Next reading by Sunday, Jan 27th

I have a feeling some people are getting behind but lets see if we can read Chapters 24-34 before Sunday the 27th.

Chapter 12-23

I am still amazed at the Bertram family dynamic. The most interesting part about this section of the book involved the play and what happened when their father came home. It is so funny to me that they were all saying how much their father wouldn't care and how much he would love the play and then the moment he walked in the door they were terrified(except Edmund and Fanny who were against it from the beginning). It also is odd to me that he tore everything down. Was the play really that bad?

Two other things especially disturbed me about this section. First when Mrs. Norris decided to totally tear apart Fanny in front of everyone and tell her she was worth nothing. I got a pit in my stomach. I can't believe how cruel they are to her.

The second was when their father actually asked Maria how she felt about Mr. Rushworth and gave her the chance to break the engagement and she chose not to and acted as if she loved him even if she secretly was only doing it to not give Mr. Crawford any satisfaction. WEIRD and demented if you ask me. I have a feeling that the Grants talked to Mr. Crawford and told him to go away if he was not interested in her.

Well I am really interested to read further and here how Fanny turns out, I have to tell you the only characters I really care will turn out well are Fanny and Edmund. So we will see as we read on.

Mansfield Park--Ch. 1-11

While I am still trying to get a handle on all the characters, I am starting to enjoy this one. Except some of these women drive me crazy! Let's start with Miss Crawford, she is very opinionated and knocks down pretty much everything Edmund has to say (including his future career) and yet she still has him in some type of trance! What does he see in her? One minute he is enjoying himself with Fanny, and the next minute he totally ignores her because of Miss Crawford!
Poor Fanny, she's not really like a daughter to the Bertmans, just slightly higher than the servants. I wonder why they really decided of all the children of Mrs. Price to raise, why they chose her, and just one? She had like 8 kids right? And why is she so physically weak? Always needing to rest, what's wrong with her?
Mr. Rushworth and Ms. Bertman's relationship is interesting, it just goes to show how what at first appears like the ideal match, may not work out so well when the bride-to-be is now more interested in Mr. Crawford than her own fiance! And now they are dreading Sir Thomas's return because then the marriage will really take place!
And Mrs. Norris, what a piece or work! She decides to "raise" Fanny, yet instead doesn't even want her living in her home and rather have the Bertman's take care of her. And what's with Lady Bertman needing someone to stay back at home with her when everyone went on a day trip, like she can't survive one day by herself? (And she wouldn't be alone anyway with all those servants around!)
It will be interesting to see how things change when the men of Mansfield (Sir Thomas and Tom) return...

Up next: Mansfield Park (after the holidays)

I am looking forward to reading an Austen classic I am not familiar with (and have never seen a movie about!) so I can have my own initial reactions and opinions.
Let's plan on reading through Ch. 11 by January 6th.
Have a great Christmas and New Years!

The finish to P & P

Fantastic! I just love this book....

I very much enjoyed these last several chapters.
A few highlights: I love how Elizabeth stood up to Lady Catherine, not giving her the satisfaction of a clear-cut answer. And then I can just imagine when Lady Catherine relays to Darcy their conversation and I can just see his face lighting up with a new hope that not all hope is lost to gain Elizabeth's love.
And I think it is very interesting that on two separate occasions by separate people, both Elizabeth and Darcy are described by one word: obstinate. This isn't a word I use frequently (if ever), so I looked it up, and according to Webster's obstinate means "perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion.......implies usually an unreasonable persistence". So true of both of them in many aspects of their lives!

I also cannot believe Wickham just continues to lie to Elizabeth's face because he doesn't know she knows the whole truth when he talks to her about running into Darcy in London. What an ass!

I do love Mr. Bennett's speech to Elizabeth to be assured of her love for Darcy, which he cannot imagine is possible: "I now give it to you, if you are resolved on having him. But let me advise you to think better of it. I know your disposition, Lizzy. I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about" And then after Elizabeth's explanation for her change of heart, Mr. Bennett concludes with "Well, my dear, I have no more to say. If this be the case, he deserves you. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to any one less worthy." Ahhh.....lovely.

And I like Darcy's answer to Elizabeth's question of when he fell in love with her: "I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." True love. Beautiful.

Elizabeth (& everyone) getting the real truth...(thru Vol 3 Ch. 6)

I can just imagine Elizabeth's jaw dropping one paragraph after another as she read Mr. Darcy's letter. I love after she meets up with him again at his place in Pemberly and she is trying to sort out her feelings towards him, and here are her thoughts: "the evening...was not long enough to determine her feelings towards one in that mansion....she certainly did not hate him.....But above all, above respect and esteem, there was a motive within her of good will which could not be overlooked. It was gratitude.--Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him, and all the unjust accusations accompanying her rejection.....Such a change in a man of so much pride, excited not only astonishment but gratitude--for to love, ardent love, it must be attributed.....She respected, she esteemed, she was grateful to him, she felt a real interest in his welfare...." What a man! Where's my Darcy? ha! Loving her after all she accused him of...

And as for Wickham and Lydia, goodness! She is just a child! And Mrs. Bennett being ridicously dramatic, thinking Mr. Bennett may even be killed, and then Mr. Collins throwing them out, just one crazy thought building upon another...I can't imagine having a mother like that.

Well, I am so looking forward to the next chapters, especially Elizabeth being able to see Darcy again.

We will finish out the book this week and then take a break until New Year's.

Part 3: Read through Vol. 3, Ch. 6

The Proposal

Well, the story is getting exceedingly more interesting with each turn of the page. Mr. Darcy has professed his love and Elizabeth has dashed his hopes to the ground with witty and pointed prose. I especially was fond of her questioning his approach..."I might as well enquire,' replied she, 'why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excue for incivility, if I was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You know I have. Had not my own feelings decided against you, had they been indifferent, or had they even been favourable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man, who has been the means of ruining, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?"

Now, on this point, I would have probably stopped...but she kept going and brought up Wickam, which she does not have the full story on that one so she should have left it alone.

All in all, I am a bit ashamed by the way Mr. Darcy approached this whole proposal...it was undoubtedly on the offensive side. But, I still like this character perhaps more than any other. He is complex, whereas most of the characters in the story are one dimensional and disinteresting. And as far as the men in the story go, he is the only one I am interested to learn more about. Jane Austen has created a very captivating personality in him (in my opinion anyway).

Taking 2 weeks for the next posting/reading...

With Thanksgiving and all, I thought we'd give ourselves 2 weeks until the next post. We will read through Volume 2 Ch. 11 to post next by next Sunday, Dec. 2nd. Okay? okay.... :-)
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Part One (thru Ch. 17) of P & P...

Again we see Austen's theme of money and it's importance over all else in relationships during this time period and culture. I think money/class (at least in Darcy's case) is something you have that can not allow to you have feelings for someone in another class, as if it is just not an option. Darcy is intentionally trying to distance himself from Elizabeth because he does have feelings for her, but somehow knows it could never work out. Or it's just his pride battling it out with his heart.... because Bingley also has plenty of wealth but continues to show interest in Jane... And what do you think about Charlotte's comment to Eliza about Jane needing to secure Bingley before falling in love with him: "Jane should therefore make the most of every half hour in which she can command his attention. When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as jch as she chuses." ha!
And good grief, another weaker male/father in Mr. Bennett who lets his wife practically control everything! (at least so far... :-) Speak up man! I do enjoy his comments about disagreeing with his wife about their two youngest daughters being foolish (while she says they are sensible).
And then the new guy...Mr. Wickham...he must be a looker, but also must have something intriguing enough to capture the interest of Elizabeth who earlier stated the importance of knowing one's character...