Originally Posted by
The Unnamable
Why don’t you finish the book first on your own (that will earn you the esteem of your teacher) then you can use other parts of the book to give your presentation.
There are plenty of other examples of pride in the novel. It’s a strange thing, pride. It’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins, yet most people would never hesitate to talk about how proud they are of something.
Anyway, there is the misplaced intellectual pride of Mary. She’s the sister who Mr. Bennet enjoys mocking:
“What say you, Mary? for you are a young lady of deep reflection I know, and read great books, and make extracts.''
Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how.
``While Mary is adjusting her ideas,'' he continued, ``let us return to Mr. Bingley.''”
Chapter 2
I love that – especially as there are so many people who would be ‘horrified’ at a father treating his daughter in this way – encouraging her stupidity for his own amusement.
There is the simple haughty pride of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Her pride is also misplaced – her social status, based on wealth and privilege, leads her to grossly overestimate her own worth and talents. She believes that she could have done anything:
“There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.”
Chapter 31
What nonsense – we could all say that – doesn’t make it true, though.
Her pride also leads her to think that only her own feelings are important. She is simply rude here and has no idea that she is so:
“I have told Miss Bennet several times, that she will never play really well, unless she practises more; and though Mrs. Collins has no instrument, she is very welcome, as I have often told her, to come to Rosings every day, and play on the piano forte in Mrs. Jenkinson's room. She would be in nobody's way, you know, in that part of the house.''
Mr. Darcy looked a little ashamed of his aunt's ill breeding, and made no answer.”
Darcy’s response is interesting – he can see her rudeness and is more than embarrassed by it. His pride is far more excusable than hers. If you really want to think about this, look for examples of Darcy’s pride. I don’t think there are many, even though everyone assumes that he’s the epitome of pride.
The following thoughts are Elizabeth’s (and by this time she’s in love with him so she’s biased) but there is a good point about prejudice as well here:
“They had nothing to accuse him of but pride; pride he probably had, and if not, it would certainly be imputed by the inhabitants of a small market-town where the family did not visit.” Chapter 44
Isn’t Austen also pointing out the prejudices these “inhabitants of a small market-town”? They make up their minds about him simply from the fact that he doesn’t visit their town. They assume his reason is pride but they don’t actually know. Isn’t that to pre-judge someone?
Here’s a section from chapter 8 that might be useful. Louisa and Caroline Bingley are discussing the Bennets with their brother and Darcy:
""I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it.''
"I think I have heard you say, that their uncle is an attorney in Meryton.''
"Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside.''
"That is capital,'' added her sister, and they both laughed heartily.
"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside,'' cried Bingley, ``it would not make them one jot less agreeable.''
"But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world,'' replied Darcy.
To this speech Bingley made no answer; but his sisters gave it their hearty assent, and indulged their mirth for some time at the expense of their dear friend's vulgar relations."
To live in Meryton or Cheapside is indicative of social inferiority in the eyes of the Bingley sisters. They sneer at the socially inferior. It might spring from their own pride but it seems to me simple prejudice. The attorney in Meryton might be a really nice man but they have decided he deserves their contempt because of where he works.
Bingley’s response tells us a lot about him. He doesn’t mind if the Bennets have relatives all over Cheapside, he still likes them – and that is based on meeting them in person, not simply from knowing their social standing. However, he doesn’t say, "what does it matter if they do live in Cheapside?" – in other words, he does feel that they are socially inferior. Which brings us to Darcy’s comment. At first, it might just sound like a piece of haughty pride or snobbery. However, what he says is true. Whether it’s just or not, the Bennet sisters’ chances of marrying what Darcy calls ‘men of any consideration’ will be limited. Perhaps he’s rather brusque but that doesn’t make him proud or snobby. The same point could have been made by Bingley, except that he would have made it sound much more like a cause for regret – a sort of ‘sad but true’ approach. Yet we wouldn’t think of Bingley as proud. I think a lot of Darcy’s supposed pride is due to the assumptions people have about him because of his manner. You might say, “yes – his manner is proud” but people are only seeing the first thing they want to see. There is a lot more to Darcy than pride.
Mr Bingley’s not responding to Darcy here is one of the things I really like about Jane Austen’s characterisation. Already Bingley is convincing enough as a character for me to think about why he doesn’t respond. Does he agree with Darcy but is too uncomfortable with what he considers is pride or snobbery to agree? Does he disagree? In which case, why doesn’t he say so? Is it because he is intimidated by Darcy and knows he will probably lose the argument anyway? Is it a combination? The nature of the man is revealed through not responding.
The Bingley sisters end the extract with “his sisters gave it their hearty assent, and indulged their mirth for some time at the expense of their dear friend's vulgar relations.” They are really unpleasant. You can spot the narrator’s stance through the use of ‘dear friend’. This is how they had referred to her to her face but now she’s not there, they have a good laugh at her simply because she doesn’t have their wealth and privilege.
