AKB Book Club "P&P" Discussion Answers

At last! I'm posting my P&P book club discussion answers. So much going on that it took a while to get to. That and I've been sick. So forgive whatever does not quite make sense.

1. Pride and Prejudice is probably Austen's most famous, most beloved book. One element, the initial mutual dislike of two people destined to love each other, has become a cliché of the Hollywood romance. I'm sure you can think of numerous examples.


Oh my word. Yes. And in literature, too. I was just talking to my co-worker that so many of Chris Heimerdinger’s couples are predictable: if they fight a lot when they meet, they will eventually fall in love. It’s kind of annoying.

In movies: the main couple in “27 Dresses.” Tons of Christmas romance movies. “Ever After,” at least on Danielle’s side at the beginning. “Geek Charming” (my guilty pleasure). And more than I care to think up right now.

2. In 1814 Mary Russell Mitford wrote: "It is impossible not to feel in every line of Pride and Prejudice...the entire want of taste which could produce so pert, so worldly a heroine as the beloved of such a man as Darcy.... Darcy should have married Jane." Would you have liked the book as well if Jane were its heroine?

Absolutely not. I LOVE Lizzie’s character! I have always longed for so much of my personality to be like her. I don’t mind Jane, but I don’t love her like Lizzie. Would not want to see her disappointed in hopes. That’s already my life. Let me at least join a spunky girl who is fine with being single and loves life.

And let me also say: Darcy marrying Jane? That would have been awful. How bored he would have been and how unloved she might have felt.

3. Have you ever seen a movie version in which the woman playing Jane was, as Austen imagined her, truly more beautiful than the woman playing Elizabeth?

Twice. I thought the Jane in the 1980s version was much prettier than Lizzie. Jane in the 90s version had potential if they didn’t put her in ugly dresses and unflattering hairstyles. I think Jane in the ’05 movie is scads prettier than Kiera Knightley. Then again, I don’t really like Kiera Knightley….

4. Austen suggests that in order to marry well a woman must be pretty, respectable, and have money. In the world of Pride and Prejudice, which of these is most important?

Depends on which character you ask. Wickham needs a wife with money. The one he got wasn’t very respectable. Darcy wanted a respectable wife, preferably one with money (=status). Bingley wanted respectable and didn’t mind that she was pretty. Mr. Bennett went for pretty and lost out on the other two. Mr. Gardiner went for respectable, and bonus, got the others in the bargain.

5. Spare a thought for some of the unmarried women in the book—Mary and Kitty Bennett, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Georgiana Darcy, poor, disappointed Caroline Bingley. Which of them do you picture marrying some day? Which of them do you picture marrying well?

I know Kitty marries—because Austen said so years after publication! (And Bebris incorporated that into her Mr. & Mrs. Darcy series, which I was very happy about.) Miss Darcy will probably have the best marriage because she has the two best people looking out for her best interests, as well as having a good fortune to open up her choices.

6. Was Charlotte Lucas right to marry Reverend Collins?

I have answered this before, and I still stick to that answer: Considering how life was for females, I can see why she was right for security purposes. But I cannot bring myself to that much unhappiness for the rest of my life. I definitely think Austen was giving her opinion on society’s view of marriage.

7. What are your feelings about Mr. Bennet? Is he a good father? A good husband? A good man?

I get so mixed up in my opinion of him having now seen numerous film adaptations of him. I can’t quite remember how he is in the book! Memory niggles at my brain to suggest that he was more absent than he should be as a father—hence so many problems that occur before and during the novel. Still, he at least was present and he made sure his children were provided for. That’s more than can be said for other fathers of that time or at the present.

And the same would go as a husband. He may not be the ideal, supportive, loving, kind man so many of us would wish for. Or, at least, that I wish for. But he stayed put. He could have left the whole family. He could have decided to cheat on his silly wife, but I don’t get that impression. He puts up with her whims and follies and the only way he knows that does not include abandonment or refusal to support her financially. You have to give him something even if it isn’t the ideal.

A good man? Better than others we see in literature or real-life. Compare him to Wickham and I’d say he is a very good man.

8. Darcy says that one of Wickham's motivations in his attempted elopement with Georgiana was revenge. What motivations might he have had for running off with Lydia? (Besides the obvious...)

Again, I’ve answered a similar question and here was my former response: Wickham wants revenge on Darcy and Georgiana’s fortune. Lydia? He just wanted some action. Maybe even he was taking a little revenge on Lizzie because she no longer had interest in him after the Miss King incident—though that may be stretching it a bit.

9. Elizabeth Bennett says,".... people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever." Do any of the characters in the book change substantially? Or do they, as Elizabeth says of Darcy, "in essentials" remain much as they ever were?

Their opinions and choices change substantially. Never was quite sure what she meant by “in essentials.” And I’ve had sick brain all week, so I don’t have the ability to fathom that out right now. Sorry!
10. Elizabeth is furious with Darcy for breaking up the match between Jane and Mr. Bingley. Although he initially defends himself, she changes his mind. Later when Lady Catherine attempts to interfere in his own courtship, he describes this as unjustifiable. Should you tell a friend if you think they're about to make a big mistake romantically? Have you ever done so? How did that work out for you?
If I feel that it will bring a lot of unhappiness to them, yes. I mention my opinion but do not expect it to be conceded. I did speak up once. She did not agree, but it brought us closer after I voiced concerns and she allayed them. Over the years, they have made their marriage work, but it was very rough to start with. It was hard as a friend to see it, but I still stuck by her side as she went through it.
11. Is Elizabeth consistent in her actions? Is she a fully developed character? How? Why?
Elizabeth is not consistent in her actions because she learns lessons and changes/fixes what needs changing. She is not a fully developed character because how boring would that be! I don’t want to read about people who are done and have no need for growth. I have a lifetime of growth ahead of me and I don’t want to literarily feel alone that others have figured it all out already and have no need of trial, learning, growth, and change.

And THEN there was Josh

If you haven't picked up already, I've been posting this month on the history of the men in music that I have come to love. Why? Well, it's February. The month of love. And it's also the month of Josh's birthday. Indeed. Today is Josh's birthday. So I'm going to link to the 2 posts I wrote of Josh almost 3 years ago. I don't think I could say it any better than I did then.

http://austenknowsbest.blogspot.com/2010/05/love-story.html

http://austenknowsbest.blogspot.com/2010/05/for-sereneand-others-more-than-you.html

Except to add that I love Josh and his voice and his music even more today than I did when I discovered him over 10 years ago.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Thank you for being you, and for being a part of my life!

Laura and Me

My eldest brother once described me as Historically Misplaced. Too true. And I can trace the source!

The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I loved my mother's copies to pieces. One of the best Christmas presents I've ever received was when Mom gave me my own set of the series.

Little House started it all. It eventually led to L.M. Montgomery, which led to Austen, which led to being an English major, which "ended" with a Period-Drama-in-books-and-movies-loving librarian.

So, today I found this article hilarious.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kdries/31-things-we-learned-from-laura-ingalls-wilder

Some of it is ridiculous. But much of it is very true. :-)

Before there was Josh Parts 2 & 3

#2: My next love in singing was Cleveland Lynch. Cleveland--wherever you are, I still miss hearing you sing. 

#3: After him came Dallyn Vail Bayles, though I didn't realize who he was until a couple of years ago. See, as a sophomore at BYU, I was blessed to go see The Light of the World. It was a production specifically put on during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. It was very touching and I wished I could see it again. What I remembered the most was how much I loved the main male singer's voice. He played the part of Alma Richards. And I had no idea who he was.

In 2008, during a very difficult time, I discovered the song "My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee." I downloaded the choir and solo version. And the solo version, according to my iPod screen, was sung by a Dallyn Vail Bayles. For years it was the song that touched me most. But at one point I was able to see that I loved his voice, too. It still touches me today. I believe it always will. How could it not?



A couple of years ago, I woke up to my iPod as usual. I recognized that the song was one I had downloaded from the Light of the World soundtrack. A song with Alma Richards singing, because I had loved his voice so much. As I lay there, it dawned on me: I had heard that voice somewhere else! I thought and thought, and then connected. It was Dallyn Vail Bayles! I had "found" my Alma Richards!

Since then. I have become an avid fan. I looked up all I could to see what else he had performed in, as actor or singer. Good thing he was pretty "common" in LDS stuff. He's played Hyrum Smith in "Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration" as well as been in some of the Liken the Scriptures movies. 

I have not been as avid a fan as I could be, seeing as I've not purchased any of his CDs and such. But I still love his music, and his voice.
  So here he is singing one of my most favorite songs ever. I sang it on my own CD, but could never do it the justice that he does.

Before there was Josh

I posted this on another blog a couple of years ago. I can't believe I didn't mention it on this blog! Because before there was Josh, there was Gordon.

Day 22

I forgot how much I love Gordon McRae's voice. I forgot, that is, untl tonight.

See, I may love Josh's voice. But Gordon's was in my life first and, thus, longest.

Since 3rd grade it was Gordon who told me how beautiful the morning is.

And teased and flirted with me about how others talked about us.

Though he broke my heart in 7th grade, yet he still mended and melted it when he told me how he loved me.

And in high school he made me silly with talk of moonlight.

And could win me over simply by telling me I was the only girl for him.

But tonight? Oh, nothing can beat tonight when he told me he only has eyes for me.

.........

Unfortunately, I'll have to keep that to myself--unless you have access to Tea for Two.

I love a man who can sing--particularly a good tenor/baritone. What about you?

But I had to update. I found the song. Someone finally put it up on YouTube. Now you can hear Gordon sing about only having eyes for me. And I'll try not to swoon each time I play the video.

And as I've discovered this love from Downton Abbey, I must add this one as well.

10 Best Jane Austen characters

I'm not sure if "best" is the word I would say.

But well-written?

Oh, definitely.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2013/jan/05/jane-austen-10-best-characters

Enjoyed this little slideshow with quick synopses of the 10 characters selected. Especially as I'm familiar with each one!

But could I please throw in #11? Henry Tilney, of course! Romantic and a sense of humor. That humor is crucial for me and the others you don't always see in the books as they bring it out in the movies. Henry's is abundant in both.

Pride & Prejudice Discussion Questions

All right, gang! Here are the discussion questions I've rounded up from some Internet searching. I didn't take much time to screen them, so if there are some you think are dumb or don't want to answer, don't answer.

1. Pride and Prejudice is probably Austen's most famous, most beloved book. One element, the initial mutual dislike of two people destined to love each other, has become a cliché of the Hollywood romance. I'm sure you can think of numerous examples.

2. In 1814 Mary Russell Mitford wrote: "It is impossible not to feel in every line of Pride and Prejudice...the entire want of taste which could produce so pert, so worldly a heroine as the beloved of such a man as Darcy.... Darcy should have married Jane."

• Would you have liked the book as well if Jane were its heroine?
• Have you ever seen a movie version in which the woman playing Jane was, as Austen imagined her, truly more beautiful than the woman playing Elizabeth?

3. Austen suggests that in order to marry well a woman must be pretty, respectable, and have money. In the world of Pride and Prejudice, which of these is most important? 

4. Spare a thought for some of the unmarried women in the book—Mary and Kitty Bennet, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Georgiana Darcy, poor, disappointed Caroline Bingley. Which of them do you picture marrying some day? Which of them do you picture marrying well?

5. Was Charlotte Lucas right to marry Reverend Collins?

6. What are your feelings about Mr. Bennet? Is he a good father? A good husband? A good man?

7. Darcy says that one of Wickham's motivations in his attempted elopement with Georgiana was revenge. What motivations might he have had for running off with Lydia? (Besides the obvious...)

8. Elizabeth Bennet says,".... people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever." Do any of the characters in the book change substantially? Or do they, as Elizabeth says of Darcy, "in essentials" remain much as they ever were?

9. Elizabeth is furious with Darcy for breaking up the match between Jane and Mr. Bingley. Although he initially defends himself, she changes his mind. Later when Lady Catherine attempts to interfere in his own courtship, he describes this as unjustifiable.

• Should you tell a friend if you think they're about to make a big mistake romantically?
• Have you ever done so? How did that work out for you?

10. Is Elizabeth consistent in her actions? Is she a fully developed character? How? Why?

Any other questions you want to ask/answer?