

                        Physicality is oblivious of mental defects.

                        Insensible Mrs. Bennet causes problems. Sensible husband is helpless.                       

                        What is silly to him is cleverness to her.

                        It was a superstition of that century that the husband and wife should have same sentiment.

                        Mrs. Bennet could not comprehend Mr. Bennet's sallies.

                        Mrs. Bennet justifies her daughters' infatuation of the officers.

                        Mrs. Bennet is shameless to refer to her silly youth.

                        Mrs. Bennet declared that she is the standard to all, unable to see how low she is. Man's opinion of himself is always the highest.

                        Obstacles in marriage are always what one seeks to rise socially through wedding.

                        Age is aware of the shortcoming of youth. To be proud of it and set it as a standard is the capacity to slide back.

                        Mrs. Bennet at £2000 a year aims at ₤5000 for her children which are the characteristics of seeking alliance.

                        Subconsciously she expects young men as foolish as Mr. Bennet at the time of his wedding.

                        The heights of her illusion are simultaneously illustrated by the emptiness of Lydia's prattle.

                        The footman was a Life Response. Life is more than characteristic in reflecting what is inside. Mr. Bennet was prevented from replying. Caroline's letter that was the cause of exposure of the family PRESENTS  itself.

                        Those were days when boys did not write to girls, but the mother expects it. She was one who was anxious to capitalize on vulgarity.

                        Caroline's education exhibits a maturity for her age.

                        The letter was couched in the best of social idiom of humour.

                        It was not Jane's beauty, but her open sweet nature that strikes.

Page: 26          Ladies find the company of ladies preferable to that of men.

                        Mrs. Bennet's scheme cancels the entire prospect.

                        Mrs. Bennet is one who can hardly wait for the results. Note it prolongs the duration of maturity.

                        Elizabeth's shrewdness sees through the holes of her mother's plot.

                        The conflict in the psychological make up of the parents is seen again in that of Jane and her mother. The story deals with their progress.

                        Mrs. Bennet was in her young days successful with Mr. Bennet with her tricks or ploys.

                        Such ploys never succeed more than once. Their initial success is by their energy.

                        Mr. Bennet appears to oblige his wife. If so, he was a party to the ploy and to its fiasco.

                        It rains as Life Response. Intensity, right and wrong, evokes response.

                        An intense idea brought rain, but it cannot win Bingley.

Page : 27         Mr. Bennet's unsavoury sarcasm is a negative vibration.

                        Mr. Bennet who refused the carriage to Jane gives it to his wife. His support is ruinous.

                        Jane on horse back was a ploy. A wider scheme draws Elizabeth there.

                        Mr. Bennet meanly suspects his daughter.

                        He could not take her advice later as he has that suspicious nature.

Page: 28          Elizabeth is utterly unconscious of her appearance. Her mind was full of Jane.

                        For a girl to forget her appearance is to be far more mental than vital.

                        To Bingley's sisters appearance is all.

                        They evaluate her by her looks - contemptuously.

                        Interest expresses as good humour and kindness.

                        Darcy not only not felt contempt but saw brilliancy. Love makes her brilliant.

                        Did Darcy conjecture that Elizabeth came to see him?

                        Lovers see anything in terms of Love.

                        Elizabeth went there as she knew timid Jane needed support.

                        Jane was relieved on seeing Elizabeth.

                        Their extraordinary kindness was uppermost in Jane's mind. One remembers the attention of the Superiors.

Page: 29          The sisters' affection for Jane is true and impresses even Elizabeth. It could have led to Jane's wedding, but for Mrs. Bennet's insistence that cancelled it.

                        Jane's fear and anxiety raised her fever.

                        Too much good for too small a brain can give ache.

                        Bingley's sisters spend enough time with Jane.

 

Chapter VIII    Bingley's solicitude is superior because of his love for Jane.

                        The sisters are indifferent when not before her because it is out of politeness.

                        Elizabeth has an inward satisfaction of her own understanding.

                        It is this which attracts the sisters' action against Jane.

                        Love sees discomfort as death - death of Love.

                        Bingley's attentions to Jane are taken as advances to her.

                        Attention atones for shortcomings.

                        Jane was sweet as she was naïve.

                        Elizabeth carried too great a clarity to be liked by women.

                        To Caroline, Darcy was an object of love.

                        To Louisa Darcy was a repository of status.

                        Love attracts; desire to possess without love repels.

                        Indolence indulges gluttony.

                        A glutton appreciates another glutton.

                        Inability to criticise is culture.

                        Culture comes not out of wealth, but by tradition.

Politeness in behaviour is not culture.

Independence is described as pride.

Non-submissiveness is taken to be impertinence.

To evaluate others by one's standard is foolish.

To accuse others of not having the endowments they don't have is naïve folly.

Dislike describes a personality empty of values.

Caroline is original, her sister toes her line.

Meanness describes a personality by his weakness.

Caroline is unable to contain her jealousy. Her jealousy is not even weighty.

Weakness finds it strength in conformity.

Each person sees what he is interested in.

Caroline drags Darcy into the conversation while he is silent.

It always has the opposite result.

Page 31:          Urge of affection becomes conceited independence to Caroline.

The more she tirades, the more the men praise Elizabeth.

Caroline's dig at fine eyes makes them finer still.

The short pause is an awkward silence that emerges when culture has to handle indecorous behaviour.

                        Mrs. Hurst's opinion is factual, not prejudiced.

Their low opinion of Mr. Bennet's family reflects the truth. It was provoked on this occasion because of Darcy's partiality for Elizabeth.

Bingley's vehemence shows his great attraction for Jane.

Darcy too speaks the bare facts about Jane's family without betraying his interest in Elizabeth.

Bingley's silence is because of his anger.

His sisters truly loved Jane, but were disappointed by her status. They take it out on the other.

Guilty conscience compensates.

They sat there till summoned which shows the genuine interest.

Jane's illness is more out of the fear of embarrassment. Also the mother is in her.

Elizabeth's formality is a reflection of Darcy's attempted formality with her.

Already, we can say, it is a subconscious response to each other.

In the rich mixing with the poor, the difference emerges at all points as in the card game.

Page 32:          Excuses are transparent.

The offender cannot know the offence as the offended feels.

Miss Bingley's dig is at Eliza's poverty.

Elizabeth never leaves herself undefended.

Even her resourcefulness is insufficient to compensate her low status.

It is a creative intelligence pleasantly expanding that can do it.

Bingley is all solicitude. Offers his services to her.

Elizabeth was touched in her emotions.

Bingley is self-deprecating.

For a lover every occasion is an occasion of extolling her lover.

Darcy's good speech is abrupt. Emotions suppressed make the speech abrupt.

Caroline's thoughts are preoccupied by Darcy, Pemberly, and his attention.

Page 33:          Darcy is Bingley's idol. Pemberly is his model. Weakness adoring strength adores everything about him.

There was an upheaval of waves of admiration that Lizzy could not read.

Caroline goes back to Darcy on some excuse Darcy relates all his thoughts to Elizabeth.

In praising Georgiana Caroline praises Darcy.

Lazy Bingley is amazed at the ladies' exertion.

Accomplishment of ladies is an index of that society.

Darcy who intended to compliment Elizabeth speaks tactlessly offending her.

                        Bingley has Jane in mind.

                        Elizabeth mistakes their comments and takes them adversely.

Page 34:          Darcy's comment is intended to compliment Elizabeth.

                        Caroline's description undermines Elizabeth.

                        Darcy feels Elizabeth to be very wise and learned which Elizabeth misses.

                        Elizabeth's comment eliminates the sisters from the accomplishment.

                        This strongly stings the sisters who violently defend themselves.

                        Caroline is thoroughly prejudiced against Lizzy and is mean to her.

                        Darcy's comment touches Caroline of which he was oblivious. He was anxious to hide his interest in Elizabeth.

                        A mean atmosphere in the room directly worsens Jane's health.

Page 35:          Bingley's sisters are genuinely interested in Jane but also want to put up behaviour.

                        Elizabeth knows her limits.

                        Bingley, being truly in love, is quite uncomfortable.

Chapter IX

                        Fever in those days could be fatal. So, she sends for her mother whose visit was fatal to Jane's chances.

                        Mrs. Bennet is the most active character in the story, though her character is vulgar.

                        Mrs. Bennet was so anxious to bring her daughters there, not knowing the result.

                        Mrs. Bennet is crude in her motives of action.

                        Jane was sensitive. Mrs. Bennet was anything but sensitive.

Page 36:          Mrs. Bennet's reply to Bingley is not only artless and tactless but was boorishly imposing.

Bingley responds as a lover rather than a host.

Profusion of acknowledgement is out of cultural shallowness.

Mrs. Bennet thinks aloud totally inadvertently.

Bingley's, ‘I should be off in five minutes' comes true.

Elizabeth could not refrain from making a somewhat inadvertent comment.

Bingley was sorry he was seen through. That is one reason for his quitting Netherfield.

Mrs. Bennet was to restrain Lizzy.

Page 37:          Mrs. Bennet who was oblivious of where she was, reminds her daughter of it.

                        Pure exhibitionism

                        It is not good manners to study the character of your host.

Darcy makes an unsavoury, almost offensive statement unintentionally.

Life gives Elizabeth occasion to study intricate characters.

Mrs. Bennet had no manners to leave it at his silence. She expands on her theme self-righteously.

Mrs. Bennet directly abuses Darcy. People have a subtle sense to abuse in advance future benefactors.

Elizabeth's attempt to compromise infuriates her mother. It is a rule a younger person at such jobs invites the opposite results.

Page 38:          To keep countenance one should be a perfect gentleman.

His sisters were less delicate, as they had a vested interest.

One rule is he who takes unfair advantage will be at a great disadvantage at the end.

It requires established culture inherited NOT to take advantage of others.

                        The weak beneficiary will be on the warpath.

                        Efforts in an adverse atmosphere will yield adverse results.

                        It is mean to claim superiority especially at the expense of others.

A gentleman always looks at the better side.

Physical characters are oblivious. They overdo their defects.

Elizabeth is an irresistible character.

Page 39:          Darcy's passionate utterance about poetry is lost sight of.

Elizabeth has exactly the same characteristic of her mother. Darcy's passions as well as his deep appreciation of her comments were lost on her. She was preoccupied by her mother, he with her.

Repetition is a character of physicality.

To be civil in uncivilised circumstances requires consummate skill.

The last child is always the mother's favourite.

Animal spirits demand favours by accusation.

To reward an offence is gentlemanliness.

Page 40:          Lydia is oblivious of her shameless ploys.

Politeness is not to express one's disapproval. Culture is not to feel it.

Stupidity chooses the other man's strength for criticism.

Chapter X       Jealousy is a constant irritation as Love is a constant inspiration.

                        A lost cause clamours enough to destroy its little chances.

Toadying never wins respect. It is a sure way to lose the little one has.

Elizabeth is amused at Caroline as she understands Darcy better than Caroline.

A snob is oblivious of the slights or even snubs.

Page 41:          Physical mind repeats what it spoke a minute ago.

                        Caroline is squeamish.

                        The small talk is elegant.

                        Elizabeth describes Bingley's naïve behaviour as humility

 Page 42:         Darcy, who wants Elizabeth's praises, cannot stand her praising Bingley.

                        Darcy who really wants to address Elizabeth at length does so with Bingley.

                        To show off before the ladies is a constant European behaviour.

                        Elizabeth responds to Darcy's unexpressed intention by addressing him.

                        Bingley was overwhelmed by Elizabeth's resourcefulness.

Page 43:          Darcy has succeeded in drawing Elizabeth into his conversation but is unyielding.

                        Even a strong desire cannot overcome character.

                        Elizabeth's first encounter with Darcy is to deprive him of this merit.

                        Love grows stronger in opposition than in agreement.

                        Darcy's domination over Bingley is total. He says he is without conviction.

                        Without doing anything intentionally Darcy made Elizabeth speak at length.

                        The subconscious fulfils itself.

Page 44:          Darcy was eager to take her advice as a lover would.

                        Life that develops is never without subtle hints. Elizabeth could see Darcy's eyes on her.

                        Man may fail to take note of what develops. Life never fails.

Page 45:          Darcy was untouched by Miss Bingley's musical charms. Elizabeth was totally attractive. His wanting to waltz with her was such an occasion.

                        The offence she implied in his looks should have melted away by his offer.

                        She goes silent by her subconscious consent in spite of conscious disapproval.

                        Silence indicates indecision because of conflict.

                        Her character prevails which pleases Darcy more than the dance. He dare not despise her, not from gallantry but as a fact of his love.

                        A developed mind is sweet even in differing.

                        Darcy sees how much he has gone out to her.

                        Attention of the high to the low is often unnoticed.

                        No one except Miss Bingley, not even Elizabeth, noticed how Darcy melted.

                        Love as well as jealousy is perceptive.

                        Stupidity does the opposite of what it would like.

                        Miss Bingley ultimately destroys any chance for her with Darcy.

Page 46:          Lovers who dare not mention their lady lover's name, are pleased to listen to it from others whatever the content or context.

                        Life sets limits to stupidity and acts to prevent it.

                        Darcy takes steps not to be rude.

                        Elizabeth's gaiety was partly due to Darcy's constant superior attention.

Chapter XI

Page 47:          Conversation is not mere communication. Imagination expanding an event as the language enrichingly permits is conversation.

                        To see an entertainment is different from describing it accurately.

                        The sisters are intrinsically mercenary, polite on the surface.

                        Attraction by interest acts instantaneously.

                        Human relationships readily reveal the various grades of interest.

                        Feelings of affection expand the inner sensations in joy.

                        Jane fully absorbed Bingley's attention.

                        The card game is an active version of sleeping on the sofa.

                        It was not a cheerful gathering of pleasant friends, but a polite gathering of those who were compulsorily thrown together.

Page 48:          It is a wretched state to seek attention. It is worse still if the efforts meet with failure.

                        A small mind's ploys backfire.

                        Bingley is more than willing to please Jane by giving a ball.

                        The joy of negativism is a source of fulfillment.

                        One man's pleasure is another man's punishment.

                        It is this ball that brought Darcy and Lizzy together. Caroline is perceptive of that.

                        A submissive person asserts within limits.

Page 49:          Any initiative in despair, as a rule, leads to despair and frustration.

                        Elizabeth is painfully aware she was a misfit there.

                        Miss Bingley who is in love mistakes Darcy's interest is for her.

                        Idle prattle admits of inadvertent interpretations.

                        Elizabeth talks with energy; her energy comes from neglect.

                        Intimacy gives the liberty to be severe or silly.

Page 50:          Miss Bingley is submissive even in love. Lizzy is defiant. It is that which is seen as liveliness by Darcy.

                        Elizabeth's defiance takes its own vehement form by her energy.

                        Submissiveness is insipid. Non-compliance is attractive by its energy.

                        Humour and joke puts even greatness into a human perspective.

                        The whims of one, the inconsistencies of another, divert an idle company pleasantly.

                        Darcy's study of life has made him selfish and mean! One who studies indirectly confirms his own character.

                        Vanity is the imbalance of insufficiency.

                        Pride is the inflexible structure of uncultured selfishness.

                        No sensible man can ever justify Pride.

                        Darcy betrays his insufficiency pathetically before Elizabeth.

                        To a selfish man, he is himself the standard.

Page 51:          Darcy is indelicate not to know his Pride.

                        Obviously Elizabeth is the more cultivated among them all of them.

                        Raw human nature never fails to emerge when touched.

Chapter XII

                        Mrs. Bennet is a determined woman of physicality. Her determination is energetic. It is based on an understanding of her physical mind. Her energy is physical. The rules of accomplishment require not taking initiative. She constantly takes insistent initiatives. They all contribute to cancel the work. She is extremely foolish. Throughout the story it is in evidence everywhere. Her wish is genuine and sincere. Its strength is greater than that of her folly. So, in the end three daughters are married not by her initiatives, but in spite of them.           

                        Smallness readily acts according to its understanding, especially in refusing.

                        An illiberal mind sees vulgar initiative as a capital strategy.

                        To every foolish initiative Life has occasions that can countermand.

                        To offer one's own advantage as if it is advantageous to the other is crass folly.

Page 52:          A right decision is always supported by circumstances.

                        Politeness proposes the opposite to the intention.

                        Bingley's interest in Jane overcomes his shyness.

                        Darcy feels a relief in spite of a greater longing for Elizabeth.

                        Contrary emotions cause opposite impulses.

                        Elizabeth insists on going in response to insistent attraction from Darcy.

                        Darcy's inner struggle was because he could not acknowledge his love yet.

                        He wishes Elizabeth not to know of his love now. When he proposed to her it was this hesitation that stood in her way.

                        His conscious detachment now rears its head later as her conscious refusal.

Page 53:          It is freedom that makes Elizabeth lively.

                        To Mrs. Bennet what is inconvenient is wrong.

                        Neglect leads to concentration in Mary.

                        Empty heads are filled with useless information.

Chapter XIII

                        Incoming undefined information takes each mind to its own interest.

                        Mrs. Bennet is full of energy ready to explode into activity.

                        Comparing oneself favourably against inferiors is a consolation.

Page 54:          The only amusement for Mr. Bennet is to expose his wife before his children.

                        It is a family full of happy energy unoccupied.

                        Mr. Bennet is indolent. He replies to a letter after 15 days. No wonder in a lazy atmosphere no marriages take place.

                        Ignorant Mrs. Bennet takes exception to the entail. Vehemence comes from ignorance.

                        Lack of understanding makes lack of reason violent.

                        Those who vehemently oppose can reverse when the situation changes.

                        How many times one can change sides is limitless.

                        Mrs. Bennet is offended not by Mr. Collins, but by her own position.

                        To accuse another for what one is, is the characteristic of stupidity.

Page 55:          Mr. Collins's goodwill to Mr. Bennet's family finally made him a relation of Lady Catherine.

                        The small that is low delights in squeamish snobbishness.

                        The very mouth that speaks of Lady Catherine will delight in it.

                        Volubility is the hallmark of a mind devoid of ideas.

                        Stupidity offers explanations the other man never needs.

Page 56:          Self-consciousness is marked in characters who are incapable of knowing others.

                        Even stupid people never miss the possible benefit.

                        Jane's innocence springs from ignorance.

                        Elizabeth is capable of knowing his character from the letter.

                        Mr. Collins may be a buffoon. But he too is punctual.

                        Politeness and conscientiousness need a seat of culture. In their absence it makes him obsequious.

Rank is valued more than the wealth. When both combine it is the last word.

Mrs. Bennet, physical as she is, readily recognises her benefit in him.

Jane's confusion is a direct revelation of her stupid innocence.

Collins's artificiality comes home to Elizabeth directly.

Servility readily joins self-importance.

Trying to know the world from reading ends in a fiasco.

Empty heads love empty aspects.

Page 57:          In receiving and sendoffs Mr. Bennet's family comes out in fully.

Words do not wait in an untempered Mind.

Mr. Collins's words do not come through experience.

Mrs. Bennet involuntarily embarrasses Collins.

To open an unpleasant topic and apologize for it is awkward manners.

The atmosphere of the house does not permit embarrassment beyond a limit.                       

                        Folly takes flattery appreciation.

Page 58:          The impulse of the low towards the high expands in appreciation.

                        The compliment of the low can become an insult to the high.

                        Culture of the low reveals itself as unintentional offence to the high.

                        Culture absorbs the uncultured by remaining unoffended by their unintended inadvertence.

Chapter XIV

                        Mr. Bennet enjoys tickling Mr. Collins, an unbecoming act which recoiled on him through two letters of his later.

                        Personalities expand at their weakest points.

                        Education without culture makes one pompous.

                        The outer social strength of rank pleasantly fills the inner vacuum.

                        Man excels himself in appreciating his own value.

                        Rank accords equality at the table.

Page 59:          Officiousness is rank's smallness.

                        The normal tendency is to evaluate another by one's own standard.

                        An admirer is obviously oblivious.

                        Man imagines to his credit the lost opportunities.

Page 60:          One symptom of stupidity is its pride over things others will be ashamed of.

                        To take advantage of one's ignorance or lack of culture is mean.

                        Form without content enjoys empty forms embellished.

                        The satisfaction of fulfilled expectation is real. Mr. Bennet is not

                        magnanimous to enjoy at the expense of Mr. Collin's lack of upbringing.

                        Pleasure shared is pleasure doubled.

                        Vast differences in culture do not permit even a slight compromise.

                        In those days, novel reading was looked upon as dissipation.

                        Lydia knows no discipline of any kind.

Page 61:          Not to be offended by ignorance is a degree of culture.

                        Indelicacy pampered is indecorous.

                        Visits of guest expose vulnerable families.

                        Mr. Bennet has no implicit authority at home; it has to be enforced.

                        Lydia's unabashed indecorous behaviour is seen here.

                        Mature culture accommodates all shades of behavior. A family that collectively absorbs such shocks from outside or inside is of course traditionally rich in culture.

Chapter XV

                        Education cannot compensate for deficiency of nature.

                        Submission is not humility.

                        Submission under authority creates self-conceit.

                        The educational effort of a weak illiterate mind attracts luck of prosperity.

Page 62:          He who falsely praises another will have a good opinion about himself.

                        Mixtures of the opposite qualities are found in fresh efforts of the low.

                        Ownership of a good house inflates the pride of physical security.

                        Man, who kneels before a lady seeking her hand, wants her to value his pride.

                        Simple man's humility is self-appreciation.

                        Even genuine help or offer of help by a low man hurts.

                        He who is capable of help does not offer it.

                        One should not seek help; nor should he offer it.

                        When a right occasion arises for help and help is around, then one can seek it and the other can offer it.

                        One can be evaluated by the help he offers or accepts.

                        Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet planned the marriage of Elizabeth according to social norms. It was done breaking the social sphere.

                        In a rich positive atmosphere the planning of small minds is broken according to the atmosphere.

Page 63:          As Collins takes Elizabeth into his scheme, Wickham enters the picture.

                        New muslin in a shop and the new face of an officer are equal to the younger girls.

                        Wickham's appearance electrifies the girls. He is from Pemberley though now in the army.

                        Upbringing is all.

                        Being the son of a steward, Wickham had no occasion to play a role in Pemberley. He assimilates the best of upbringing with the humblest of attitudes. He was far more handsome than Darcy and far more pleasing than Bingley.

Page 64:          All the four gentlemen who are to marry in the story meet here.

Page 65:          Village news spreads through Jones' shop boy.

                        Apology is the courtesy of the aborigines.

                        Vulgar Mrs. Philips finds the apologetic Collins well bred.

                        Mr. Wickham suddenly becomes popular.

                        It was only Elizabeth who saw the exchange between Darcy and Wickham.

Page 66:          Mr. Collins was wise enough to bracket Mrs. Philips and Lady Catherine.

                        Stupidity counts one, and hundred, next knows no measure.

Chapter XVI

                        The Bennet girls are all out though the eldest is not married.

                        Grooms too come from unusual level.

                        Mr. Collins carries artificial formalities beyond limits.

                        Mr. Collins was so self-absorbed that the high reputation and charm of Wickham was entirely lost on him.

                        Mr. Collins could see the world only through Lady Catherine.

Page 67:          Ironic modesty is the hallmark of the self-conceited small man.

                        Capacity to listen raises the listener in the eyes of the speaker.

                        To the ladies Wickham was superior to everyone in her superlative grace.

                        Empty embellishment changes to the opposite when the atmosphere changes.

                        It is striking that Wickham and Darcy instinctively were attracted by Elizabeth.

                        Elizabeth was to pass through the disillusionment of Wickham to deserve Darcy.

                        A well bred man readily falls into conversation as we see Colonel Fitzwilliam.

                        Charm of conversation does not depend upon the topic, but the speaker.

                        To be attractive to young ladies is an endowment to young men.

                        Blemishes in behaviour totally expose.

Page 68:          Captivating manners capture the imagination.

                        The very first to meet Wickham were Lydia and Elizabeth, indicating  the future.

                        Elizabeth's notice of the greeting between Darcy and Wickham brings the letter to her.

                        Silent will of Elizabeth makes Wickham talk of Darcy.

                        Wickham's interest in Darcy was greater than in Elizabeth.

                        Elizabeth gives the lead to the topic though she did not begin about Darcy.

                        Wickham cunningly qualifies to know all about Darcy.

                        It is he who first mentions Darcy's rudeness to her as he senses her attitude.

                        (Cf. Wickham who senses Elizabeth's annoyance with Darcy gently opens his campaign of falsehood. In his last meeting with her he equally senses that he is sufficiently exposed to her and gently retires.  The indication of Life is inescapable.)

                        Wickham gently but surely poisons her mind. She is a willing victim.

                        Wickham cunningly gains her ear, presenting him as one who is most qualified to slander. He does it in the name of a noble sentiment.

                        His cunning has a parallel to Antony's oration.

Page 69:          Wickham knows the magnificent attitudes of high aristocracy.

                        He succeeds in accusing Darcy in her own words.

                        He succeeds in bringing her out openly.

Without directly knowing Elizabeth was slighted, he fully becomes aware of that sentiment and fully draws her out.

                        Elizabeth is anxious that Wickham should not go away because of Darcy.

                        He triumphantly asserts his independence only to swallow it soon.

                        An incapacity of action will express itself triumphantly as its opposite.

                        He takes on himself a most gentlemanly nobility.

                        His poise is one of offended dignity.

                        Even when scandalously sinned against, he claims to noble behaviour.

Page 70:          Prevented by delicacy she refrained from asking about Darcy. It became Silent

                        will and he spoke the news she very much wanted.

                        He and she are now united by the common dislike of Darcy.

                        (The illusion he has created later was the cause for her self-finding. Had he been true to her and refrained from falsehood, there is no chance of her overcoming her charm for him, in favour of Darcy. Wrong people serve the cause wrongly. As the present atmosphere is strong, he was exposed. In a weak atmosphere he would have prevailed forever.)

Her thinking of legal recourse shows how identified she is with his life.

He wriggles out of the situation which escapes her attention.

He presents the ‘facts', allows her to condemn Darcy, himself refraining from the crime.

She is oblivious of his cunning, overwhelmed by his charm.

(Darcy) ‘He hates me,' says Wickham, and does not say, ‘I hate him'. Very diplomatic.

This shocks her, and she wants to publicly expose Darcy. Thus in a few minutes he  achieves a consummate victory, though temporary.

                        (Note her words ‘must be publicly exposed' come true of Wickham when he ran away with Lydia. Words uttered have a way of becoming true though in a different fashion.)

                        Though she believes the scandal readily, she is unable to understand the coinage when she asks what the motive was.

                        What she refuses to ‘see' he brings her to see the jealousy of Darcy of his own superior personality.

                        Her own judgment has not put Darcy down that badly.

                        From her own experience, she tries to find corroboration for this story.

                        Wickham takes one further noble step of impartiality.

Page 72:          She almost feels that her judgment of Darcy is based on Wickham's handsome face.

                        He plays on that theme drawing upon her fervent sympathy.

                        She was totally won over. To her Darcy is dishonest.

                        (Impression is not reality. Finally she was to discover that it is Wickham who is dishonest. Dishonesty arises from her prejudice as she later discovers.

                        Having won her favour, Wickham builds his theory of pride.

                        Even now she does not condemn Darcy. She only wonders how it will do him good.

Page 73:          Even Wickham had to admit Darcy's brotherly affection.

                        Wickham, for no reason, speaks ill of Miss Darcy, an uncalled for evil.

                        His is a false character that tries to gain the maximum from the moment.

                        The restraint Elizabeth had with Darcy, she did not have with Bingley.

                        Even her Wickham absolves Bingley and abuses Darcy.

Page 74:          To Collins the one reference is Lady Catherine, even his card losses.

                        At the word de Bourgh, Wickham was able to know of Collins.

                        Here Elizabeth knows of Lady Catherine as the aunt of Darcy.

                        (Indeed Wickham "tells" her that she, Elizabeth, will marry Darcy.

The final event in the subtle plane makes Wickham speak of it in these words.)

To be able to know the action of subtle plane in this way will give a depth of perception to the reader.

            Elizabeth has enough penetration to know the Lady is conceited from Collins.

            (The Lady may be conceited. To perceive that makes the Lady deliver her

conceit on to Elizabeth. Perception has that power.)

Page 75:          Wickham's cleverness again acts cunningly here. He does not accuse the Lady first. He only takes up Elizabeth's thread. He is a consummate diplomat.

Every lady awaits for some attention from Wickham, so charming is he.

He spoke softly in pleasing, captivating phrases as a result of the best of

upbringings.

Being poor in Pemberley he could know the value of captivating manners

which need  Darcy had not.

Lydia and Collins were full of words and noise, all that they have.

The empty head making incessant noise is the way it feels itself valuable.

Elizabeth has made a conquest, in her opinion, but in truth, she

effectively walked into the fatal trap of Wickham's falsehood.

Charm succeeds. There is no stopping it.

Chapter XVII

Page 76:          Jane is the confidante of Elizabeth in a greater measure than Elizabeth is to Jane. It is her out going to Jane in an act of self-giving. Therefore she was able to bring Bingley to Jane.

Jane's policy is NOT to acknowledge anyone's shortfalls.

It is one important reason for Bingley could come back to her as the one whose defects are not noticed, expands himself to the other person. Expansiveness permits no failure.

Jane evaluates Darcy in terms of Bingley's regard as Bingley is her centre of emotions.

An act is accomplished by the emotional strength not on the strength of understanding. This attitude contributes to Jane's wedding.

No woman thinks of Wickham except in amiable appearance.

Jane identifies readily with the victim.

She would rather defend both. Any mistake is for Jane, accidental.

This appears naïve, foolish, blind, but to take this position one needs a great strength of character.

She attributes the result to an unknown cause.

She attributes the mischief to interested outsiders.

The more Jane tries to justify both, the more Elizabeth is trying to fix the blame on some one.

Jane would not place Darcy in a disgraceful light. Nor would she allow that Bingley was deceived in that. Her opinion, a fully positive one, was firm. That is her character.

Elizabeth would more easily believe that Bingley was naïve than imputing falsification to Wickham. For no reason she could see any blemish in her favourite. It was her grave digger. It was there Life was atrocious to her. It was there she was called upon to reverse.

Names, facts, everything Wickham mentioned were without ceremony. To her they were gospel truth.

Page 77:          It is Wickham who falsified, fabricated, insinuated countless innuendoes. She wants Darcy to contradict as if it was his birth right. The crime is Wickham's. She wants the onus of proof on the accused! It is the rationality of an adoring heart, adoring falsehood.

Jane refuses to think. Obstinacy of stupidity seeks refuge in stillness.

Jane thinks of the consequences to Bingley, if there was any truth in the accusation.

Life responds bringing Bingley and his sisters. We can say Jane's refusal to accuse Bingley brings him there.

As Elizabeth holds a grudge against Darcy, the visitors would not say much to her. The subtle sense is perceptive.

Balls are enlivening occasions to energetic ladies.

Man is at his best to consider himself the centre of life whatever the event.

Attention that is recognition is flattering.

Anticipation is more enjoyable than the actual fact as it is in the imagination.

Elizabeth's anticipation of seeing Wickham is overridden by the expectation of Darcy's behaviour.

Every female has Wickham in her mind.

Page 78:          Neglected Mary is anxious to join the ball.

Mary is not averse to ball; but she is conscious that no man has offered to dance with her. Still, a lingering hope makes her go to Netherfield.

High spirits release the impulses which attract the very opposite. Elizabeth could not help speaking to Collins and ends up with two dances with him.

Collins is not averse to dancing. Only he needs an excuse to join. He is incapable of the right steps but still joins the dancing. What is upper most in his mind is his propriety.

Man always invites the catastrophe on himself. So does Elizabeth.

Expectation brings the very opposite. Expects Wickham and gets Collins.

As anyone else, Elizabeth is unaware of his attentions to her.

Understanding comes out of the attitude, not by itself. The moment she suspects his intention, the whole thing is clear to her.

(Subconsciously Elizabeth is attracted to Collins. It is really the attraction to Darcy.  Heavy rains on many days before the ball announces the approval of heaven of the final outcome of the ball.)

Chapter XVIII

Elizabeth could never doubt Wickham's presence. Wickham is false and is a coward. Instead of seeing that, she is angry at Darcy. Wickham is only an entrance to Darcy. The subconscious object is only Darcy.

Desire, when it accuses, accuses everyone except the right object.

Page 80:

Interested people never fail to listen to any news relevant to them.

Immediate disappointment sharply attacks immediate target.

Darcy is attracted by the energy of hate as in truth it is her deeper interest in him.

Vital justice sees itself as injustice to the rivals.

Having resolved against any conversation with Darcy, she ends up dancing with him.

"Blind partiality of" Bingley is really her own attitude to Wickham.

Cheerfulness is her disposition; ill-humour is a passing cloud.

She unburdens to Charlotte, an agent of good will for her. That brings Darcy's dance proposal.

Common sense is a source of good will. Charlotte's good will readily gets her married and that leads Elizabeth to Pemberley. Actually the entail was the beginning for Pemberley.

Dancing with Collins was a shame. It was the real forerunner of Darcy's letter.

For one in love there is no greater delight than to talk about his lover.

Her accepting Darcy for dancing is actually her accepting to marry him.

Page 81:         

                        ‘Want of presence of mind' is really living up to the subconscious aspiration.

                        Elizabeth sees the greatest luck as the greatest evil.

                        Charlotte's advice was one of common sense and good will.

                        Elizabeth is amazed at the dignity of dancing with Darcy. Life thrusts luck on her.

                        All the neighbours took notice of it.

                        It was Elizabeth who spoke first expressing the rule.

                        Darcy did not speak, answers her and keeps silent because he was too full of emotions.

                        Elizabeth tells him it was his turn to speak and after his reply she declares silence will do.

                        Already she behaves like a married wife taking liberties with him.

                        She further lays down the rules of talking during a dance.

Page 82:

                        Darcy is unable to know her point of reference. To him she was an enigma.

                        She orders him about as if she was a married wife.

                        Perhaps she is already aware of the fact that she would be marrying him.

                        She points out the similarities of their disposition, both anti-social.

                        She takes the first occasion to introduce Wickham.

                        Offence reaches the other deeper. She does touch him so.

                        She directly accuses him of injustice to Wickham.

                        That silences Darcy who withdraws into himself. He was deeply touched by her.

                        Sir Lucas's compliment on his superior dancing is, perhaps, recognition of their love. Sir Lucas speaks of a certain event. Is it Darcy's wedding?

Page 83:          Sir Lucas gets a distant perception but voices it as Bingley's wedding. Coming events cast their shadows in advance. Darcy was alerted. Was he alerted by Jane or his own attraction to Elizabeth? Consciously it is to Jane, subconsciously it is to Elizabeth.

                        Elizabeth was beside herself. It can be directly attributed to her missing Wickham but I would attribute it to her meeting Darcy whom she subconsciously longs for.

Page 84:          She straight away goes to a comment he had made earlier which touches his character. She consciously seeks to touch him there in an effort to reach him more deeply. He becomes silent unable to stand the touch.

                        She tells him there may not be another opportunity to study his character which later comes true. It is her announcement to him that she is unavailable.

                        When a beloved offends, even if it is intentional, the anger is directed against another object of hate.

                        The intensity Elizabeth created with Darcy, is continued by Caroline's news.

Page 85:          Elizabeth is incensed by the news of Caroline. Caroline is her rival and that rivalry incenses.

                        Elizabeth's devotion to Jane is of greater intensity than her attractions for Wickham.

Page 86:          Elizabeth has enough rational basis to reject Caroline's and Jane's version of Wickham - Darcy deal.

                        Collins paying his respects to Darcy is his respecting himself.

                        Collins completes the cycle of Mr. Bennet's family's vulgar display. For the next cycle of activity to start, the preceding cycle must be completed.

                        Collins is irrepressible. We first see it here, next in his proposal, finally in his letters to Bennet on Lydia and Darcy. His cycle was completed when he had to leave Rosings to avoid the Lady's anger.

                        Collins is the medium between Elizabeth and Darcy. In one it is irrepressible buffoonery in the other it is irrepressible passion. Hence he acts as the medium. Compare Lydia's shameless pursuit of men with Wickham's shameless employment of falsehood.

Page 87:          As Lizzy is unable to control Lydia or Mary, she is unable to control Collins.

                        Mrs.Bennet, Lydia, Collins are irrepressible in one fashion. Darcy and Lady Catherine are irrepressible in another fashion. All reflect Lizzy's uncontrollable attraction to Wickham.

                        Collins disregards Eliza's warning even as Eliza disregards Caroline's.

Page 88:          A snob receives a snub as reception.

                        Lizzy formulates her expectation and thus cancels Jane's prospects.

Page 89:          All that Darcy accused her in his letter, she witnesses now. Man totally ignores his own shortcomings, gets angry if pointed out. Elizabeth is superstitiously irrational. She only expects as did her mother. So did Collins as well as Darcy.

                        Mrs.Bennet is proud of her exhibition.

Page 90:          Indignant contempt changes into composed gravity in Darcy. Later he was to accept it and serve its wrong effects. That is life.

                        Elizabeth suffers intensely. Through transformation it later becomes intense enjoyment.

                        Her suffering issues out of her present view, which is the spiritual definition of suffering.

                        Lydia, Collins, mother, and Mary are vulgar. None of this leaves in her a persistent residue.

                        Other's shortcomings, our strength will stand out in our minds, not our shortcomings or other's merits.

Page 91:          Mrs. Bennet actually applauds Collin's vulgar outbursts.

                        Jane is lost in Bingley.

                        Darcy and Caroline observe all.

Page 92:          Inspite of low exhibitions the whole assembly seeks enjoyment, a sign of prosperous dynamism. That gives the atmosphere strength and a positive character. It is that which changes the course of events when the negative powers exhaust themselves. Meryton is low, but its lowness is less than the revolutionary power that dominates.

                        Elizabeth sees Darcy's attention was constantly on her. She interpreted it differently. She was aware of the attention, not his love.

                        It is true no event descends unannounced.

Page 93:          Mrs. Bennet has completed Jane's happiness in her imagination and it cancels the chance. So does Elizabeth. To see today's events in the light of later developments puts the course of events in life's perspective.

 

Chapter XIX

                        Educated stupidity is entirely formal. Even a marriage proposal is so.

Page 94:          The executioner can imagine his conferring his blessings on the executed.

                        A proposal is what man makes to woman, not what a mother orders, Love is not made to order.

                        A foolish parent could exert that pressure on a child, but life offers the result forces permit, not what the parent orders. In the subtle plane this proposal is a rehearsal of the later proposal by Darcy.

                        In those days children would not disobey a direct order from parents. Mrs. Bennet can compel her to listen, not make her accept. The mother thus exhausts her role in Elizabeth's life so that her own due will sail to her.

                        Collins condescends to propose to Elizabeth as Lady Catherine does to him.

                        He lied that he singled her out on entering the house.

Page 95:          He delivers a long prepared speech where an emotional utterance is appropriate. It is easy for us to see how high he held himself and how it never entered his imaginations that he was an abomination to all here except Mrs.Bennet. In his proposal he dwells ‘modestly' on his high station, her vast prospects. It never occurred to him he could be refused or rejected and that it was an insult to her that he proposed. One endowment of the lowest equates him to the highest. He knew nothing as the other man's point of view. Hence his cascading eloquence.

Page 96:          He was indelicate to refer to her father's death. His delicacy is insulting in mentioning her portion. Only an uncultured idiot will speak about it and then apologise for mentioning it. Darcy and Collins were similar.

                        Collins takes a flat virulent denial as encouragement. It requires a great faith in his own worth. That faith must be one of physically concrete reality to him.

Page 97:          He offers to renew his offer later. In her violent rejection he sees feminine delicacy. Only a doctrinaire can do so. His mind has accepted the mould of the church doctrines.

Page 98:          He reviews her refusal in the light of his income, patroness, elevated status, etc. He could not think of her, he could think only of himself. In the true spirit of romance her vehement reactions are uniformly charming to him. To her it was perverseness.

Chapter XX

Page 99:          Mrs. Bennet does not wait for the report. She was close on their heels. To her it was a foregone conclusion. Mrs. Bennet could not believe her ears. She wants to order everyone according to her ideas. What failed with Collins worked with Jane. That is the only method she knew. Sometimes it works also by default. Having been used to the constant compliance of Mr. Bennet she takes for granted that Collins too will be like that. What she proposed with Elizabeth, rightly alienated Collins for ever. There is nothing subtle about Mrs. Bennet. It is all direct talking.     

Page 100:        Mrs.Bennet tries to make Lizzy accept Collins by the influence of Mr. Bennet. It produces the very opposite results. She could only think of her husband doing what she wants, never otherwise. He was a British husband to whom the only way to treat a woman is to be soft to her.

                        His capacity not to discipline his wife had the otherside of his retiring into his library. As the indulgence is great so the refusal too is great, Lizzy is his favourite child. All his laxity with his wife cannot extend to ruin Lizzy's life. That is too much. Mrs. Bennet, of course, does not think. She only acts and wants everyone to act as she wishes. It worked for her for 25 non-stop years. He went to call on Bingley to oblige his wife against his natural inclination. He would send Lydia to Brighton as he would not cross her wishes. When Bingley departed, she would not know whom to blame as life has not acted according to her wishes. She wanted it to rain when Jane was on her way to Netherfield. She gloated over her scheming when Jane fell ill and stayed at Netherfield. She would not send the coach to bring her back. She was a lady self-willed. In her own marriage she had her way. Now she expects everything to go her way. All of us are like that unless life checkmates. Here he puts his foot down and acts on his own and says he would not see Lizzy if she marries Collins as she says she would not see Lizzy if she refuses him. Had he shown that determination in refusing to send Lydia to Brighton, the catastrophe would not have happened.

Page 101:        Authority accomplishes. Nothing else. Mr. Bennet refused to exert. In the absence of her husband's authority, all her persuasions of Lizzy either draws a reply or a playful remark.

                        To Charlotte any bachelor is an eligible bachelor. Only that she feels no right to expect any man to take interest in her at the age of 27. She can long for a man, but it is not in the scheme of her things. The rule is even the weakest can accomplish if the circumstances favour and the object rises to the occasion with the right attitudes. Here Collins is disappointed and mortified, feels hurt and would act readily to save his honour. His personality has the energy of foolish intensity. Thus a favourable situation has arisen to Charlotte. She adopted a strategy of patiently listening to Collins which highly gratified his wounded dignity. Circumstances favour Charlotte as she has goodwill towards Elizabeth and is armed with common sense. She is the one who feels the man of money has the right to offend. Such an attitude right after the blunt refusal of Elizabeth will be soothing to the jangled nerves of Collins.    

                        Mrs. Bennet asks Miss Lucas to persuade Lizzy to comply with the wishes of all the family. All the family to her is herself. We cannot call Mrs. Bennet selfish as it is an attitude of a person who sees two attitudes and chooses the one that is selfish. She is a strong dynamic physical self who knows only herself. Even at that level, her passion for the marriage of her daughters is answered three fold. Charlotte has the vital resourcefulness that at once figures out an advantage for itself. She is not cunning or artful. It is a master stroke for her to see in one glance the opportunity for her. She has already qualified for this gift by her good will expressed to Elizabeth and Jane. She is endowed with mercenary common sense. What she gets in Collins is what she is exactly. It is worth noting that Elizabeth and Kitty persuade her to take Collins home as she has persuaded Elizabeth and Jane earlier. She is humble and self-effacing too. She tells Jane that she must let Bingley know of her liking. Now she has an opportunity to practise it herself. It worked successfully in 24 hours. Our study will be complete if we understand her marriage in the light of every attitude and action of hers since the beginning of the story.

Page 102:        "I shall not be able to keep you" says Mrs. Bennet to Elizabeth. It is Elizabeth who rights the wrong done by Mrs. Bennet by having Lydia married. It is a rule that those who are obliged to others will speak as if the others are obliged to them. It is Mrs.Bennet who is obliged to Elizabeth. She talks as if Elizabeth is taken care of by her.

                        "Any attempt to reason with or sooth her would only increase her irritation". Attention is energizing. Trying to reason will energise Mrs. Bennet. She is irritation. This energy will only increase the irritation she is. It is a great rule, "Mr. Collins, whose enquiries after herself and all her family were very minute". Here Collins takes after Lady Catherine whose condescension takes this form.

                        Charlotte overhears Collins withdrawing from Mrs. Bennet's family. Now, she sees, the field is open to her. This is a rule of accomplishment by which the least person can substantially accomplish in the right circumstances by the right approach. Collins was stung. He craves for attention. Charlotte offers him venerable solicitude. He readily falls for her saying she was made for him.

Page 103:        Collins is pompous. His entry was pompous. Now his withdrawal is ceremonies. We see in the stupidity of Collins a certain animal intelligence of shrewdness that readily knows where its advantage lies.

Chapter XXI

Page 104:        The next day Wickham's arrival eclipses Collins. Wickham reverses himself 180º. His explanation is perfectly acceptable to Elizabeth. There is no studying of character, motive, etc. she wants to honour him with the introduction to her parents. She is in love. She sees only the charm of Wickham. It directly brings the life response of Bingley leaving forever. The girls do not see their role in bringing it about. They diligently design a scapegoat in Caroline and Darcy.

                        Wickham voluntarily explained his absence to Elizabeth. This is behaviour of gentlemen not to wait for the other to ask. He is subtle enough to adopt the behaviour of a gentleman to hide his blatant falsehood. She is determined to adore him and adores him in toto. His ruse is understood as his forbearance by the heart in love. It is the logic of romantic attraction. Wickham pays her attention as she was the brightest. Her brightness is enough attraction except to stupid Bingley. It could have made him assume she was a heiress. She feels all the compliment of his attention. For once she was in love and tasted that noble sentiment though he who inspired was undeserving and felt none for her. Behaviour can be that powerful. Especially with such a handsome face and a striking countenance, it is not a wonder she totally fell for him once and for all.

                        "Putting the letter away, she tried to join with her usual cheerfulness in the general conversation".

                        To Jane it was an opportunity of wedding, not romantic attachment. Had it been so she would have been shocked. Here she comes back with her usual cheerfulness because to her it is a lost opportunity.

Page 105:        "Elizabeth was drawn off even from Wickham". To her, her sister's juoy is more important than her love of Wickham. It was she who was in love not he. Had it been mutual, Elizabeth would be more involved in love. "A very frequent and most unreserved correspondence" is spoken of by Caroline. In fact, she rarely wrote. That is why she speaks of frequent correspondence.

                        Elizabeth erroneously expects that Bingley will not be detained by them. It is not her understanding, it was her expectation.

Page 106:        Caroline's letter is a tissue of polite lies. She was to swallow all her ploys in the end as Bingley married Jane and not Georgiana. Falsehood hurts only the speaker not his object.

                        It is true that Charles is very much under the control of the sisters and Darcy. But it is also true if a submissive person is dominated overmuch, subconsciously it falls on the perpetrator. In the case of Caroline she was in the end unable to prevent Jane's marriage, but she furthered Elizabeth's marriage with Darcy ousting herself.

                        Even Darcy, who tried to prevent Bingley's marriage with Jane, finds his own marriage would be possible only after Bingley's marriage. It is a law of life which no one has the power to circumvent.

                        As Caroline's negative initiatives recoil on her, Elizabeth's negative beliefs fortify what she believes in.

                        Elizabeth's insights are true; but to throw her weight on them makes them come to life. Jane's foolish disbelief helps them not come true.

Page 107:        Any sister or any friend will try to prevent Bingley from marrying Jane. It is normal, even their duty. Only when it is true love such prevention will be wrong. Here it is a poor girl on the strength of her pretty face wanting to marry a rich man. On Elizabeth's part, there is no justification. Has she not disapproved of Charlotte's marriage, disapproved of Lydia's marriage? What ultimately achieves Jane's marriage is Darcy's passion to marry Elizabeth. It was accomplished through the good will of Elizabeth and the passionate dynamism of her mother.

Page 108:        Jane does believe that Caroline is incapable of will fully deceiving anyone. It is Jane's contribution to the break. ONLY when she reverses this faulty understanding the circumstances begin to change.

                        When a work is accomplished every event and attitude will be positive. All negative attitudes will reverse themselves essentially.

                        Jane asks how she could marry Bingley when his sisters are dissatisfied. In fact she does. The truth is, work is accomplished by strength. All oppositions bend themselves to suit the situation.

                        It is noteworthy that instead of imposing her own opinion on Jane, Elizabeth asks her to choose herself thus giving her freedom of action. It is one positive contribution to accomplishment.

                        Elizabeth contemptuously rejects the idea that Bingley would not return. Here Elizabeth, however right in her penetration, overlooks the inability of spineless goodness.

Page 109:        Contemplation of Bingley's return is to Mrs. Bennet, two courses of dinner. Physical smallness is glued to the little details of physical objects.

Chapter XXII

                        At the house of Mr. Bennet Miss Lucas patiently listened to Collins. Lizzy heartily thanked her for the relief. In a subtle sense it sounds that Elizabeth is thanking Miss Lucas for enabling Darcy to propose to her.

                        As Elizabeth rudely refused Collins, he was not confident of Charlotte's acceptance. The fire and independence of his character sail into vigorous action as he was mortally offended. Offending a sensitive part releases greater energy than the positive inspiration of an ideal. His vehemence was met by her yearning for marriage. She was waiting for him and met him half way. Completion of an act, at its tether end, requires such consummate strategies.

Page 110:        It is her perceiving him coming and meeting him half way as if accidentally, that released so much of eloquence and love from him.

                        It was all settled in a trice that she should make him the happiest of men. The only delay is his long speech. Habit prevails even in that moment of romance.

                        Charlotte is too wise to trifle with his long winding exuberant eloquence, a confirmation to him of his higher education.

Page 110:        One who is endowed with stupidity becomes dynamic by education. It constantly seeks exhibition. It is irksome to refined persons. Collins sought Miss Lucas for her patient listening. It is her asset, which won her a husband of £2000 a year. Even courtship is made irksome by such an urge. Charlotte, who sought a preservative from want successfully, is patient enough to let him exhaust his exuberance.

                        The value of an acquisition lies in its non-stop display.

                        What was an insult to Elizabeth is an occasion for overflowing joy to the Lucases.

Page 111:        Marriage is the only source of support for women who cannot earn.

                        Her luck issued out of her natural good will.

                        Charlotte valued the friendship of Elizabeth as she recognised Lizzy's perception.

                        The same information coming from different people can have a different effect.

                        Secrecy when the urge is great gives tension.

                        An obvious fact cannot be avoided by honest responses.

                        The one thing love seeks is public recognition.

                        Mr. Bennet is rude enough to suggest he need not return.

                        His stupidity is infinite to bring out from others infinite rudeness.

Page 112:        Mr. Bennet dissuades him from returning while Mrs. Bennet extends an invitation. Collins has a great role to play in their life by bringing Darcy to the family. Mrs. Bennet who is brainless is aware of the subtle truth. Mr. Bennet in whom the mind is formed is prevented from seeing the truth.

                        "My gratitude is warmly excited by such affectionate attention" has no reference to Bennet's warning. It refers, in a subtle sense, to his prosperous love which he is anxious to announce, perhaps to spite Elizabeth. "All of them are equally surprised" by his promised return. Life always has infinite surprises. Today Collins knows why he is returning and the ladies do not know. A day earlier Collins himself had not known the surprise of his engagement. Life is live.

                        Many whom Collins will consider a novice, rate him below her attainment. In evaluation anyone rates the other person against his own greatest strength and the other's greatest weakness. Often they will be varying fields. Mary values her own learning, compares his manners with her learning. Expectations soar high on the eve of its opposite developments. Now that he is engaged and there is no scope for Mary, Mary can dream of its possibility. Her rating him lower than herself indicates that the chance is exhausted.

                        Once or twice Elizabeth fancied that he was in love with Charlotte. In life nothing descends all on a sudden. Its early symptoms will be there if one is perceptive.

Page 113:        Elizabeth was disgusted with Collins' obsequious behaviour. All her bounds of decorum broke when she heard it and she exclaimed, "Impossible!". That intensity is equaled by her own vehement refusal of Darcy later. Here is truth in Charlotte's defence. It is the other side of the picture.

In a girl of 21 it is admirable how Elizabeth rallied to good behaviour and congratulation.

Charlotte desires to defend and justify herself as Elizabeth matters to her. Also she speaks a great truth that happiness in marriage is only by chance.

She is down to earth and ‘asks only for a comfortable home'. This is a mercenary ideal. All those who seek a mercenary ideal may or may not succeed, but one thing is certain, it will come through shame.

"Charlotte did not stay much longer" for two reasons. 1) She was ashamed of her act; 2) she has too much of enjoyment at home to celebrate the engagement. Elizabeth is uncompromising in her choice of men. Charlotte sacrifices everything. One got Darcy and the other got Collins. It is impossible to see that Charlotte in her position as a portionless 27 year old, could have had a groom like Darcy had she willed like Elizabeth.

 

Chapter XXIII

Page 114:        Manners are of the surface. We see Mrs. Bennet and Lydia are incapable of it. Mrs. Bennet not believing the truth of the engagement really expresses that it should be broken. Perceptive people infer the one from the other. Sir Lucas, apart from his forbearing courtesy, values the wealth of Mr. Bennet's family in not reacting to the unkind remarks. Elizabeth finds it impossible for one reason. Mrs. Bennet does not approve of it for opposite reasons. It is worth noting that in one house the parents and daughter celebrate it and in the other house the parent and daughter disapprove of it. Social status validates itself.

Page 115:        The four stages of opinions Mrs. Bennet moves through are the normal negative human thinking as it looks at life from its centre and seeks a justification of itself.

Time heals Mrs. Bennet's sufferings in stages.

Mr. Bennet is unable to see the wisdom of Charlotte.

Jane maintains her poise of positive thinking.

The greatest moment in a lady's life is the moment of her daughter's wedding.

Page 116:        There is a parallel between Elizabeth's disapproval of Charlotte's marriage and her father's disapproval of Darcy. Elizabeth knew the distances she traveled in accepting Darcy and the various stages. She does not know that Charlotte passed all those stages and distances in her disappointed youth and arrived at accepting Collins. She pities Charlotte in her youthful ignorance of inexperience.

Jane's greatest depths are of the surface.

Collins lives his experience of marital bliss in his eloquent composition.

Superstition makes the irrelevant important.

"Lovers of all the people are disagreeable" to Mrs. Bennet as it is a subconscious reminder to her of her own trap and chase of her husband in her youth.

Page 117:        Elizabeth sees her judgment of Bingley fail.

Jane's suffering is due to double causes, disappointment and the need to appear unconcerned. The latter makes one stoic.

Bingley would not come as long as he is expected.

In fact, he really comes, when everyone exhausts their expectation.

Collins trespasses on Mr. Bennet's hospitality longer than necessary because Darcy is to come through him.

"threw Mrs. Bennet into an agony of ill humour". Apparently this is because the match came to spoil her plans and rob her of the estate. By a long term perception a subtle sense can have, Darcy coming into her family giving Elizabeth £10,000 a year and a status inconceivable is now subconsciously felt by Mrs. Bennet as a great fulfillment of her deepest aspiration which is too much for her nerves and temperament to hear.

Page 118:        Mrs. Bennet has a rich practical imagination of the physical mind. The sight of Charlotte is anathema to her. Her imagination runs riot in her mind.

She is a woman who must speak as she thinks about Charlotte. To her what she imagines is more than real.

His consolation is refined. She has no instrument to respond to it.

One characteristic of the physical is that it repeats its position verbatim after it is fully analysed, answered and warded off.

Mr. Bennet draws her particular attention to her indelicacy by asking what she would not mind. She is oblivious of the sting.

The entail is a legal detail she cannot comprehend. It is foolish for her to talk of something she does not know. Only after listening to her insensible, foolish repetition, does it strike Mr. Bennet that she is incorrigible.

 

Volume II

Page 119:

Chapter I       

That was a period when boys were not permitted to write to girls, though they could meet, talk and dance. All these are social, writing a letter is a personal relation. Mrs. Gardiner expected a letter from Darcy to Elizabeth after visiting Pemberly is extraordinary. Perhaps she could condone Darcy writing to Elizabeth in view of his exalted status. His not writing confirmed the convention.

Caroline writes to Jane Miss Darcy's praise. When one is in love, he finds every occasion to talk about his lover directly or indirectly congenial outlet to his pent up feelings.

Elizabeth was distressed by Jane's ignorance, annoyed by Caroline's designs and above all the spinelessness of Bingley put her out of her good mood. Nor does he seem to be endowed with compunction as his behaviour hurts Jane.

Page 120:        Elizabeth's chief concern was Jane. All her perceptive penetration do not offer her a satisfactory answer. She wants all circumstances to oblige her. None does. She is mortified.

Jane acknowledges the pain caused by Bingley. Her first thought when she sees no possibility of his return was not one of yearning but how to forget it. Of course, there is no longing for the man, but a yearning for the marriage. There is no passion or infatuation as in the case of Elizabeth for Wickham. Passion for Elizabeth in Darcy is writ large all over him. Often he was too full to speak. No such intensity actuates Jane. Her only complaint is her mother's irritation bothers her in season and out of season.

Jane expostulates with Elizabeth. Bingley, she says, is only an amiable acquaintance, no more. She is anxious no harm is ever done to anyone but herself. This is a mental attitude, not emotional distress of intensity. Even if it is of the mind, this has power. It is this power that brought Bingley back to her. Elizabeth finds it an angelic attitude.

Page 121:        The absence of asserting independence of Bingley, clear choice of £2000 coming with nauseating stupidity are unaccountable to Elizabeth. In the first, she does not see that she seeks wealth through marriage. Bingley respects the power of wealth in Darcy. One brings the other. She, of course, cannot know her own mercenary motive. In the latter, she is incapable of knowing what it is to be plain and condemned to old maid hood. She was brought up in affluence and has no possibility of fear of poverty.

                        Jane pleads for Charlotte not out of understanding, but because she cannot harbour a low opinion about Charlotte. This is her mental discipline and it has power over life.

                        Elizabeth says selfishness cannot be prudence, etc. There is a great truth here, which Elizabeth cannot know. It is the power of human choice. Life responds according to the choice. Elizabeth chooses the right and is rewarded by Darcy. Charlotte has no strength, she chooses insensibility of danger.  Collins answers.

                        Jane is a fool to expect them to be happy together.

Page 122:        Jane assumes that his sisters will only want his happiness. Jane attributes only right motives to his sisters, taking herself out of the picture. This is pure goodness, goodness out of incomprehension. She could not attribute unpardonable motives to his sisters. Life is not that straight. Each has her own motive, not necessarily good.

Some critics accuse Jane Austen of a fairy tale ending. The basis of the story, whether Austen is aware or not, is the shadow of the French Revolution. England had gone through the Revolution in 1688 and now there was a possibility of escaping a repetition of the French Revolution on English soil. Darcy's love for Elizabeth is an evolutionary expression of the Revolutionary vibration. Its effects were Darcy marrying Elizabeth in preference to the property of Lady Catherine, breaking of the sacred conventions of marriage by society accepting Lydia's elopement before the wedding and Darcy, the aristocrat appreciating the individuality of the neo-rich Bingley in marrying a girl from a low family. All this begins with the disillusionment of Jane with Bingley's sisters and Elizabeth accepting the real capacity of Bingley for not being independent and devoid of conscience. Elizabeth seeks wealth, though it is shameful and she gets it. There are three reversals

  • 1) Jane's disillusionment with Caroline (p.132)
  • 2) Elizabeth's self awareness that she is from a family of low consciousness (p.185)
  • 3) Mr. Bennet's decision to repay Mr. Gardiner at any cost.

                        It is Mrs. Bennet's family until Lydia ran away. Mr. Bennet never exercised his authority, he was an English husband. Had he continued that way Lydia would have come upon the town and Wickham would have gone away to the colonies. Mr. Bennet shakes off the external politeness of the British husband and becomes an individual. He takes full responsibility for his action. It is time for him to assert decency and stop shameless dissipation. He declares no officer should enter his house or even the village. That decision gains substance in his resolution to pay back Gardiner. It reverses the course of his 25 year married life. There is no question of his comforting his wife who was parading her misfortune, no question of extending compassion in the elopement, no question of being cultural or social. He must emerge as an INDIVIDUAL and he did.

                        Jane emphasizes absence of malice in the world. Elizabeth, not wanting to offend her, mitigates the sin of the malicious to impersonal sources offending persons unintentionally. The sisters are sensitive to each other's feelings. The subject becomes a buried chapter between them, even the name of Bingley.

Page 123:        Elizabeth explains to her mother what she does not believe herself, that Bingley was not serious in his romance. No wonder Mrs. Bennet is unable to believe it.

                        Mental stupidity's psychological version is an undefined unreasonable hope.

                        Mr. Bennet is a wounded bird. Its flying will not be graceful. His marriage has ruined his happiness. She is a constant reminder of his disappointment. On top of that she has her way. In his case, his psychological survival is secured by his petulant petty sarcasm. It is that which made him not run away and commit suicide. In his ironic wisdom that is mocking sarcasm, one sees his pent up force finding its release. Such a force can only be negative and mean. He is not free to tell the children that the mother's pushy boisterousness spoiled Jane's chances. Therefore, he, as an alternative, speaks the truth of satisfaction in being crossed in love. To mitigate Jane's disappointment, he brings in Wickham's jilting Elizabeth. At this stage, he has no perception of the rogue in Wickham. His words come true. Words spoken in a high moment without premeditation do come true. Elizabeth takes this occasion to pay Wickham the highest possible compliment, which sounds to her lover's yearning heart pleasantly.

                        Elizabeth would be satisfied with a less agreeable man. She did get a less agreeable man in Darcy but he tried to be more agreeable than the most amiable apart from bringing his wealth. As she spoke not in sarcasm or defiance but from a sense of realism, her words became true in an abundant measure.

Page 124:        What Man defines as peace of Mind is a relaxed dissipation. In behaviour Man is at ease when he frankly, without reserve, runs down everyone. The absence of civilised restraint is described by him as peace of Mind. The distress created by the desertion of Bingley is relieved by the pleasant presence of the handsome face of Wickham. He is gratified by running down Darcy to his heart's content. A subtle knowledge will perceive this indulgence in infamy as the predecessor of the elopement.

                        It is characteristic of Jane not to be part of it. In spite of evident foolishness, it is a positive characteristic. At last, her surmises that there are unknown extenuating circumstances become true. Conscious positive thinking constantly is a rare virtue. It gives her the result and is the cause of the greater wider result for the family.

 

Chapter II

Page 125:        Education, in one generation, has made Mr. Gardiner a gentleman. As usual, education can abridge scores of generations. In terms of knowledge, it is very true. Culture can thus be abridged if the individual lends himself to the effort. Values can be so secured if one is in touch with his psychic.

                        Mrs. Gardiner is affectionately intelligent. She is a source of solace.

                        Mrs. Bennet considers herself ill-used when events do not take the course she desires.

                         The only reference to ‘artful people' in the story is here. Meryton seems to be a place free of active, vicious malice though the capacity for it is always present.

Page 126:        What passes for love are of several grades. Violent love is one of them and is being analysed her. Attraction, attachment, affection, goodness of behaviour, kindness verging on interest, infatuation, passion, Romantic love, idealistic adoration, etc. are the grades. Bingley is attracted to Jane. If not interfered he will marry Jane is true. But the main centre of Bingley's personality is the status and strength of character of Darcy. He cannot be considered all by himself, as he has no independent existence. His love is a function of his life. Whatever role his sisters play, he is fully and totally dependent on Darcy.

                        Bingley forgetting himself in Jane can pass for violent love.

                        Mrs. Gardiner too, like her father, speaks that it can happen to her, Elizabeth. And it does happen. Out of the mouth of two people, Elizabeth was warned of Wickham. It is a sure sign of what happened later.

                        Having invited her to London, when Jane hopes to see Bingley, Mrs. Gardiner assures her repeatedly that there will be no danger of meeting Bingley. She fails to see him even by accident.

                        In explaining, the social distance from Gracechurch Street and Grosvenor - street Elizabeth is fully aware of the ambition for Jane. The lowest of the lowly aspires for the highest on the pretext and of any one endowment feigned or real. It is no ordinary social climb for Jane.

                        Jane too was thinking she could see Caroline without seeking Bingley. The move of Darcy to separate Jane from Bingley is really powerful. Its power has its reflections in this quarter to make Mrs. Gardiner and Jane contemplating to avoid Bingley.

                        Mrs. Gardiner is a good angel in more than one respect, as Charlotte served Elizabeth by weaning Collins away and bringing her to Hunsford. It was Mrs. Gardiner who took her to Pemberley later. She does a cardinal service to Elizabeth by warning her against an imprudent marriage with Wickham, though at that moment she was all admiration for the young man.  It came to her as want of income, but she seems to have sensed that there was something more unwelcome in the man. The same instinct led her to Pemberley.

Page    128:     Time and Space have a considerable influence in deciding the course of events, even fixing their character. Mrs. Gardiner's years at Lambton have come to bridge Elizabeth with Pemberly and wean Wickham away for certain.

                        For a work to be completed in the subtle plane, such links are essential.

                        She confirmed to Elizabeth that Darcy was known to be a proud, ill-natured boss.

Chapter III

                        Negative characters do a thing warned against. Elizabeth is not negative, though her liking for Wickham is not one that one can be given up easily. It is more than a passing fancy. As he has no truth or strength, she could break away from him later.

Page 129:        Elizabeth was brought up in a house of £2000 a year. How could she live and bring up children in £200 a year? Her father does not seem to object to Wickham. He actually resisted Darcy tooth and nail.

                        "I will take care of Wickham too," says Elizabeth. Here she fancies that even if she gives him up, he would not give her up. A total illusion.

                        "At present I am not in love with Wickham," says Elizabeth. It is not true. She is head over heels in love with him. ‘Oh, that abominable Darcy'.  Perhaps see thinks Darcy made him poor depriving him of the living. In a subtle sense, her exclamation about Darcy is her attraction to him.

                        The long facetious explanation of Elizabeth to her aunt is really a loud thinking of how she cannot give him up.

Page 130:        Advice on such a point is not resented. Elizabeth is extraordinarily capable of comprehending her situation so as not to resent the wisdom of her aunt.

                        Mrs. Bennet till the end hopes that Collins's wedding will not take place. For different reasons Elizabeth too had wishes of that description.

                        This is an instance where one resents the good fortune coming to them.

                        Mrs. Bennet responds like this to Darcy's visits to her. Mr. Bennet violently reacts to Elizabeth's engagement. Miss Bennet is incredulous about the same.

                        When confidence is shaken in one important issue, intimacy is lost forever. Confidence generates intimacy.

                        The real psychological strength of Charlotte is she who is a channel for luck to Elizabeth somewhere recognises that Elizabeth brings her good luck.

Page 131:        The physical forgets persons once they are out of sight. The vital loses all interest once the touch is lost. Mind does so by a changed understanding. Only the Spirit, on all occasions, endeavours to keep the contact.

                        In human life, there are more objects than emotions.

                        When there is love, invariably, one runs across the other. The fact that Jane has not seen Bingley anywhere in London is a clear statement that neither had love in any measure of intensity. On Jane's part, it is plainly marriage. On the part of Bingley it is surely a very strong attraction. Had it not been crossed, it would not have risen in intensity enough to mature into a wedding.

                        "I enquired after their brother," says Jane. Compare this with Bingley at Lambton unable to utter Jane's name to Elizabeth. She was buried into the phrase, "all your sisters". Bingley is more delicate than Jane in this respect is. Hers was a physical need, his was an emotional requirement. The physical can be indelicate.

Page 132:        All advance of intimacy started from Caroline. The rule is he who has not taken initiative will never be the loser. Jane is meticulous in that regard even in her opinions. That is her strength and that wins her at the end.

                        Wickham assumed Elizabeth would have fortune. Caroline and her sister likewise assumed a certain social status to their family. Both were disappointed. Friendship is between equals. Jane is not their equal.

                        This is the first time Jane is disillusioned. Even here she tries to justify her confidence.

Page 133:        Jane feels for certain Bingley knows of her being in town. The other man's point of view is a great attitude, not easily assumed by all. There is a factor of Caroline hiding her presence in London. The complexities of life arise from such events.

                        Assuming Bingley knows of her presence, the mind goes on building further assumptions that he is partial to Miss. Darcy. Analysis is thus vitiated by non-facts.

                        Jane talks of duplicity. Never, not even in the worst cases does she use such language. It is this insight being true, that enabled events to turn right at the end.

                        A touch of realism pleases Elizabeth.

                        What inspires Elizabeth is her subtle awareness that Jane has removed the obstacle from her side for the final consummation.

Page 134:        She wrote about Wickham's desertion without material pain. Her love of Wickham is so ethereal that nothing he does will hurt her. She only knows joy in anything he is connected with. She could not bring herself to condemn him. To feel pain is to condemn his actions.

                        ‘She would have been his only choice had fortune permitted it'.

                        Charlotte is foolish to her, but not Wickham in going to £10,000.

                        Her view is on any showing Wickham must only be adored.

                        Elizabeth is wrong about the pure emotion of evil. Love that is pure cannot wish evil or turn into hate. She did love him. Her love is of that character. She could not hate him for anything he does to her.

                        She is not even jealous of Miss. King. She has good opinions about her. That certainly is great.

                        To her she is comparatively insignificant with his greatness.

                        Even in his going away, he is a handsome young man to her.

 

Chapter IV:

Page 135:        Elizabeth's desire to see Charlotte is indirectly a desire to respond to Darcy.

                        Charlotte's invitation gains momentum by the circumstances at home. This is how the atmosphere is prepared.

                        Note Darcy could propose at Hunsford, not at Meryton.

                        His second proposal was given at Meryton, outside their house. By that time Jane's good will is strongly established, Lydia neutralized, Bingley's strength added to the family.

                        Wickham, at parting, after deserting her for Miss King, addresses her on all her concerns till she looks upon him as the one Man to be adored. He is a consummate rascal.

Page 136:        On her journey, her mind dwells only on Wickham.

                        Elizabeth loved absurdities as they are occasions for causeless joy.

Elizabeth was looking for Jane's health. Jane was not broken-hearted enough for it to tell on her health. It is only a disappointment.

                        Intense affection of children keeps them away by shyness.

 Page 137:       Mrs. Gardiner readily sees Wickham is mercenary. Attachment of partiality prevents Elizabeth from seeing it.

                        Elizabeth's defence of Wickham is a marvel, apparently rational and logical. But it is rationality of blindness.

Page 138:        Wickham could take in even the shrewd Mrs. Gardiner.

                        The invitation to Derbyshire, where her matrimonial fate will be sealed, is given to Elizabeth when Wickham was officially dismissed from her mind by Mrs. Gardiner.

Chapter V

                        Every object was new and of interest to Elizabeth. Her spirits were in a state of enjoyment. Darcy's meeting is foreshadowed.

Page 139:        Physical folly relates to physical detail and delights in them.

                        Elizabeth sees in Charlotte that her sense of shame in a stupid husband is more than compensated by the security of a home and marriage.

                        The desire to exhibit the new acquisition, to explain them ad infinitum is a pleasure physicality cannot exhaust.

Page 140:        Hypocrisy makes good manners possible. Minute description misses beauty.

                        A snob's world centres around his Man - here, woman.

                        Collins knows the number of trees in every cluster and the number of fields. This is physical intelligence.

                        The mother is the most beautiful woman for children. Beauty for the physical mind is the likeness of self. To the mind, Beauty is Ananda in the Mind, the form that is perfect.

                        Pleasure of display of possessions is enjoyable in freedom, uninterfered with by authority.

                        The acquisition of a house occupies the human mind powerfully for long. Especially the female values it next only to her child or equal to it. Once that is there, the enjoyment in enhancing its value can only be compared to the thinker's urge to perfect a formula he discovered.

                        The man who gave her this security is the one thing she wants to forget or put aside. Here is the knot of life or root of it. What you most long for can come to you through him whom you most detest.

Page 141:        Charlotte endorses Collins by repeating the positive aspect of his words.

                        Social life receives its sustenance from knowing others.

                        Courtesy extended is punishment inflicted on oneself.

                        Elizabeth, who is ordinarily lively, is made livelier here by the anticipation of the arrival of Darcy.

                        Empty-headed Maria creates a stir about Anna Darcy. The sight of her makes Elizabeth settle a score against Caroline. In fact, it removed from her mind one possible obstacle to marrying Darcy.

Page 142:        Charlotte does not see the rudeness of Anna, which Elizabeth notices.

                        Rank and wealth humble Sir Williams.

                        Collins whips himself into an ecstasy on seeing Miss De Bourgh.

                        Charlotte fully supports her husband's transports by the right news.

 

Chapter VI

                        In life, social power lies in the attendance of family functions. Hence the importance of weddings. Nationally the celebrations of Independence days mark it. One's status is fixed by such an event. The grandeur of a place, especially the palace, the headquarters, the house is thus important. It is a physical trait. Collins being utterly physical overdoes it with Lady Catherine.

Page 143:        For such a person, the measure of attention, its quality, its frequency, its timing, etc. are significant.

                        Sir Williams is one who lives by one event in his life.

Page 144:        The atmosphere of a capital, court, or headquarters cows down small people. Such is the significance of magnificence. 

                        Sir Lucas, Maria and Collins are brainless stupid people. They are overawed by splendour. Along with that goes authority, condescension, power, prestige, etc.

                        Sitting on the edge of the chair, bodily shrinking, readiness to smile approval, etc. are the characteristics of snobs.

                        Charlotte knows where she cannot cross the vigour of her husband, when his exuberant apologies can be relieved of him.


Page 145:        Still Elizabeth is at the point of infatuation that refers anything constantly to her favourite Wickham.

She found Lady Catherine exactly as he described.

Elizabeth examines Anne more closely as a bride for Darcy.

Sir William concedes his son-in-law's precedence over him.

Excessive admiration is an essential ingredient to people like this Lady.

The Lady gave the most gracious of smiles.

Selfish monied power smiles at its own greatness praised.

Not much of conversation was there because they are free only to speak praise.

Elizabeth could not speak out, as the context was one of submissiveness.

Page 146:        All Maria's faculties were suspended.

The gentlemen ate and admired. Eating is inoffensive, but they were not sure which expression would be out of place.

A discussion with Lady Catherine meant listening to her.

Elizabeth impressed Catherine as a pretty genteel girl.

She asks Mrs. Bennet's maiden name to know her status. Nowhere in the book it is given.

Lady Catherine is impertinent, boorish, uncultured, uncivilised. Mrs. Bennet is her counterpart. This explains what brought Darcy to Elizabeth.

To raise the entail of Longbourn on Mrs. Collins in the presence of both is indelicate in the extreme. Lady Catherine revels in such low intensities.

Page 147:        Mr. Bennet has a good income of £2000. A governess cost only £50 a year. The extravagance of Mrs. Bennet was so great that even the education of the children was neglected. To that extent, Mr. Bennet withdrew from the family. He neither saved, nor educated the children nor controlled his wife.

If a governess had been there, Lydia would not have grown wild.

Lady Catherine prides in advising everyone she meets and does not meet.

Old age goes with anecdotage.

Page 148:        Contrary to custom, all Elizabeth's sisters are out. Even in Charlotte's home, the younger girls are not out.

                        No one speaks to Lady Catherine. She alone speaks to them.

                        Lady Catherine roughly insists on knowing Elizabeth's age.

‘Their table was superlatively stupid'.

Page 149:        Dead forms violently insisting on lifeless appearances, stupidity rises to superlative eminence.

Lady Catherine is voluble and vociferous.

An undeveloped mind possessing any virtue insists on eternal display.

Small men on great occasions collect noble anecdotes.

Lady Catherine's authority tries to extend to the weather.

Chapter VII

Sir William was elated by his daughter's fortune, feels a reward of a lifetime. Man, in seeking an essential reward, goes to extreme lengths to accommodate its seamy side.

Page 150:        Charlotte is painfully aware of the disgrace Collins is. Matrimony costs one mental independence.

Lady Catherine has no occupation, her mind is uncultivated, and she has acquired no culture. Her one need is to constantly express her domination over some unfortunate victims.

Page 151:        The Lady extends her rule to the village.

Darcy was expected at Rosings as a guest. He arrives there with his cousin

Fitzwilliam. The moment Wickham vanishes from her life, Elizabeth finds Darcy entering into it. Human heart does not harbour intensely at a time more than one person. Nor is it empty for a long time. As soon as the place is vacant, another occupies it. Wickham's falsehood pleasantly engaged her while Darcy's falsehood rudely occupies her heart, shakes it from the bottom. Her own nature is cheerful and playful. It will not allow morose glumness for long. It happens Fitzwilliam, a well-bred gentleman of easy manners and expansive habits of ready conversation arrives with Darcy to relieve the monotony of Darcy's silence. Darcy is head over ears in love with her. His heart is full to overflowing. Scarcely he attempts to speak. The moment Darcy arrived at Rosings; he makes for the parsonage on learning of the arrival of Elizabeth.

Page 152:        Elizabeth has a joy in provoking Darcy. She did it at the Netherfield dance. Now she intentionally pokes him asking if he saw Jane in London. He did not meet Jane but he knew of her visit. He was confused as she powerfully touched him at a sensitive spot. He gave a truthful negative reply, which serves his diplomacy. It is he who takes initiative to ask her to dance. First time she refused. Next time she agreed. But it is she who plies him with questions, orders him to talk, tells him what to talk about. Just like that, now also she takes the initiative to reach his emotions. It is done negatively. I see she is subconsciously anxious for the contact. He comes to her by a conscious effort. She powerfully relates to him subconsciously. The complete relationship is fully forged below the surface.

Chapter VIII

Page 153:        After his first visit to the parsonage, Darcy was not seen there for a week while his cousin came more than once. The fullness of emotions of love and the consequent awkwardness of his behaviour kept him away.

Darcy seems to know the favourite haunts of Elizabeth in the park and is walking there to get a glimpse of her. Not wishing to meet him there, she informs him it is her favourite lane hoping he would avoid coming there. It made him come there again and again.

Page 154:        At Rosings Darcy's eyes were on Elizabeth.

Lady Catherine insists on being the only centre of attention. Seeing Fitzwilliam speaking to Elizabeth, she wants to know what it is.

She even announces she would have been proficient in music, which she has not learnt. She spares no space even in imagination, from her domination. Even Miss Darcy who constantly practices is not spared. She is mean to invite Elizabeth to the servants' part of the house.

Page 155:        Elizabeth plays. Darcy stares at her. He is unable to tear himself from her. Not knowing that, Elizabeth tells him her courage rises when challenged. He is pleased by her affront. An abuse being more intense than an ordinary conversation, young men are pleased when abused by the girls they love.

He is unable to see what she speaks is her own opinion. He brushes it aside.

He tries not to see a blemish in her.

Again, she is anxious to poke fun at his expense and provoke him exposing him to his cousin. It is her feminine initiative to forge the relationship of marriage.

Page 156:        She exposes him mercilessly.

                        To put a man who seeks her on his defence is a feminine strategy.

The psychological fulfillment he seeks in the woman translates itself this way in human relationship.

She mounts the offensive by destroying his own defence.

Darcy in defending himself includes her in his type.

Again, Lady Catherine interferes.

Page 157:        She constantly sings the praise of her daughter, a praise that would be her due had she learnt music.

Physical people dream of achieving by speaking.

Lady Catherine gives enough occasions to Elizabeth to practice self-restraint.

This is the preparation for her to receive her onslaught later.

Chapter IX

Elizabeth was with Jane's letters when Darcy called on her. Again when he proposed she was with Jane's letters. In the wider scheme of things, Darcy cannot marry her until Jane marries Bingley.

In those days, boys were allowed to meet girls alone in a room with the door shut but were not allowed to write letters to them. Nor could they hold their hands except in dances.

Page 158:        Elizabeth does most of the talking, not Darcy.

                        Elizabeth was conscious of talking of Bingley more than necessary.

Page 159:        Elizabeth reveals to Darcy that Collins is a valueless object.

The distance between Hunsford and Meryton brings them close to a topic, which Elizabeth embarrassingly understood to relate to Jane's marriage. Darcy had in mind his own marriage, which will take Elizabeth to Pemberley.

Page 160:        It is here Charlotte tells Elizabeth that Darcy is in love with her. Her guess is right. Neither Charlotte nor Elizabeth can arrive at that conclusion by an analysis of facts. They are baffled. Darcy consciously tries nor to reveal his love for Elizabeth. True love takes on that appearance in strongly emotional characters as in others it seeks constant reference to the love. In another sense, this is necessary, as she has fallen for Wickham. It needs time and right circumstance for her to rally round. On his part, this is a period of gestation when he has to subconsciously overcome his objections to marrying her. Such a transition, we will see, requires not only time but also a compelling event of elopement and a painful confession of it to him on her part. Life removes the Gardiners when Elizabeth confesses her family's shame to Darcy.

(Caroline takes the whole party to London ostensibly to prevent Jane's wedding with Bingley. Really, in her understanding the danger is from Elizabeth to her. By the end, we see how her initiative served the course of events. What Caroline does to suit her ideas does not suit Jane, Elizabeth, Bingley, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet, etc. but it does suit to shape the course of events, which we see at the end of the story. This phenomenon is known as ‘Man proposes, God disposes". For Jane to marry Bingley there are several obstacles from the side every character. All of them are to be worked out. Caroline's ruse served that purpose. 1) Bingley's resentment in submissiveness must gain strength, which it does at Lambton; 2) Mrs. Bennet's pushy initiatives must lose energy by losing hope totally. Also it was Lydia, being the last child who finds favour in Mrs. Bennet. So,  Jane has to wait till her mother's ambition of Lydia getting married is over; 3) Jane is under an illusion. She has to wait till she finds the duplicity of Caroline; 4) Elizabeth's energy of conviction must work itself out; 5) Mr. Bennet is anxious that his wife's efforts must meet with a fiasco.

                        Fitzwilliam has the best-informed mind, though not possessed of the captivating softness of Wickham. Captivating softness is more readily acquired while in falsehood. It is not so easy for truthful persons to aspire to captivate. Truth acquiring knowledge becomes goodness, acquiring power becomes strength. For a truthful person, captivating softness comes when he is also GOOD and strong.

Page 161:        Fitzwilliam occasionally laughed at the stupidity of Darcy. Darcy is stiff because he is suppressing his inordinate pride. He is awkward because he is unable to speak, the heart being full. He wants to be with her and that in society renders him unsociable. One who is in love is obviously not meant to be sociable.

                        Mercenary Charlotte spreads her schemes before her mind of marrying Elizabeth to Fitzwilliam or Darcy so that Collins may rise in the Church.

 

Chapter X

Page 162:        ‘Perverseness of mischance' of frequently meeting Darcy in the park.

                        Man goes on doing his work according to his mental idea. Life does not work according to that. When man deviates from the path of life, life takes initiative to keep the work on its path. Darcy came there by chance. Seeing Elizabeth there he wants to catch a glimpse of her as far as possible. Love is an emotion excited in one by another by which his whole being comes to one focus. She hints at that being her favourite walk, hoping he will avoid it. That makes him seek that spot more and more fully.

                        "Some odd unconnected questions" asked by Darcy shows he was not functioning from his mind. His heart is unable to express.

                        It is true his questions are odd, but there is a method in his oddity. All questions related to her only.

                        Fitzwilliam gave her the news of Darcy saving a friend when she was perusing Jane's letter.

Page 163:        Elizabeth asks Fitzwilliam if he leaves on Saturday. She is anxious Darcy should not leave at once maybe without proposing to her. The subconscious fully knows the future and reaches the surface in a language that it permits.

                        ‘Darcy arranges the business as he pleases'. Darcy is one who enjoys the exercise of power. He is an aristocrat who is not a gentle man.

                        Elizabeth understands him rightly. That is why, after transformation he is able to please Elizabeth and for her every one of her family.

                        Fitzwilliam acknowledges the truth of Elizabeth's statement and goes further in recognising the natural human tendency to wield power. It is an acknowledgement of Darcy's incapacity to honour Fitzwilliam's preferences.

                        In England, the law of primogeniture gives all the property to the eldest and the younger sons are only brought up with education and culture.

                        Earls usually have upwards of £10,000 a year income. So the younger sons grow up in affluence. To Elizabeth whose father was at £2000 a year, even the younger sons of an earl are far too wealthy. She points out that situation but Fitzwilliam was thinking of his marriage and the money part of it. Having grown up in affluence they cannot suddenly switch over to poor ways of life. This passage brings out the social difference between Darcy and Elizabeth. Fitzwilliam's fancy has caught Elizabeth but he cannot marry her as she has no money.

                        As she provokes Darcy, here she draws him out on marriage portion.

Page 164:        She thinks aloud about Darcy's ways of securing a companion and asks why he should not marry. On her mind is Darcy's marriage. It makes her think of Miss Darcy and unconsciously touches upon a sensitive event in Miss Darcy's life. It is worth noting in a few days that event was described to her and in a few months, that event came to her family.

                        Fitzwilliam lets the cat out of the bag. In the normal course of things Elizabeth meeting Darcy is not on the agenda, news of Darcy's triumph in Bingley's life does not have any chance of reaching her. Life makes these events possible because Darcy's passion for Elizabeth creates the energy. Such an energy acts through the subtle structure of social life. Some patches of them and their negative counterparts are, Collins's idea of good will for Mr. Bennet's family; Charlotte's good will for Elizabeth; Lady Catherine's anxiety to secure Darcy as her son-in-law; Collins's anxiety to demonstrate to Elizabeth the great boon she missed; Wickham's hopes to benefit from Darcy's connections still; Mrs. Bennet's eagerness to get Lydia married; Caroline's hope in Darcy, etc. They all act at several levels 1) Normal social channels; 2) Known psychological aspirations of people; 3) Society's negative resources like gossip; 4) People's capacity for self-deception; and 5) Life's determinism according to the goals of the Time.

Page 165:        When a news concerns someone, it presses to find expression. As William's news directly concerns Elizabeth, it comes to his memory and finds utterance.

                        Darcy prevented Bingley's marriage because he was unable to control his passion for Elizabeth. He exercised control over what can be controlled.

                        Bingley is seen by Fitzwilliam as one without discretion.

                        Elizabeth believes that Bingley is seriously attached to Jane and arts are needed for Darcy to wean him away.

                        The truth is Bingley is too subservient to Darcy as Darcy is a strong dominating character of wealth and status, if not rank. Bingley is a sophisticated snob as Collins is an unsophisticated one. It is not in his power to act on his own against the perceived will of Darcy. Even Darcy cannot persuade him to do it.

                        Darcy's speaks of his serving a friend without mentioning Bingley's name, which is a great restraint. A gentlemen will not even speak this much. More, a gentleman will not interfere in another's life unless applied for.

                        Elizabeth was powerfully disturbed. It is this disturbance that bursts forth at Darcy's proposal. Her violent abuse is caused by his uncivilised, boorish pride. She later says to Jane (P.199) that when she was abusing Darcy for no reason her own genius came to express itself creatively. Life has a balance and it can be represented in a tabular column where each side is balanced by the other. Let us start from this point of disturbance. Mrs. Bennet is vulgarly pushy to ‘catch' Bingley. Elizabeth is violently passionate about Jane's happiness. Jane and Elizabeth are modest in their manners, not in their behaviour. Darcy is saturated with forceful passion for Elizabeth. This odd mixture is graphically represented by the clownish behaviour of haughty Collins. Lydia gives a pitch to this scenario by her boisterousness. Mary is shamelessly displaying. Mr. Bennet's sarcasm about Bingley's dance, lace of the women, Jane being crossed in love, Wickham jilting Elizabeth, Gardiner's sense of superiority, Lady Catherine's empty authority all are apiece. The links to the opposite side are the goodwill of Collins, Charlotte, Jane's sweet inoffensive behaviour that charms the sisters, Lady Catherine's officious attention to Elizabeth, Collins, etc., Fitzwilliam's breeding, Mr. Gardiner's upbringing, Wickham's captivating softness, Mrs. Forster's friendship of Lydia. This is a fabric which gives way often. The first breakdown is the physical illness of Jane. Next is a near breakdown when Collins rudely intrudes on Darcy and later his clownish proposal to Elizabeth, which are social aberrations. Darcy's proposal is a vital breakdown. Lydia's elopement is a social breakdown. The links are Jane's sweetness, Charlotte's good will, Mr. Bennet's assertion against his wife, Darcy's desire to please Elizabeth, Lady Catherine plays a double role of vulgar abuse of Elizabeth and as a link to bring Darcy to her. Surveying the positive and negative traits, posting them on the two sides of a tabular column and writing down the links at each stage, one sees the rhythm of life that maintains the balance. It creates fresh balances at each step by the human choice.

Examples of such human choice:

  • Mr. Bennet's willingness to visit Bingley to oblige his wife. It is not the British custom of introduction.
  • Caroline's invitation to Jane.
  • Sending Jane on a horse.
  • Ungentlemanly comment of ‘she is tolerable.'
  • Bingley's choice to obey Darcy.
  • Elizabeth's readiness to believe the lies of Wickham.
  • Mrs. Gardiner's taking Elizabeth to Pemberley.
  • Darcy's changed behaviour and introduction of his sister to Elizabeth.
  • Caroline's officious interference in Darcy-Elizabeth's relationship.
  • Darcy's interference with Bingley.
  • Mr. Bennet's refusal to visit Bingley a second time.
  • Darcy's quest for Lydia.
  • Wickham's willingness to marry Lydia.
  • Darcy's reversal with Bingley.
  • Darcy's desire to win Elizabeth at all costs.
  • Lady Catherine's visit to Longbourn.
  • Elizabeth's coming to her senses.
  • Jane's disillusionment.
  • Mr. Bennet's owning the responsibility for Lydia's elopement and his decision to return the money to his brother-in-law.
  • Collins's two letters of abuse to Mr. Bennet.
  • Elizabeth's willingness to visit Pemberley.
  • Charlotte's invitation to Elizabeth.
  • Reynolds's information to Elizabeth about Wickham going wield.
  • Wickham's initiative to lie about Georgiana, the living, £3000. His prodding Elizabeth after his wedding about these things.
  • Caroline's sneer at Elizabeth about the militia.
  • Darcy's attempt to hide his love for Elizabeth.
  • Wickham's absence from the Netherfield ball.
  • Caroline's ruse with Darcy to hide Jane's presence in London.

"interference officious". Fitzwilliam triumphantly reported an anecdote of Darcy delighting in the penetration and social power of Darcy. It was an innocent boast at most by way of making conversation. It touched her at the most practically destructive spot of family sensitivity. Fitzwilliam was unaware of the short circuit he was causing. The truth of the matter is Darcy is just officious, domineering, and unjust. Elizabeth is unreasonably greedy in the extreme for her sister out of genuine good will while Jane by her mental conviction of character enables Elizabeth's ambition to be unfeasible. Jane Austen, for her story, takes this fictional material of life and on its basis fashions a preposterous proposal of true irrepressible passion that is capable of reversing its behaviour to attain its end.

In this unsettled context, it is a credit to the British sense of fairness that she allows room for another interpretation, as they know no facts.

Fitzwilliam is sorry that Darcy's preeminence in his mind comes down not knowing how Elizabeth is burning inside.

Page 166:        Though Bingley's name is not mentioned, it is clear to her. And her surmise is correct. Jane Austen makes Darcy come at this moment to make the volcano burst into flames.

‘There were very strong objections against the lady' says Fitzwilliam. It does not make Elizabeth ponder over those objections. She considers the welcome aspects of the family and wants them to be rewarded. If man had only one of the hundred endowments necessary, he would want the world to reward him for that.

Elizabeth's solicitude for Jane is incomparable. She never thinks of her own marriage. Nor does Jane evince any substantial interest when she takes to Wickham. Elizabeth has pure good will for Jane.

            ‘An uncle as country attorney'. From her situation it is not possible for

            Elizabeth to know that her uncles are low in society. Rural folk do not have a

            way of knowing their inferior way of life. Only when they come into town and

            see them in comparison with the urban population, the contrast is glaring.

 

Chapter XI

Page 167:        Jane's letters are a consolation to her. Each time she takes those letters Darcy calls on her. She has not noticed the connection or seen its significance. They were spiritless.

            She was anxious for Darcy to go away and herself to return to Longbourn. At

            a time when in many minutes Darcy was to meet her and propose to her, she

            wants him to quit the place. Her wanting him to quit the place is her subtle

            recognition of the coming proposal. Life always puts this stamp on its events.

                        Her wish of Darcy going away means Fitzwilliam too would go which she does not want. This is life's mechanism of retaining what you want to go.

Page 168:        Elizabeth's headache was reported to Darcy and now he asks her about it.

                        His proposal begins with his struggles and he says his feelings cannot be repressed. This is blatantly selfish. He is not ashamed of expressing it.

                        As it was no part of her thoughts, she was startled by his utterance. It was something she could not fit into any scheme of her thoughts. Hence, she was in a daze.

                        All these months his love for her was intense. He found that intensity only as his overcoming his attraction to her. His proposal is like inviting a child to be branded. Class-consciousness is crass stupidity.

                        He dwells on her inferior connection. Darcy is downright STUPID. He has the intelligence of crass stupidity. He argues with himself that only by describing her own inferior station in life the superior force of his love can be brought out.

                        His confession causes pain to her. She is able to appreciate the true caliber of his insensibility. His subsequent language rouses her resentment. It is the rule. It is her sympathy that enables him to offend her further. Such foolishness issue, out of Money-value or Power-value both of which are his endowments. He called her tolerable in her hearing. She refused to dance with him once. When she danced she provoked him with an accusation on behalf of Wickham. He knew Wickham would have scandalised him variously. Still, for his money he expects her to accept him. In his own conscience there is one more load of canceling Jane's wedding. So what does he expect from her? If she had accepted him, she would have been a Charlotte or Jane, not Elizabeth. Self-assurance is another stamp of folly.

 Page 169:       Elizabeth meets his impolite offence by a polite negative. She could not feel gratitude for the offer. So, she says, he could easily overcome his own urges.

                        The proud individual in him is stronger than the lover at this point. He is surprised by the refusal that is unexpected and resents the fact that his wealth is disregarded.

                        As he explained why he proposed, perhaps now he demands of her why she refuses. He could not comprehend that his wealth would be immaterial to her. How she overcame the power and lure of his status he wishes to know.

                        ‘with so little endeavour of civility, I am rejected'. He takes for granted his wealth and status without understanding he is devoid of the gentlemanly behaviour of that status. Without saying how she could overcome his wealth, he mentions absence of civility.

                        She points out the essential offence of his delivery of which he is oblivious because he wants the world to take him for granted as a rich man. He is unable to see that to her he is just a man.

                        Elizabeth sees clearly his mind. What he obliviously delivered she describes as against his ‘Will, reason and character'. She shows the incivility originated in him but she is not uncivil unless he takes her refusal as one.

Page 170:        Only after his accusation of incivility, does she refer to Darcy's spoiling Jane's wedding. She challenges him to deny it.

                        Without defending himself, he further offends her resorting to the same argument that her family is low. He believes in his status. He expects her to accept his offence. There he is not only mistaken, but plainly foolish.

Page 171:        Only after he insists on his right to offend her, she accuses him of injustice to Wickham. Her indefensible accusation is made possible by his indefensible folly. Here he grew self-righteous, as he was right. All along he took for granted that she would treat him as a rich man. She does not have that consideration. Now she has discovered his ruse with Jane and accuses him of injustice to Wickham. Her opinion of him sours him and he feels it was due to his frankness, sincerity, and lack of pretence.

                        Endowed with no considerable culture, a cultured alternative never occurred to him. Had he been a cultured man of course his behaviour till then would have been different. Even otherwise, his declaration of intense passion for her will not be through vulgar obscenities. Surely he is sincere. It is sincere boorishness.

Page 172:        "honest confession of scruples" are inordinate intemperance. She showed there was no gentleman like behaviour in him. He was speechless when he found he was not treated as a gentleman. Now she finds her genius having a spur, released by a causeless spur and describes him as selfish, arrogant, disdainful, and conceited. This was too much for him. He stopped her there, offering her his best wishes for health and happiness. Even now he could do it.

                        His love for her, the passion witnessed, the strength she defied creates a painful tumult in her mind. Still the wonder of her having evoked this love in him overwhelms her. In her own estimation she rises. She feels a fulfillment in her genius for abuse finding a vent.

                        The shameless avowal of his role with Bingley revealed the uncultured brute in him. Nor was his contempt towards her sympathy for Wickham less shocking.

 

Chapter XII

Page 173:        This was the first major experience for Elizabeth, which powerfully touched her personality, and she is literally submerged in it. It stirred her genius.

                        She avoids the places where she may run into Darcy but still she does. He prefers to hand her that letter rather than to sending it to her as the encounter of the previous day enhanced his longing to see her. Meeting her again exhausts his desire but she was not available for leave taking.

                        "Verdure of the early trees" goes with their incipient love.

Page 174:        "Haughty composure". The pride was destroyed. His status is non-existent. His self-respect is more than damaged. No longer he saw the attentions of Caroline Bingley. The submissiveness of Bingley, the solicitude of Lady Catherine are nowhere on the horizon. A chit of a girl of inferior station taunted him, abused him, and accused him of a mean trick and unmanly deceit. Still he has to explain himself to her, rise to her occasion and win her good will and even love. It is an unenviable task. He chose it with eyes open. He was stung as never before just 12 hours ago. To maintain good humor enough to meet his accuser and request her to read his own pleading there is no wonder his composure is haughty.

                        It is true that the two-fold subject matter and its extensions need lengthy narration. Also the writing is not descriptive but concise. Still, the very length of the letter reveals the long deep complex involvement of his emotions with hers which are not yet consciously extended to him.

                        ‘Be not alarmed Madam' promises not to repeat the previous day's proposal. But that is the only thing on his mind. The unspoken thought is ‘would you accept me after reading this letter?'

                        ‘for the happiness of both'. He includes her in his scheme of things. Twice before, at Netherfield once and Rosings again, he includes her in a statement about him. Her abuses have not alienated her from him.

                        ‘My character requires it to be written'. It is not so much his character as his love. ‘Two offences'. One is a mean trick and the other is injustice.

                        To her both are of equal magnitude. To him one is flimsy, the other is grave. To us one is initiated by Darcy, the other is a falsehood foisted on him. She does not ask him what the truth was about Wickham. She took it for granted that Wickham's narration was right. It offends him more. Elizabeth takes the side of Wickham and accuses Darcy. Life brings in this falsehood as a complement to the falsehood of Darcy's pride. Darcy is able to interfere in Jane's marriage for two reasons. 1) The social gap between them has to be closed. He tries it negatively; 2) Jane's lack of romantic interest is to be compensated. Caroline and Darcy act negatively because Mrs. Bennet is pushy and Mr. Bennet is aloof. In various ways, Elizabeth becomes a centre of both the problems. Her excessive interest in Jane, Caroline's anxiety to save Darcy from Elizabeth, Darcy's unwillingness for his inclination to be seen, the need for Darcy to overcome his stiffness, the need for Elizabeth to be disillusioned of Wickham's lies are in a knot here.

Page 175:        Even here, he is unable to explain without offending her. [Sir William's comment becomes the small significant event that led to the departure of Bingley's party.] Darcy must be ashamed of advising Bingley on his love affair. It is more than officious. It is unmanly meanness. He goes on explaining in this letter how he did it.

 

                        "Farther apology would be absurd". At the time of his second proposal he is heartily ashamed of this part of the letter. She offered to burn it.

                        Her heart was not likely to be touched". He is right. Her heart was not touched at all. What happened was she was mightily interested in marrying him. From Bingley's side there was more than ordinary interest of love. From her side there was none. Darcy here does not have ordinary politeness not to interfere with Bingley. Consider another friend of Darcy or even Bingley observing Elizabeth and finding her hostile to Darcy advising him not to marry her. It is true that Darcy took care of Bingley as no one does of another. Darcy does not even speak to Bingley of his love for Elizabeth.

Page 176:        "the total want of propriety". It is wrong for a gentleman to write these words. But here in the story anything short of this would not have opened Elizabeth's insensibility to her family.

                        The whole of the rest of the narration about Bingley is an exhibition of the unexceptionable.

Page 177, 178:         Darcy was ungentlemanly in his ruse.

Page 179:        Wickham was cunning from the beginning and practised deceit artfully. The elder Darcy was taken in. The rudeness of Darcy should have made Wickham easily popular. Wickham is a parasite, bad character of ill-nature. He is a penniless person whose deceit will be exposed after the first round. The wrong side of life's potential is great and dangerous when wealthy aristocrats acquire this charm of person and wreak havoc on others. Life becomes complete only when such propensities are exhausted. Wickham's subtle resourcefulness brings him where he is to fulfill his insatiable craving of duping Darcy of money, which he does successfully. Man's accomplishment is not determined by his capacity for work. It is determined by his capacity to handle the opposite forces. Rules of life do not permit Darcy to get rid of Wickham. He is to handle them and absorb them into his own life or overcome them. Otherwise, if he tries to escape at the first touch, it will keep coming in the shape of an other person.

Page 180:        Georgiana's elopement precipitated as Lydia's elopement. By the first Wickham hoped to become Darcy's brother-in-law. By the second, he did become his brother in-law in another fashion. Darcy finding Wickham troublesome got rid of him first by paying £3000 and next paying off his debts. Money that is not due, if paid, will repeat itself, which it did in this case. Talking to Fitzwilliam Elizabeth touches upon the trying age of his charge unconsciously. It shows elopement is there in the air.

                        Later Darcy tells her that he felt he was calm and cool when he wrote it, but on subsequent reflection, he found it was written in bitterness of spirit. His confession was true and sincere.

Chapter XIII

Page 181:        ‘Her feelings as she read were scarcely to be defined' as his own feelings as he wrote were scarcely to be defined. He was determined to make her love him by as much as he could change, none of which was in his power. While he felt the bitterest of emotions, he was trying to write the finest of words. The contradiction was in the extreme. None of her words in the recollection would do less than torture him while he wished to think of them as carriers of romance that is sweetest.

                        As far as she knew him he was not one who was capable of any apology. She had destroyed his image of him. What could he write and whatever could he feel. She wanted him to apologies but he is incapable of any. Thus, she lost all powers of comprehension but her eagerness to know was in the extreme. Many people do not meet such a moment in their lives. Those who do are not prepared by life to meet it with any equanimity.

                        "She read an account of Mr. Wickham with somewhat clearer attention". The reasons for clarity here are 1) Darcy's hands are clean and she is totally false; 2) Her interest in Wickham is that of a lover 3) Even Wickham is secondary to her to Jane. With Jane, she is incapable of being reasonable.

Page 182:        She is unable to accept that Wickham's account is the grossest falsehood. Therefore, she exclaims, "This must be the grossest falsehood". It is, but not Darcy's account, but Wickham's report. Inner reflects the outer.

                        She wants Darcy to confirm Wickham's report. When she finds it is not so, she discredits it.

                        Falsehood violently hopes that truth must confirm and accept it, but in reality the opposite happens.

Page 183:        She had no inclination to know the truth of Wickham. It is truly the attitude of a lover.

                        She went totally on impression. There was no vestige of truth in his life.

                        Only that morning she talked about Miss Darcy. The talk arose as it was in the air.

                        Just then, she recollected how improper it was for Wickham to talk ill of Darcy at his first meeting.

Page 184:        Each of Wickham's lies now stands out one by one as lies.

                        She remembers now nothing that condemned Darcy while in Netherfield. Even Wickham praised Darcy as a brother.

Page 185:        Elizabeth realised the truth, and was ashamed of her own vanity. It was due to the attention of one, and the neglect of the other.

                        She remembered Charlotte's advice in reading Darcy's accusation that Jane was not in love with Bingley.

                        She was covered with shame when the letter exposed her family.

Page 186:        She noted the compliments to her and Jane.

                        Darcy came to take leave but she was not there. After the proposal, he wrote a letter, met her in the park, and again tried to meet her. All that shows he was in no way giving her up. Life did not support it at the last time as he was overdoing it.                       

Chapter XIV

Page 187:        Lady Catherine provides the example of one who sees her own emotions in others.

                        Mr. Collins serves as a snob, cad, henchman.

                        Lady Catherine sees in the dispirited Elizabeth sadness about leaving Rosings.

                        Lady Catherine is unable to comprehend Mr. Bennet's need for his daughter.

Page 188:        Lady Catherine's desire to extend Elizabeth's stay there indicates that Elizabeth is to enter that family soon.

                        Left alone Elizabeth's dwelling on the letter would have crushed her. She is taken to Rosings as a diversion.

Page 189:        By memorising Darcy's letter Elizabeth let Darcy into her in the form of words, crude words he alone would write. Now it is not the crudeness that lingers in her, but the Man who wrote the words.

                        His feelings became the object of compassion as it was roused without her own participation, rather by her rejection.

                        His attachment excited gratitude. Gratitude is in response to grace which acts on its own. As he acted on his own, gratitude rises in her.

                        His character evoked respect. His willingness to reply her, write at length, are aspects of high character. He was free to spurn her.

                        She was not regretting her refusal, as she was not mercenary.

                        She had no inclination to see him again. The bitterness of the confrontation did not seek a revival. Meeting him would remind her of the lowness of her family. Her mother was insensible of the evil. Elizabeth is insensible of her being the daughter of a wild boar.

Page 190:        Elizabeth realises the truth of Darcy's accusations about her family. She also realises her folly with regard to Wickham. It is this realisation that contributed to the final resolution of the elopement and the marriages.

Chapter XV

Page 193:        Now Elizabeth has important news not all of which can be given to Jane. She has to wait to reach home even to communicate partially. This pressure on her nerves is essential for her to assimilate the encounter with Darcy and the revelations of his letter. What appear to be unfavourable circumstances is really time needed for Elizabeth to restore the equilibrium of her nerves.

Chapter XVI

Page 194:        The story starts here dwelling on Lydia's wildness more pronouncedly.

Page 195:        "Wickham is safe" "Miss King is safe" show the change of Elizabeth's attitude.

                        Elizabeth, who sees the coarseness of Lydia's expressions, finds the same in her feelings. That is her contribution to the family breakdown.

Page 196:        Frequent mentioning of Wickham's name - the first sure sign of future elopement.

                        "Jane in undiminished beauty". Jane's heart is untouched and that is why her beauty is undiminished.

                        Charlotte's mother asks after the poultry of her eldest daughter, thus revealing the level of mind she possesses.

Page 197:        Elizabeth has definitely changed her mind towards Wickham and that directly leads to the militia moving from there to Brighton.

                        Elizabeth has changed her mind, but not lost her charm for Wickham. She would like to take leave of him. That is why the militia waits for her to come.

                        Within hours of the decision NOT to do anything with Wickham anymore, news of the Brighton scheme came.

                        The link is there; she has snapped on the surface, the rest has to be gone through.

                        Her father is as equivocal as she is unwilling to expose Wickham.

 

Chapter XVII

Page 198:        Jane was not astonished by Darcy's proposal. She lost the surprise in other

                  feelings one of which is the exposure of Wickham. It is due to two reasons: 1)

                  Jane is incapable of a receptivity to Darcy's wealth into her family and 2) The

                  exposure of Wickham has pained the feminine heart to wonder enough at the

                  proposal.

                        Jane disapproves of Darcy's assurance of Elizabeth accepting him. She herself readily accepted Bingley as Charlotte did. No girl will put up her feminine tricks to Darcy's wealth. They are too sensible to play hide and seek with them. Elizabeth acted so the second time. Jane's web of appearance is so foolishly real that she finds fault with Darcy.

                        Jane's response to Elizabeth's refusal of Darcy is artificial if not unnatural. Her whole personality has this comic or ironic modesty of superstitious conviction of intelligence.

                        Jane is an artificial personality of a mental attitude of naive goodness.

                        It is a certain blindness. When perfect, even that has the strength of accomplishment.

Page 199:        Elizabeth has decidedly chosen to label Darcy good but would not condemn Wickham by her words.

                        "It is a spur to one's genius". The genius in one can find expression by a deep liking of some one or a dislike.

                        The wit in one finds a release when one laughs at another.

Page 200:        Prejudice leads to bitterness is the central theme of the story.

                        Jane sees life's warning of hasty ill will as it happened with Elizabeth with Darcy about Wickham. This is her central personality. She gets reinforcement for her attitude.

                        Whether one should expose a bad character like Wickham is a broad question. Here we see the girls have refrained from exposing him out of feminine tenderness for falsehood. One gets the result for his attitude.

                        Now that Elizabeth unburdened herself, the tumult of her mind was allayed. Had she decided to expose Wickham it would have been powerfully disturbed and the social cataclysm of elopement would not have been there.

Page 201:        Secret and Sensitivity: Elizabeth withholds the news that Bingley values Jane and only Darcy stopped the relations. In this is she insincere to Jane or is she sensitive to her? As everywhere, it depends on the attitude not the propriety.

                        One's sensibility must be honoured. Otherwise injury done once remains forever.

Page 202:        The woman is at a disadvantage in a marriage alliance. She has to wait for the man to propose. The weak party in a negotiation is like a woman. Mrs. Bennet speaks of Jane dying of a broken heart. Jane does not think so. She holds on to her position and expects no one to help her. From her point of view she exhausts her energy positively through appropriate values. The energy acting through values becomes spiritual energies. Exhausting them positively accomplishes the work.

                        The conversation on this page, as everywhere else, fully describes the level of Mrs. Bennet's mind. This is her intellectual maximum.

                        That she is ashamed of the entail is a complete lie. Her own marriage belies it.

Chapter XVIII

Page 203:        Most of the inhabitants there are of lower middle class where girls are after grooms of £200 annual income. Obviously, the locality does not have enough such men. The officers are far better than a brewer or butcher husband. No wonder the young ladies are drooping. As Mr. Bennet does not take his girls to London their bridal openings are next to nil.

Mrs. Bennet shamelessly speaks about her own experience with the officers. Obviously Mr. Bennet was a big fish when she caught him.

Elizabeth now feels the justification of Darcy's accusations. Note she has not felt so earlier. She was in it, of it, a part of it so far.

Lydia does not care for Kitty. She is obliviously selfish, but Kitty toes her line. Hence Kitty is more vulnerable than Lydia.

Page 204:        Kitty asks why she too was not invited. She does not say why she was not invited instead of  Lydia. She is less selfish than Lydia.

                        Mr. Bennet does not want to confront his wife and allows Lydia to go. In defence of it, he abuses the squeamish youth who frown on Lydia's behaviour. They are not squeamish youth. Any youth will disapprove of it. The truth is he is a weak husband before the dynamo of Mrs. Bennet. She obeys him always though she is insistent. He put her down after Lydia ran away. Clearly he took the line of least resistance and the whole family unpardonably paid for it.

                        At this point, 1) Elizabeth refuses to expose Wickham; 2) Mr. Bennet refuses to stop Lydia; 3) Mrs. Bennet fully instigates Lydia. Kitty breaks down which forewarns the tragedy. Every event positive as well as negative can be fully traced beforehand. Its footprints will be there invariably.

Page 205:        All the advice Mr. Bennet gave about Mr. Forster being a sensible man, etc. proved futile. Lydia disappeared. The family has come to a turning point. Luck in the shape of Bingley and Darcy is around the corner. It cannot come in without an inner effort at progress. So Lydia ran away.

                        Elizabeth accepts his refusal as she has her own arrears.

Page 206:        Mrs. Bennet moved up socially but now is trying to pull her family down instead of raising it. Lydia is a miniature of Mrs. Bennet. So, she indulges her daughter. Whether the family is going to maintain its status or will move up or slide down is given to the human choice. As she was determined to dissipate, Mr. Bennet rose to the occasion and through Jane and Elizabeth raised the family sky high. In a positive atmosphere a determined negative initiative has its opposite effect.

Page 207:        ‘Idle frivolous gallantry' is now blatant and flat. Still her agitation is there a little. She could not bring herself to let him know that he was exposed to her fully. She maintains the old level of politeness. She does not seem in her behaviour displeased with him.

Page 208:        He further fouls Darcy about his ‘foul conduct'. She listens patiently. This is the attitude of Romance. Knowing the evil of the man, she disregards it in the hope of seeking Romance in a life with him. Done superstitiously, she is wiped out. Taken to it idealistically, the strength of her ideal makes him turn around. Romance begins to flower. Darcy does it. Elizabeth turns around. To some extent Darcy does it to Wickham. The story ends there. It does not seek eternal Romance or even Romance in life. Only Darcy seeks it in Elizabeth.

 

Chapter XIX

Page 209:        Elizabeth is aware of her father's error in his marriage and how he arrived at his own compromise with her. She does not find him an ideal husband. She finds him a foolish lover who is disillusioned by his success, deciding not to dissipate and settling into his cocoon.

Page 210:        Her aversion to Collins arises from the fact he fully resembles Mrs. Bennet. She is determined not to commit her father's error. After her engagement Mr. Bennet  warns her that she must not commit the same error in her marriage he committed in his. He fell for her beauty. He thinks Elizabeth is falling for Darcy's wealth. He cannot afford to know that Elizabeth reaps the benefit of his tapas in Darcy who was sent away by her at his proposal to go home and do his tapas before marriage.

Page 211:        "Some little vexation". Imperfect perfection is a philosophical concept. For a thing to exist in an imperfect atmosphere, it should be imperfect. Should perfection be attempted, it will either break or fail or vanish. It is its imperfection that gives it the  value of perfection.

                        Elizabeth is aware of this truth and does not wish for Jane to be a part of the tour, though it is most desirable in her view. Later we see it is this imperfection that completes her marriage at Pemberley.

                        Kitty's complaint is absence of invitation. She wreaks vengeance by being an accomplice to Lydia. She does not have a grievance against anyone in particular. But the nature of grievance is, it will wreak its vengeance. For a work to be complete, there should be no grievance for anyone - an impossibility.

Page 212:        Pemberley enters the scheme of things at the mention of Derbyshire.

                        Lambton is the link in space.

                        Mrs. Gardiner is the link in human relationship.

                        Wickham is the link in interest.

                        The transition from one act to another greater act takes place via the subtle plane.

                        It requires links of all descriptions. Without them it will remain incomplete. The love of Jane for Bingley is one of a few weeks. There were no such links to complete it. Those links were created by Darcy and Elizabeth later.

Page 213:        Mrs. Gardiner insists on Elizabeth visiting Pemberley acting as a good angel.

Page 214:        The information of the maid confirms it.

Volume III

Chapter I

Page 215:        "Some perturbation". Pemberley suggests the vast scale of Darcy's personality and how she taunted it.

                        "To be the mistress of Pemberley". The very soil brings out its magnificence and creates a material desire in her which is the turning point. Darcy responds to it by coming early. The place is wide, magnificent, rich in beauty and powerful to overcome Elizabeth. Still it evokes in her not love for him but a mercenary desire for the property.

Page 216:        "lest the chambermaid had been mistaken". This thought is an indicator that Darcy can be there in defiance of the maid's news. And it did turn out to be true. A doubt arises in a mind of unsettled ideas. That is the situation here. The unsettled conditions indicate a new possibility. It is determined by the atmosphere. Here Darcy came. Not only that, she changed her attitude and found him changed. They are all positive and led to her marriage. Her doubt about the chambermaid indicates this outcome.

                        ‘With less splendour and more elegance'. Darcy is stiff. Pemberley is furnished with taste which means his father had better taste and consequently better manners. It means if Darcy tries he can transform himself. It is not so with Collins. Not that Collins is not a material that will lend itself to transformation. It may not be so easy. Darcy yielded to the effort led by the fire in Elizabeth's eyes. Had there been an equally powerful goal for Collins even that is possible.

                        ‘Again she thinks of becoming mistress of Pemberley'. The thought of possessing Pemberley reoccurs to her. She thinks of being familiar with the rooms. In her own imagination the thought grows - a clear sign of decided choice. That made him come a day earlier - Life Response. That way she would have lost her aunt and uncle. Now in her own thoughts she has to choose between Pemberley and her aunt. Again the doubt about the Master arises. Again a new possibility is created. Darcy finds the uncle and aunt acceptable. Her uncle is a well-bred gentleman of whom she can be proud. That too is now cleared.

Page 217:        Elizabeth rejoiced over Darcy's coming the next day. It made Darcy come that day itself. Consciously he rejoiced over his absence. Subconsciously she rejoiced over Darcy. He responded to the subconscious call.

                        Darcy is not mean enough to remove Wickham's miniature. Even after his effort at elopement, if Darcy can retain his picture it is magnanimous of him.

Page 218:        "I do not know who is good for him" is an appropriate comment for the occasion. Servants do not always praise the master without inhibition. Mrs. Reynold's praise, she knows, is well deserved. All this has not made any dent in Elizabeth's opinion. What did the miracle is Pemberley and the richly furnished rooms. Wealth is weighty. Affluence affects ultimately. Opulence is overwhelming.

Page 219:        The unstinted praise of the housekeeper does not touch Elizabeth. She only thinks they may be deceived. She could at first meeting swallow all the lies of Wickham about Darcy. Now her mind works. Then it was her adoring emotions for the admired lover.

Page 220:        Darcy's picture captivates her imagination. His wealth and  his power present to her mind; What Pemberley, the opulence of the rooms, Reynold's praise, his power, his picture, his patronage could not create in her mind, Wickham's captivating softness did in a trice.

                        "a deeper sentiment of gratitude". She felt gratitude for his love, but not love. Gratitude is a deeper and wider emotion than love as thinking is a greater faculty than memory. Attraction, affection, charm, infatuation, love, intimacy are not the emotions she had for Darcy. All these she felt for Wickham. Towards Darcy she felt gratitude for having loved her.

Page 221:        "Turned back to look again". Pemberley possessed her feeling with a deeper appreciation. That feeling having reached her substance, evoked the Response of bringing the owner to meet her. Her conscious mind was startled, confused, embarrassed, but deep down every cell received him with expansive gratitude. The meeting being abrupt, he could not bring himself to speak with composure.

                        She could not meet his gaze as she was shy of her material response to his property. Servants delighting in the close presence of the Master is a rare pleasant privilege. The gardener expressed his pleasant surprise. The emotion that binds the master and the servant can range from servility to loyal admiration. The Master is a social adult and represents royalty to the servant. In India, the Master is addressed as God, which he really is to him.

Page 222:        ‘Every idea seemed to fail him'. Seeing Elizabeth's non-opposition to him he was overwhelmed by surging emotions and all thoughts deserted him. For him to find Elizabeth at Pemberley and friendly is more than what he can comprehend.

‘Overpowered by shame and vexation'. It is really the shame she feels for the family and her own irrational petulant intransigence.

Page 223:        Pemberley has a border of ten miles. It is about 3600 acres in extent. While he was overwhelmed by her changed emotional attitude, she was overcome by the physical magnificence of the house. For different reasons both needed time to recover.

Page 224:        They meet again. He asks to be introduced to her uncle and aunt. This is another milestone in their relationship. The two meeting on these grounds with Darcy is the turning point in their relationship.

Page 225:        Elizabeth is astonished that her abuses at Hunsford brought about such a change in him. Had he not been in love with her, her reproofs would have turned him off. What brought about the change is his love for her and his basic character of sincerity. ‘he still loves me'.

                        She again in her mind raises her visit. The doubts about the truth of the maid rose in her twice. They made him come. Now she raises it with him to clear it. Those doubts are the love-sensations in her. She wants to pass it on to him.

Page 226:        His asking her to be introduced to his sister removes all her doubts about his love. She is now engaged to him to be married in his emotions and she is clear about it. Uncle and aunt do see that truth now.

Page 227:        ‘whimsical in his civilities'. Gardiner says so as Darcy has changed his attitude to Elizabeth.

                        Looking at his expression Mrs. Gardiner can say Darcy would not have been cruel to anyone. She herself could not see that much in Wickham's countenance. Nor could Elizabeth ever see in Darcy's face the possibilities of generosity.

Page 228:        Elizabeth gives out the details of Wickham's life to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner which she forgets when the news of the elopement comes. Even Mrs. Gardiner was a victim to Wickham's countenance.

 

Chapter II

                        Elizabeth plans not to miss Miss Darcy the next morning. Darcy is a lover and lovers do not wait. He brings his sister and Bingley on the same day of their coming.

Page 229:        It is significant that Darcy does not bring Bingley's sisters now to the inn. Even to Longbourn he does not bring them. He brings only Bingley. These are realities of life. Sisters do not like brothers to marry. A rival is not a conducive companion for invitations that should lead to an engagement.

Page 230:        Bingley was ready to be pleased, Georgiana was eager and Darcy determined to be pleased. This indicates a positive atmosphere.

Page 231:        Elizabeth saw there was no relationship between Bingley and Miss Darcy.

                        Bingley whispers to Elizabeth about their dancing at Netherfield when he was not observed. Certainly, he evinces interest in her for the sake of Jane, but takes care he is not observed. His subordination to Darcy is in spirit and total.

Page 232:        Elizabeth sees Darcy desirous of pleasing her, quite different from his behaviour at Netherfield, Rosings or Hunsford. They were before his change of attitude. Now that the attitude is changed, he actively seeks to please her and others for her.

Page 233:        As their estimation of Darcy rises, their opinion of Wickham sinks. Circumstances seem to build up for the anti-climax of the news of elopement. Following the events with the subsequent event in mind, the course of events and the measure of energy in those events will confirm the rules of life.

Page 234:        The respect created for his valuable qualities had for some time ceased to be repugnant to her feelings. As respect for him was initially repugnant to her, the question of love does not arise.

                        We see gratitude can also follow repugnance.

                        Man cannot be spontaneous more than once. Love of any description needs spontaneity. She exhausted it with Wickham. She responded to Wickham as she is the daughter of Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet is more in her than Mr. Bennet.

                        Elizabeth and the Gardiners go to Pemberley a little in advance to reciprocate Darcy's civility. It is all right for the superior, not for the inferior. The provocation she had from Caroline and the initial cool welcome prove that it was not right.

Chapter III

Page 235:        All along Elizabeth was not aware that she was a rival to Caroline. In the scheme of love one may not know he is loved, as David Copperfield, or one may not know that he is in love. Both are possible.

                        The cool reception here and a deliberate provocation of Caroline presage news of the elopement the next day, that Lydia eloped, before Darcy's second proposal set things right and in right perspective. Had it been otherwise unforeseen complications would have arisen. Caroline successfully and intentionally disturbed the atmosphere. It made Darcy emerge in the open as a passionate lover who has no further regrets about the developments. Wrong initiatives in a ripe right atmosphere help clear existing or possible difficulties. Caroline got removed from the picture.

Page 236:        Miss Darcy lacked courage. It is a parallel to the lack of comfort Elizabeth felt in their house due to the fact that her recent emotions are not yet  overcome. Nor is she permitted by the circumstances to converse with Miss Darcy. Miss Darcy is shy. Elizabeth is embarrassed. They could only eat. The situation was Elizabeth could fully get the result of her visit not the pleasure of it. "Whether she most feared or wished for the appearance of Darcy". She has not yet decidedly shifted to him in her emotions. The unfinished inner task is seen in the awkward outer task. She actually regretted that Darcy came.

Page 237:        Elizabeth saw Darcy wanted Georgiana to get acquainted with her. Miss Darcy represented his emotions in travail. Elizabeth was still emotionally undecided. The dinner shows the unresolved emotions.

                        Miss Darcy and Elizabeth are admirers of Wickham. Caroline's reference to him shocks both.

                        ‘Not a syllable had ever reached her of the meditated elopement of Miss Darcy.' - A secret is a secret as it is socially sacred.

Page 238:        Love knows no secrets. Where secret is necessary, love will not be born. Darcy has given that to Elizabeth, as he is certain to win her as a wife. It is a secret not many wives could be trusted with.

                        ‘Miss Bingley was venting his feelings in criticisms' - A sure sign of defect.

Page 239:        The more certain the defeat is the more vociferous in the criticisms. The very long tirade tried the patience of Darcy but she chose to go into all possible details. Not satisfied with her description, she went back to Netherfield and quoted Darcy at length. The more emphatic is a proof, in the then circumstances, the greater is its opposite effect.

                        Darcy replied to Caroline, cutting her to the quick. The long impatient tirade of complaining, as the rule goes, resulted in a curt rebuttal of all that.

Page 240:        Mrs. Gardiner is extremely delicate and never gives her niece cause for sensitive concern though she likes to know how much she knew Darcy. As this was an undefined area later Mr. Gardiner had a doubt about Wickham's hiding place. Also he assumed a greater intimacy between Darcy and Elizabeth.

Chapter IV

                        In the last few days, perhaps five days, they visited Pemberley, discovered Darcy's changed attitude, received Darcy. Miss Darcy, Bingley at the inn dined again at Pemberley. It is worth noting the letter was written five days earlier to the day of elopement. Elizabeth coming close to Darcy made Wickham come close to Lydia.

                        "her uncle and aunt set off themselves". It is significant that the letters are not opened in their presence or Darcy spoken to in their presence.  It is through Mr. Gardiner that the misfortune is reversed. Their presence is capable of preventing such a misfortune. So they left. Nor would she feel free to speak of Lydia to Darcy in their presence. Hence their absence.          

Page 241:        There is no panic in Jane's reporting about Lydia's adventure. Her naiveté can render her insensible. Her not making a great misfortune of it helps life prevent it from becoming one. Nor can Colonel Forster be found fault with for this tragedy. It is a great restraint that takes the responsibility on themselves and totally absolves Forster from his part. It is again a contributing factor to Lydia coming back.

Page 242:        Jane honours the privacy and secrecy of Kitty who knew this. It is foolish to extend considerations of privacy in such matters. It is an unpardonable treachery to the family worse than Lydia's action. Jane hesitates to request them to return instead of hastily demanding it. It is a silly consideration of shallow formality. Actually Kitty is angry.

Page 243:        Elizabeth breaks down. Darcy appears. In a crisis one seeks the greatest known support as the child rushes to the mother. In negative situations, that support, if it is there, will move away a little earlier. It happened at Waterloo to Napoleon in a slightly modified form. Even here when Elizabeth had the premonition of a crisis, Mr. Bennet readily withdrew it. Darcy is her all NOW  and she seeks him with all her being. And he appears instantaneously. His instantaneous appearance implyingly tells us he will offer support.

                        No one will disclose such a news to others. She may not have done so if the Gardiners were there. Even if the whole town knows it no one can bring herself to speak this out to one outside the family. Somehow, she is aware that Darcy will help. That awareness makes her share it with him. When all is lost man seeks support by asking for sympathy. She acts in that fashion.

Page 244:        Even then she could not bring herself to condemn him or Lydia. She realises her error. She owns her defect, a positive attitude as her father's. Darcy questions the truth of it indicating a positive outcome. She finds fault again only with herself. In a trice, she sees all is lost for the whole family.

Page 245:        At this point Darcy has decided to find Lydia. The rule is he who makes such a promise will not do it. As he indicated nothing of his own mind to her, it becomes possible to find them. One thought that is unbecoming of him is he is sorry for the cancellation of Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley. It is certainly a pronounced SELFISH idea to speak out at this moment about his loss when tragedy has struck her. That is his basic character, selfishness. It also expresses meanness.

                        To Elizabeth, Lydia's elopement is the end of any possible relationship with Darcy.

Page 246:        The repugnance she felt in reversing her attitude, towards him is being worked out in the physical plane as Lydia's elopement. Elizabeth knew Wickham was unwilling to marry her without money. The first letter made her wonder how Wickham who could not marry her (Elizabeth) without money would marry Lydia. The second letter made it clear that it was not marriage, but dissipation.

Page 247:        It brought the picture of total ruin of the family. For her Jane is the centre of her family. Her health was her concern. The Gardiners suspected a serious illness in Elizabeth. They found out it was not illness, but only misfortune. The tragedy is not in the physical plane, but only in the vital plane which is less difficult to set right. When the mind is cleared of the impossible danger, Mrs. Gardiner's first thought was Pemberley. Here she is culturally superior to Darcy who expresses an awkward selfish propensity. "...that is all settled" of Elizabeth startles and shocks Mrs. Gardiner. She could not know that such an intimacy existed between Darcy and Elizabeth. The tone of Elizabeth's confidence made her assume a greater closeness between them than existed. Mrs. Gardiner did not know that such intimacy did not exist between them but her niece ardently wished for it.

 

Chapter V

Page 248:        Mr. Gardiner had hopes of Wickham marrying Lydia. The hopes come true. His attitude is positive. Hers is negative. So, Jane's is positive, Elizabeth's is negative. Maybe it is to encourage Elizabeth that Mr. Gardiner takes that attitude. Anyway it helps in the end. Mr. Gardiner exercises his mind rationally, without emotions. So he can think clearly.

Page 249:        After a long analysis Mrs. Gardiner wonders if Lydia was so lost to everything. Elizabeth agrees to it.

Page 250:        On further enquiry, Elizabeth reveals how guilty Wickham is. Mrs. Gardiner wonders at her information. Though Elizabeth has already spoken to her aunt all of this, Elizabeth's attitude of solicitude to Wickham made Mrs. Gardiner forget the facts.

Page 251:        It dawns on Elizabeth that Lydia has had no partiality for Wickham except a general admiration. She sees that Lydia precipitated the elopement on the spur of the moment, maybe on some slight encouragement. That reveals the extent of Lydia's depravity. Elizabeth  is powerfully disturbed by it.

Page 252:        Elizabeth finds the household intact. The disturbance is on the surface. She finds Jane hopeful of Lydia's wedding. Only Mrs. Bennet's spirits are broken, the rest is as usual.

Page 253:        Only Mrs. Bennet abuses Wickham. Mrs. Bennet finds fault with Mr. Bennet for the calamity. It is an extraordinary fact of life that any event can be interpreted fully to support any point of view. It is like reaching a destination by proceeding in opposite directions. Mrs. Bennet represents the Non-Being perhaps.

Page 254:        The frightful condition to which Mrs. Bennet is reduced makes us wonder why Mr. Bennet has not tried to discipline her nerves. She is not meant for any discipline. Her lamentations to her brother explain what Mr. Bennet lived with for twenty five years. Incidentally, looking at Mrs. Bennet and Mr.Gardiner we see what education can do in one generation.

Page 255:        Mary thinks not in terms of life, but in terms of reading. It makes her talk inadvertently.

Page 256:        The responsibility Colonel Forster undertook was grave and he failed in it. He is mortified but is incapable of setting it right. Wickham who entered the corps recently, exhausted his capacities to borrow. He came to the end of his tether. That seems to be unusual in those days. It must have been the pattern of his living till then. When he borrowed in Lambton, he quit that place. He found his match in Lydia.

Page 257:        The letter of Lydia to Harriet is typical of Lydia. She is in rapture. Her selfishness is rewarded in full to the extent she feels a triumph over all the family. (Lydia's oblivious absorption in herself makes us see the infinite distance one has to travel to become a social being. Lydia and Mrs. Bennet are, if not anti-social beings, personalities that cannot enter our society.)

Page 258:        The only reference in the story to the malice of the population is from Elizabeth recognising the triumph of Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Philips. Meryton though not a place of rich benevolence is NOT a place of organised viciousness. Again, Jane takes a positive view, Elizabeth a negative view.

 

Chapter VI

Page 259:        The expectation for a letter is great; great is the disappointment.

                        It is the expectation that prevents the letter from coming.

                        Expectation brings the opposite, a letter from Mr. Collins arrives.

Page 260:        The swings of public opinion are based on their propensities, rather than on the facts.

Only a native is trusted in villages. Outsiders, whatever their credentials, are not trusted at all. In the case of Wickham it becomes true.

Collins writes chastising Lydia. This can be traced back to Elizabeth's rejection of Collins, more particularly Lydia's offence to Collins when he was reading sermons. No act ever arises on the horizon without earlier preparation in life.

Page 261:        Collins takes a further step to gloat over his escape from his share in the infamy. That is the reverse seed for Darcy marrying Elizabeth.

Page 263:        Mr. Gardiner writes all about Wickham, his debts, etc. No one sees that, that is the material counterpart of Lydia's psychological dissipation.

Page 264:        Mr. Bennet returns disappointed, owns his error, compliments Elizabeth for greatness of mind.

 

Chapter VII

Page 265:        News of Lydia arrives.

Page 266:        Gardiner arranges for her wedding.

Page 267:        Bennet does not believe the letter.

                        Elizabeth learns of the enormity of the settlement.

Page 269:        Jane hopes the world would forget Lydia's infamy which even Mr. Bennet later thinks. The world never forgets an act like that unless it is overcome by money.

Page 270:        Mr. Bennet has not communicated the contents of the letter to others. Mrs. Bennet, on receiving the information, is experiencing the irritation of the violence of delight.

Page 271:        The villainous Wickham of yesterday is a pleasant sound in her mouth.

 

Chapter VIII

Page 272:        Mr. Bennet awaited a son and did not save. Had he saved, son or no son, the son would have arrived is the rule. The son comes for the attitude.

Page 273:        Austen speaks of a trait of laziness. Its difficulty is in initiative, not in execution. Laziness is energy in potential. Hence, initiation is difficult, as it has to break out of the inertia. Once the energy is released, it flows.

Good news quickly spreads. Never does good news move quickly. It only means the locality is not of bad people.

Page 274:        So many big houses are empty. It means people have moved to London. Mrs. Bennet already started spreading her social waves. Mr. Bennet put a dampen on it. Elizabeth is sorry that she let Darcy know of Lydia. (The desire to hide from the benefactor is true with respect to Elizabeth). An event like elopement arises in a person's life when he is capable of this trait of hiding the result from the benefactor.

Page 275:        Now that Darcy cannot be an object of marriage, she considers the various possibilities of her non-acceptability to him. It was a repugnance to her to accept the good reputation of his. Now she values him as he is not at all available. His value is seen in his absence.

Page 276:        Gardiner's letter on militia, debts, wedding, visit to Longbourn, etc. Erring people brought to the fold is common. But it is not common to find them unashamed of their conduct. People who cannot take care of themselves go down in the social scale. Nor do they expect others to prevent them from sliding down. In rare cases it is done. The most common feature is their oblivious unconscious ingratitude which is impudence. To expect any other behaviour from them is not possible.

Page 277:        In cases like Lydia, what is common is the family does not see them for decades. Even at the end of their lives no reconciliation is usual unless the erring couple come by money or the parental family is soaked in affection. Here Jane and Elizabeth take an unpardonable initiative to bring them home. On their arrival, Mrs. Bennet behaves exactly as Lydia and Lydia seeks to make capital out of her adventure while the scoundrel tries to see to what extent his falsehood still survives.

Chapter IX

Page 278:        The Indian Freedom movement was an idealist one. Those who joined ruined their career, gave up their property for the sake of the cause. The generation that followed Freedom was eager to capitalise on power and prided on the loot. This is true of all Revolutions. By this transition the evolution that begins with the being enters into non-being to become a whole. In all families that succeeded on virtue we see this change. They change from virtue to vice or vice to virtue. Both sides are indispensable. Lydia and Wickham play such a role in Pride and Prejudice. One can avoid this fall when he is willing to transform those aspects in him that require transformation. Thus the individual becomes universal.

Page 279:        This page heightens their insensibility to the status of an ideal under the auspices of Mrs. Bennet.

Page 280:        Lydia offering to catch husbands for all her sisters is the climax. It is followed by the anti-climax of Mrs. Bennet endorsing it.

Pages 281,282 & 283:      Lydia is releasing her dynamism by insisting on her sisters listening about her wedding. ‘Darcy' comes out of the narration without which the story would not have led to the proper finale. Compare ‘Darcy' of Lydia with the news of Fitzwilliam about Bingley. Jane's offer to preserve Lydia's secrecy is taking formality to religious sacredness. She refrains from telling Elizabeth the few hints of Lydia about the sordid event. Elizabeth asking her aunt for information reveals the bursting seams - bursting between reality and illusion - pressing on her character. These are the points where the genius of Jane Austen comes out.

Chapter X

Pages

284-288:          Most of these events have been partly explained so far. Darcy's efforts to bring Lydia to the fold fulfils Wickham's age-old ambition to enter Pemberley. It is fulfilled through another route without Wickham's access to Darcy's wealth. It meets the subconscious ideal of Elizabeth expressed in P.136 to keep him in her psychological periphery.

"supplication must be made to a woman he must abominate". The stiffness, pride and arrogance need this reversal. Elizabeth is the right complement to bring him those circumstances. Life offers such reversals.

Page 289:        "the interruption is not unwelcome". Wickham is always welcome to her. In the ‘Greek Interpreter' a lady whose brother was killed by her lover says even after that event she would do anything for her lover. (The heart knows how to love, it has not learnt to hate, nor can it ever learn.) Thought does not touch us so deeply as emotions. In our depths, we have falsehood, not truth. It is not Wickham who charms her, it is his falsehood. It touches her more deeply than thought, need, appreciation, etc. Hence it makes an indelible impression. Once made, it lies there safely forever. It cannot turn into hate or detach itself from it as it means she hates herself or detaches from herself.

Pages

290,291:          She exposes him to himself, but he tries more than one camouflage. She extends her hand to him which he kisses with affectionate gallantry, the only hand kissing event in the novel. This is the last she sees of him.

Chapter XI

Page

292, 293:         Mrs. Bennet cannot rest without high excitement. Lydia's departure makes her dull. She is in touch with life. Offering a fresh occasion for her excitement, news is received about Bingley's arrival.

                        News never waits. The channels through which news spreads are the nerves of the society. It does so because society exists on excitement.

                        Miss Bennet's one response was she must be found neutral and indifferent. Here the information of Elizabeth is superior to Jane. Jane does not have that advantage. She is in a wild suspicion.

Page 294:        Mrs. Bennet again pleads for Mr. Bennet to visit Bingley. He refuses. Jane's wedding is possible if Mr. Bennet does not go after him. His refusal makes her engagement possible.

                        Each person accepts issues only on his terms. Even in accepting his refusal Mrs. Bennet consoles herself with the opening to invite Bingley.

Page 295:        "You always have so much of patience" says Elizabeth. It enables her to achieve.

Kitty cannot recognise Darcy or remember his name. Darcy is so far removed from the consciousness of Meryton that he never made the least impression outside his circle.

Page 296:        "both sisters were uncomfortable enough". Their poverty consciousness is

disturbed now as both men come with the idea of marriage.

Elizabeth was astonished at Darcy's coming. Even after knowing that Darcy married Wickham and Lydia, Elizabeth could not conceive that he would seek her. Her awareness of the damage done by the elopement has its full reality to her nerves, not the reality of his love to her mind.

Page 297:        Bingley is both pleased and embarrassed since Darcy has not yet given him the permission to marry Jane.

"Why did he come?" the feminine petulant demand arises.

Page 298:        There was no Mr. Bennet to receive them. Nor did they try to meet him. It is explicit that it is not a social call, but a visit to the girls. When Bingley first visited Longbourn he met Mr. Bennet and could not get a glimpse of the beauties. That visit has decided the character of this visit. No act fails to put its stamp on life.

Whether the beneficiary knows or not, it behoves that he turns hostile to the benefactor is a rule that Mrs. Bennet is fully living up to.

Page 299:        Elizabeth's first wish of the heart is never more to see either of them. Bingley is going to propose in a few days. Elizabeth's wish is the darkest hour before the dawn.

 

Chapter XII

Page 300:        Elizabeth wants every event to be settled in a way it gives her pleasure. Jane is revived.

Page 301:        To Elizabeth her grievances are in the background. Her centre of interest is now in Jane. Without knowing Darcy is watching Jane closely, she is watching Bingley.

Page 302:        She demands he should come to her or she would give him up.

She felt gratitude to him. This is not the way gratitude expresses itself. It is the demand of the woman who knows he needs her.

The ladies crowd around and prevent the men from coming near Elizabeth. It is exactly the way life responds to her demand.

Her sense of justice sees she is silly. She remembers that he was once refused and has a right to distance himself.

Her little regret brings him to her for a minute.

She is unable to speak further. Nor does he speak. After the engagement she tells him that she could not speak then because she was embarrassed. He too explained he was too full to speak. She can appreciate her difficulty but cannot make a similar allowance to him.

Pages 302, 303:         Bingley and Darcy were at Longbourn for dinner. Jane fully recovered her spirits. Elizabeth's anxiety is over. Mrs. Bennet is more than pleased. There is no mention of Mr. Bennet during their visit. This is a few days before Bingley's proposal. Jane, even on that day vows she is not interested in him beyond being a friend.

Chapter XIII

Page 304:        Bingley came alone with the sanction of Darcy. He returned the next day.

Mrs. Bennet tried all her tricks. They did not work. Mrs. Bennet was unable to restrain herself. The rule is, such an initiative will fail which it does. As the atmosphere is very rich and the characters and events are in quadrant No. I, overcoming Mrs. Bennet's unseemly initiative, Bingley proposed. The awkwardness, the confusion, the vulgarity and the delicacy of the proposal are a full faithful portrait of their home.

Page 305:        This page of organised confusion is equal only to her lamentations when Lydia ran away. She behaves as the daughter of an attorney, not the wife of a gentleman. Kitty who coughs in the beginning of the story to her vexation now pricks her bubble of winking at her. Maybe this is the most indelicate scene at home in the presence of a stranger.

Page 306:        Bingley has come determined to propose. The obvious devices made him feel awkward and he was unable to propose. Mrs. Bennet was aware of the physical need for privacy for the lovers. There was no sensitivity in her to feel that the lovers needed an ease of atmosphere to take to each other.

                        Elizabeth's excessive expectation of Bingley's proposal is almost as overt as Mrs. Bennet's taking Kitty and Elizabeth away. Modesty is in manners, not in behaviour. In behaviour Elizabeth is aggressive. The whole of Meryton is watching Bingley and Jane. The cultured restraint is not there, not to speak of culture. Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth as well as Caroline are forward or aggressive in waiting for a proposal. None of them are like Agnes whose love David was not aware of. The feminine modesty in character is seen in Agnes.

Page 307:        Mr. Bennet appears in the story only on the third visit of the lover. Bingley's patience and sensitivity were exhausted by Mrs. Bennet. He proposes the next day. The first to know is Elizabeth. By her dedication to the project she deserves to be told first. It is to her mother Jane goes next. The whole thing was done by the express sanction of Darcy. Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth and Mrs. Bennet is the order in which the proposal is communicated. Mrs. Bennet's fervour is seen overtly but it is to Mr. Bennet the news goes first. In Darcy's case he proposed that morning. News was divulged only the next morning to Mr. Bennet apart from Jane's hearing it that night. Life's rules overcome social propriety or accommodate it. Mr. Bennet's interest and responsibility for the proposal, by this measure, seems to be greater than that of his wife. Even to congratulate Jane, he waits for Bingley to go, though Bingley told him of it. Darcy's engagement had no smooth sailing. It met with resistances from the sister and father. People come to know of the result in the measure of their interest is a rule that cannot be overlooked.

                        "And this" said she, "is the end of all his friend's anxious circumspection! Of all his sister's falsehood and contrivance! The happiest wisest, most ......" The proposal pleases Elizabeth. She is untouched by the ugly quirks of her mother. Nor is she vexed by the fact that Bingley is a spineless character. All that she wants is Jane's happiness. She does not see she is as mercenary as Charlotte only the method is different. All is well that ends well. (People who are self-righteous in a life context will be as guilty or false as those who are directly false. It is the character of life.) Life is a field not of truth, but of falsehood. So, one cannot insist on one's truth without being guilty of protesting too much.

Page 309:        Mr. Bennet's perception about Jane and Bingley is true. He feels no issue will be resolved and their income will be exceeded. It is said in a humourous vein. Even then, it is indelicate. He should have chosen another positive expression. The British culture is not so mature.

Page 310:        Bingley sparing Darcy of his ruse respects human nature. Darcy did not have that delicacy in his letter to Elizabeth. Maybe in Bingley it comes out of his weakness. Still it is culturally welcome.

Page 311:        Elizabeth is petulant to say she would get a Collins. That brings in Lady Catherine. Maybe she is aware of Darcy being an aristocratic Collins.

                        Yesterday's unluckiest, becomes today's luckiest in public opinion. Public opinion never makes, it reflects a situation. If possible it will mar.

 

Chapter XIV

                        Bingley's proposal raises Longbourn and that brings in Lady Catherine. Bingley escapes. (Pitch defiles. Once Elizabeth was given the patronage of Lady Catherine, she has an access to Elizabeth's life.)

Page 312:        Lydia's episode opens Elizabeth's eyes to her low status. She then aspires to rise by Pemberley. Lady Catherine seems to sense that aspiration and tries to put her down.

Page 313:        Lady Catherine's definition of sincerity is "I am right". In other words, the aristocracy is right and "I represent aristocracy". A weak person can use effectively his strong position is the false idea. The truth of life is in such a situation life offers the opposite result. Here that is the case.

Pages

314, 315:         Elizabeth's answers to Lady Catherine are characterised by courage, resourcefulness and a release of the energy of her abusive genius. Her mother's effusions of illiberal intensity have transformed in her as abusive genius. Her polite patience at Rosings are the seeds for her unbridled eloquence at Longbourn.

Pages  316, 317 & 318:             When her commands were disregarded, she seeks gratitude and finally descends to slander, the route of defeated strength.

Chapter XV

Page 320:        Collins second letter is a revenge on Elizabeth's advice not to introduce himself to Darcy. That letter brought him to Meryton by the storms of Catherine's anger. Collins releases a missile, hoping it will blow Bennet and Elizabeth into pieces. He does not know a storm is brewing at Rosings. The missile releases that energy and Collins is blown over. Collins is the monkey who pulled the wedge out.

                        Elizabeth's resentment of Darcy not being a free companion with her is one reason to bring a letter from Collins. Darcy and Collins are alike.

Page 321, 322, 323:        Her father's jibes at Darcy pain her, but she is unaware of her own accusations of him.

Chapter XVI

Pages

324 -330 to 345,

The end.          Darcy comes. She expresses gratitude. He proposes again. The story ends here. She is shy of her past actions. He is overflowing with love and acknowledges his transformation. He achieves the impossible because he is determined to make her love him.

Now we can look at the story from the points of view of Life and its rules. Most of them are:

1) What makes a man achieve is not his capacity, his circumstances, etc. but his goal and aspiration.

2) Selfishness passes for goodness.

3) Good principles serve good causes only when delivered through good attitudes.

4) Every exalted state require a complement from its opposite.

5) Those in the penumbra of a great light can fully acquire its brilliance in appearance while the core is dark and evil.

6) Praise of the coterie is not the acid test.

7) A motherless girl needs protection.

8) Charm is organised falsehood shedding true light.

9) One cannot hide his truth from his constant companions.

10) Adults can be taken in by the submissiveness of youth.

11) High outer polish is indicative of high hidden evil.

12) Good will achieves.

13) Achievement is determined by the personality.

14) Education abridges ages.

15) Master evokes loyal admiration from a servant.

16) Wealth is a repository of culture.

17) Sincerity is finally rewarded.

18) Human love is falsehood rewarded.

19) Heart that loves, loves forever.

20) To Wickham more than money, the connection with Pemberley is important. Prestige moves where money fails.

21) Love of a common rogue unites.

Georgiana and Elizabeth both love Wickham.

22) Wealth alone does not generate culture.

23) Culture remains to be cultivated.

24) Smallness of mind delights in details and expresses authority.

25) Marriage is a mirror of the subconscious.

26) Sisters do not like brother's marrying.

27) Submissiveness is not everlasting.

28) One's complements are aware of one's movements.

29) Population lives on news.

30) Good news travels fast in good places.

31) Social authority is final.

32) Tragedies open the eyes of our inner consciousness.

33) Human choice matters.

34) The Englishman has character and is honourable.

35) Decision can change the social environment.

36) To accomplish a work all positives must be in place and all negatives must withdraw.

37) Status reconciles. Age has authority.

38) Education makes a clown out of stupidity.

39) Even to offer good will one has to have the strength of status.

40) If you hate a person, life compels you to serve him.

41) Any desire however unrighteous it is, is capable of realising itself at some time, in some measure.

42) Rumour is utterly unreliable. Essentially rumour will be true.

43) Sarcasm is psychological inability.

44) Shyness is mistaken to be pride.

45) The weak seeks the full intensity of defeat.

46) Ruse never works. It works for people below ruse.

47) Submissiveness protects.

48) The low seeks to rise by service.

49) You can give up people, not status or property.

50) Gardiner's wish for fishing made Elizabeth meet Darcy.

      A small event becomes significant.

51) Related people come instantaneously. Unrelated people leave instantaneously.

52) Things press upon us in a positive atmosphere.

53) Human initiative is always rebuffed by life.

54) Attraction to charm can never be disenchanted.

55) Hot words have to be swallowed later.

56) Adult authority is effective authority.

57) Man imposes his needs on another.

58) Anything comes back; unsavoury sarcasm inevitably comes back.

59) Partiality in the parent is unpardonable; but it is real.

60) Capacity has no claim in other matters.

61) There is no one who has not an aim in life.

62) No man will do what may benefit others.

63) Cough is subconscious assertion.

64) Education gives information, age gives knowledge.

65) Parental neglect is cruelty intolerable.

66) The subordinate values the boss in the measure of his own control over him.

67) The last child is a physical extension of the mother.

68) Secrecy is the success of denial.

69) Those who seek to astonish others, meet with unpleasant surprises in life.

70) Exclusivity is the superiority of the small.

71) A man who loves a girl and abhors her family does not know her whole family is in her and he is going to live with it in future.

72) Vanity is the wisdom of the folly.

73) Adversity teaches a better lesson than experience.

      Charlotte is wiser about marriage than Mr. Bennet.

74) Discretion should rule the rule of secrecy.

75) Romance lies in discovering more of the spouse constantly.

76) Marriage with or without affection will remain marriage.

77) Dancing physically activates joy.

78) Irretrievable virtue is the surety for family culture.

79) Mortification of the form leads to another form.

80) Civility denied in a connection that cannot be snapped must be given later with compensation.

81) Interference recoils without fail.

82) Form cannot serve substance.

83) A proposal works only when the lady has already ‘proposed'.

84) Life demands the appreciation of the abhorrent.

85) Human perception never fails to perceive character.

86) Man always evaluates himself at his best.

87) He who successfully deceives everyone will deceive himself at the end.

88) Ill digested experiences live in the memory.

89) Success is vociferous; failure is silent.

90) Each man thinks his joy is the greatest, a character of infinity.

91) Prudence need not be selfish.

92) Security of happiness heeds a little foundation of insensibility.

93) Snobs love to be tyrannised over.

94) Courtship opens the personality.

95) Perverse mischance reminds you of your own perversity.

96) There is perversity in life, but not mischance.

97) Longbourn vastly benefited socially as they were open to the future of the society.

98) The inner feelings that well up show the coming events.

99) Incapacity for desponding helps complete the work.

100) The first waking thought is significant.

 


* The same result can issue for opposite reasons.



story | by Dr. Radut