MELODY. I devoured every word of this with such delight. I'm working on a much less scholarly piece right now about Mr. Darcy and the shoddy pop culture perception of his character, and I have a feeling I shall be quoting you right and left.
Thank you! I am eagerly awaiting your piece now. 😊 When I first encountered him (influenced, of course, by what I'd heard of him from pop culture) I didn't like him at all. But he grows on me with every reading of P&P. By the end of the book he's changed, or is in the process of changing, everything I didn't connect with. Dierdre LeFaye's commentary was enlightening, too--she interpret's Elizabeth's rebuke of Darcy as defining a gentleman by his behavior rather than his wealth/station, which is earth-shattering to Darcy. Still mulling that over!
I saved this to read until my leisure this evening and I’m so glad I did. I savored this post. So much food for thought. I had never thought of that interpretation of Edward’s behavior over Lucy Steele. I’m rereading Sense and Sensibility right now and that is going to change how I read it. I’ve always thought Colonel Brandon is under-appreciated. (Sadly I’m now older than him so maybe that’s part of it. 😂)
Really good insights about both Henry Crawford and Mr Darcy in relation to Mr Wickham. I so agree that Jane Austen thoroughly gets real-life roguery. I love thinking about her work in this light you bring up: how her women develop discernment. (Or suffer from the lack of it.) And how discernment is a part of becoming more virtuous.
Thank you, Elizabeth! I was also shocked that Brandon was only 35, I suppose Marianne had influenced me to think of him as much older. But do we wear flannel waistcoats in the dotage of our thirties? 😂
Okay, this is why I love writing about things--I hadn't interpreted Edward's engagement to Lucy like that until I held it up against the other novels and Willoughby! I realized he had the same access and could easily have run away with her, but he protected her by keeping the engagement secret and honorably waited until he could support her. And Wickham, his name is one syllable away from wicked, poor guy had no chance. 😂 I'm still not sure if I think there is genuine affection between him and Lydia. Discernment indeed! I enjoy how Austen plays with discerning between widely accepted opinions and personal discernment, which often overlap but sometimes don't, in positive and negative ways.
MELODY. I devoured every word of this with such delight. I'm working on a much less scholarly piece right now about Mr. Darcy and the shoddy pop culture perception of his character, and I have a feeling I shall be quoting you right and left.
Thank you! I am eagerly awaiting your piece now. 😊 When I first encountered him (influenced, of course, by what I'd heard of him from pop culture) I didn't like him at all. But he grows on me with every reading of P&P. By the end of the book he's changed, or is in the process of changing, everything I didn't connect with. Dierdre LeFaye's commentary was enlightening, too--she interpret's Elizabeth's rebuke of Darcy as defining a gentleman by his behavior rather than his wealth/station, which is earth-shattering to Darcy. Still mulling that over!
I saved this to read until my leisure this evening and I’m so glad I did. I savored this post. So much food for thought. I had never thought of that interpretation of Edward’s behavior over Lucy Steele. I’m rereading Sense and Sensibility right now and that is going to change how I read it. I’ve always thought Colonel Brandon is under-appreciated. (Sadly I’m now older than him so maybe that’s part of it. 😂)
Really good insights about both Henry Crawford and Mr Darcy in relation to Mr Wickham. I so agree that Jane Austen thoroughly gets real-life roguery. I love thinking about her work in this light you bring up: how her women develop discernment. (Or suffer from the lack of it.) And how discernment is a part of becoming more virtuous.
Great insights! Thank you!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I was also shocked that Brandon was only 35, I suppose Marianne had influenced me to think of him as much older. But do we wear flannel waistcoats in the dotage of our thirties? 😂
Okay, this is why I love writing about things--I hadn't interpreted Edward's engagement to Lucy like that until I held it up against the other novels and Willoughby! I realized he had the same access and could easily have run away with her, but he protected her by keeping the engagement secret and honorably waited until he could support her. And Wickham, his name is one syllable away from wicked, poor guy had no chance. 😂 I'm still not sure if I think there is genuine affection between him and Lydia. Discernment indeed! I enjoy how Austen plays with discerning between widely accepted opinions and personal discernment, which often overlap but sometimes don't, in positive and negative ways.