Fitzwilliam Darcy |
 Apr 18 2008, 01:35 PM
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One Half of the DDD  Posts: 8,953 Joined: 5:31pm August 30, 2006 Location: Siriusly Dreaming Somewhere   |
Jane Austen describes Fitzwilliam Darcy as "haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting... Darcy was continually giving offence". Mr Wickham, when describing Darcy to Elizabeth, says "pride has often been his best friend. It has connected him nearer with virtue than any other feeling." He goes on to explain that "it has often led him to be liberal and generous - to give his money freely, to display hospitality, to assist his tenants, and relieve the poor. Family pride, and filial pride, for he is very proud of what his father was, have done this." Wickham is suggesting that not wanting to tarnish his family's reputation is the closest to being a good man that Darcy's managed and, although we see that Wickham has his reasons for trying to damage Darcy's reputation, we do see that Darcy does tend to look down on other, less well connected, families. We also see, however, that he can be a loyal friend, seeking to protect Bingley from the attentions of a woman he feels doesn't really love him. How might he have reacted if Jane Bennet had been more forthcoming about her feelings for Bingley? We do see that, when Elizabeth gives him a more accurate picture of Jane, he is prepared to apologise for his behaviour and put right what he has done wrong. How do you think he has changed throughout the book? Would he make the same mistake again, or has he learned something from it?
Elizabeth feels that he has a "very satirical eye, and if [she does] not begin by being impertinent [her]self [she] shall soon grow afraid of him" and impertinent towards him she is which seems to give him much more pleasure than Caroline's fawning over him, he is possibly flattered and treated so carefully by many that he sees her treatment of him as a welcome relief. Caroline Bingley, who very clearly has designs on Mr Darcy, she idolises him, being prepared to speak disparagingly of her own father's library in order to compliment Darcy on his. She is in raptures over his letter writing, saying that "a person who can write a long letter, with ease, cannot write ill". Caroline's brother, Charles, is a little less complimentary, perhaps teasing him even, saying that Darcy's letters are not written with ease because he "studies too much for words of four syllables". Darcy seems to resent Caroline's constant interruptions to his reading and letter writing, he doesn't engage readily in conversation with her, finding her worship of him irritating. He does, however, enjoy conversational sparring with Charles Bingley and Elizabeth. Mrs Reynolds (the housekeeper at Pemberley) and Georgiana Darcy both genuinely care for and respect Darcy. We're told that "Mrs Reynolds, either from pride or attachment, had evidently great pleasure in talking of her master and his sister" and Georgiana felt that "his judgement could not err". What did you think of Darcy during your reading of the book? How valid were the feelings of others towards him? Do you think Darcy changed during the book or was it just our, and Elizabeth's, perception of him that changed? If you do think he changed do you think that change would have happened without Elizabeth? This post has been edited by Dreamteam: Apr 18 2008, 06:20 PM --------------------  March's Book Nook: The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge/Skellig by David Almond "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" |
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