Chapter 28's - ""And is this all" cried Elizabeth. "I expected at least that the pigs were got into the garden, and here is nothing but Lady Catherine and her daughter." is Austen at her sharpest. However chapter 7's in my opinion is a better example of Austen's descriptive style - "Elizabeth continued her walk alone, crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles and springing over puddless with impatient activity, and finding herself at last within view of the house, with eary ankles, dirty stockings and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise.
She was shown into the breakfast-parlour, where all but Jane were assembled, and where her appearence created a great deal of surprise."
In Wright's dramatization of P&P Elizabeth looks disheveled with her long hair flowing over her shoulders. Quite in contrast with the proper look of a lady. Dressed hair pilled on top of her head. She may look Byronic for the modern viewer but such an appearence would have been shocking for the 1800's since it crossed the division of the gentility and the rustics. Given the revolutionary history of England, the overthrow of the monarchy, the Cromwell era, and the Restoration, the high and the low aristocracy were very conservative. The social change brought about by the Industrial Revolution was a decade away as was the Rousseau view of the common man. The squires and the small estate landlords were living surrounded by the common folk whose entertainment was a drunkedness ending in a brawl. A good illustration is in the BBC's dramatization where the coachmen are awaiting the gentry dancing at Netherfield's ball.
Since there has been a question of the style of dress and hair in the Austen era, I thought it would be of interest to give some examples.
The following site have examples of costumes of the Regency period.
http://victoriana.com/lady/palmer.html
http://sensibility.com/vintageimages/1800s/
and the following of hair style.
http://intimelyfashion.com/hair/regency1.html
http://www.songsmyth.com/hairstyles.html
Hopefully these will generate some comments from the fairer sex - as Mr. Collins would remark. From the examples of the many Feminist in the Forum, they seem very reticent in opinion with the exception of the Chat. Or to pharphrase Mr. Benett - a very silly bunch.
