help me understand

[inge]

I'm reading Pride & Prejudice with difficulty. Some sentences are confusing me. Can somebody explain in plain English what these sentences mean?
- Chapter 2: Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance; and therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.
- Chapter 4: They were in fact very fine ladies; not deficient in good humour when they are pleased, nor in the power or being agreeable where they chose it;
- Chapter 4: They were of a respectable family in the north of England, a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.
- Chapter 4: Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House.
Thank you so much.

[sciencefan]

I'm reading Pride & Prejudice with difficulty. Some sentences are confusing me. Can somebody explain in plain English what these sentences mean?
- Chapter 2: Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance; and therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.
If you decline to do it yourself, I will do it myself. (The "office" is a position, such as the office of President of the United States.)

- Chapter 4: They were in fact very fine ladies; not deficient in good humour when they are pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it;
...they had the power to be agreeable (friendly) when they chose to.


- Chapter 4: They were of a respectable family in the north of England, a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.
Bingley's sister were more snobbish than they had a right to be since someone who earned their wealth by "trade" was looked down upon. Money that was passed down from generation to generation by landowning, such as Mr. Darcy's, was the kind of wealth that commanded the most respect in those days. It wasn't wealth by itself that impressed society, but also how you earned it. So Bingley's sister went about acting snobbish because they were from a "respectable family" but the fact that their wealth was earned by "trade" should have lowered their snobbery a bit.


- Chapter 4: Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House.
Thank you so much. I am not sure how old they were when they came "of age" it was probably either 18 or 21. If it was 18, then that would make him 19, and I don't think Austen intended Jane to be older than Bingley. I thought Jane was probably 21 because Elizabeth is "not 21" which I think means that she was 20, and Jane was older. So I'm thinking Bingley came of age at 21 and since it had not been two years, that means that he was still 22.



It was my pleasure to help you.
Feel free to ask again. :)

[nevertooold]

"Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance; and therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself." :

As Mr. Bennet has already visited Mr. Bingle, he is in a position to introduce him to Mrs. Long and her nieces. The job of making this introduction is the "office" that Mr. Bennet is reffering to. He first asks his wife to introduce them, but since she hasn't met Mr. Bingley herself (and doesn't know that Mr. Bennet has), she says she can't (declines the office). So, Mr. Bennet says he will do it himself, as Mrs Long's nieces should also get a chance to try to make Mr. Bingley fall for them, and Mrs. Long would consider it an act of kindness on Mr. Bennets part if he makes the introduction (this part is a joke... :-) ... since Mr. Bennet was just as interested as Mrs. Bennet in getting Mr. Bingley for his own daughters... He's just using this roundabout manner of letting everyone know that he's already met Mr. Bingley).


"They were in fact very fine ladies; not deficient in good humour when they are pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it":

The Bingley sisters were very classy ladies, and could be very good-natured when they were happy. They also had the ability to be pleasant wherever they chose to be, that is, in the company of people who they think are important enough to be pleased.


"They were of a respectable family in the north of England, a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.":

Business was not considered a very high class profession then. You could only be a family of status and "respectability" if you were connected to nobles and other respectable families. The Bingleys were a respectable family in this context, but all their money came from business (trade). The "respectability" of their family was "more deeply impressed on their memories" than the fact that they were also into business, that is, they chose to remember only that they had great connections, and conveniently forgot about their profession.


"Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House.":

To "become of age" means to become an adult. I'm not sure, but it probably meant either to become 18 or 21. "had not been of age two years" means it had not been 2 whole years after he had "come of age".

[aurovidya]

Thank you for your valuable explanation.