The Annotated Pride and Prejudice

by Austen, Jane

  17. give a loose: give full vent.

  18. Since her wish of going to the Lakes stemmed in part from her general, and somewhat peevish, disgust with humanity, it is appropriate that the decision to go elsewhere is what has ultimately provided her with such means to be happy with everyone.

  19. A reference presumably to Darcy's power of patronage in the Church. Mr. Bennet obviously knows what will most influence Mr. Collins.

  20. This is the only letter we actually see by Mr. Bennet, the man who has always avowed his hatred of writing. It is thus not surprising that the letter is as short as possible.

  21. As a girl who seems to have lost her mother at an early age, and who has otherwise only had a father and a brother for her immediate family, she would undoubtedly like to have a close female relation (one doubts Lady Catherine or Anne de Bourgh would fill that gap).

  22. If Mr. Collins has taken Mr. Bennet's words of advice to heart, he might also wish to come to the place where he could curry favor with the person who has more to give in the way of patronage.

  23. parading: ostentatious show.

  24. The advantages of Darcy's reserve become apparent here, though his calmness has presumably been assisted by his having learned under Elizabeth's influence to curb his pride and lack of sociability.

  25. country: county, area.

  26. Sir William's idea is presumably that Darcy, thanks to his rank and aristocratic connections, would frequently attend the royal court of St. James, where Sir William always likes to imagine himself as a regular even though he has been there only once.

  27. tax: imposition, strain.

  Chapter Nineteen1

  Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters.2 With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley and talked of Mrs. Darcy may be guessed.3 1 wish I could say, for the sake of her family, that the accomplishment of her earnest desire in the establishment4 of so many of her children, produced so happy an effect as to make her a sensible, amiable, well-informed woman for the rest of her life; though perhaps it was lucky for her husband, who might not have relished domestic felicity in so unusual a form,5 that she still was occasionally nervous6 and invariably silly.

  Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her drew him oftener from home than any thing else could do. He delighted in going to Pemberley, especially when he was least expected.

  Mr. Bingley and Jane remained at Netherfield only a twelvemonth. So near a vicinity to her mother and Meryton relations was not desirable even to his easy temper, or her affectionate heart. The darling wish of his sisters was then gratified; he bought an estate in a neighbouring county to Derbyshire, and Jane and Elizabeth, in addition to every other source of happiness, were within thirty miles of each other.7

  Kitty, to her very material advantage, spent the chief8 of her time with her two elder sisters. In society so superior to what she had generally known, her improvement was great. She was not of so ungovernable a temper as Lydia, and, removed from the influence of Lydia's example, she became, by proper attention and management, less irritable, less ignorant, and less insipid. From the farther disadvantage of Lydia's society she was of course carefully kept, and though Mrs. Wickham frequently invited her to come and stay with her, with the promise of balls and young men, her father would never consent to her going.

  Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet's being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters' beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance.9

  As for Wickham and Lydia, their characters suffered no revolution10 from the marriage of her sisters. He bore with philosophy the conviction that Elizabeth must now become acquainted with whatever of his ingratitude and falsehood had before been unknown to her; and in spite of every thing, was not wholly without hope that Darcy might yet be prevailed on to make his fortune. The congratulatory letter which Elizabeth received from Lydia on her marriage, explained to her that, by his wife at least, if not by himself, such a hope was cherished. The letter was to this effect:

  MY DEAR LIZZY,

  I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half as well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you so rich, and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court11 very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do, of about three or four hundred a year; but, however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not.

  Yours, Oc.

  As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavoured in her answer to put an end to every intreaty and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expences,12 she frequently sent them. It had always been evident to her that such an income as theirs,13 under the direction of two persons so extravagant in their wants, and heedless of the future, must be very insufficient to their support; and whenever they changed their quarters, either Jane or herself were sure of being applied to, for some little assistance towards discharging their bills. Their manner of living, even when the restoration of peace dismissed them to a home,14 was unsettled in the extreme. They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation,15 and always spending more than they ought. His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; her's lasted a little longer; and in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to reputation which her marriage had given her.16

  Though Darcy could never receive him at Pemberley, yet, for Elizabeth's sake, he assisted him farther in his profession. Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath;17 and with the Bingleys they both of them frequently staid so long, that even Bingley's good humour was overcome, and he proceeded so far as to talk of giving them a hint to be gone.

  Miss Bingley was very deeply mortified by Darcy's marriage; but as she thought it advisable to retain the right of visiting at Pemberley, she dropt all her resentment; was fonder than ever of Georgiana, almost as attentive to Darcy as heretofore, and paid off every arrear of civility18 to Elizabeth.

  Pemberley was now Georgiana's home; and the attachment of the sisters was exactly what Darcy had hoped to see. They were able to love each other, even as well as they intended.19 Georgiana had the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth; though at first she often listened with an astonishment bordering on alarm, at her lively, sportive, manner of talking to her brother. He, who had always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, she now saw the object of open pleasantry.20 Her mind received knowledge which had never before fallen in her way. By Elizabeth's instructions she began to comprehend that a woman may take liberties with her husband, which a brother will not always allow in a sister more than ten years younger than himself.

  Lady Catherine was extremely indignant on the marriage of her nephew; and as she gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character, in her reply to the letter which announced its arrangement, she sent him language so very abusive, especially of Elizabeth, that for some time all intercourse was at an end.21 But at length, by Elizabeth's persuasion, he was prevailed on to overlook the offence, and seek a reconciliation;22 and, after a little farther resistance on the part of his aunt, her resentment gave way, either to her affection for him, or her curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself; and she condescended to wait on23 them at Pemberley, in spite of that pollution which its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her uncle and aunt from the city.24

  With the Gardiners, they we
re always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them;25 and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.26

  1. Jane Austen generally ends her novels with a summing up of the fates of her characters. These fates are meted out according to a sense of moral justice, with everyone generally getting what they deserve, though their future course and actions are still made consistent with what has already been shown of their natures.

  2. This implies that they married on the same day; that would make sense, given the closeness of both the brides and the grooms.

  3. Mrs. Bingley can be visited because she is at Netherfield; Mrs. Darcy, now far away at Pemberly, can only be talked of.

  4. establishment: marriage.

  5. That is, felicity that came from enjoying the sensible qualities of his wife rather than from laughing at her foolish ones.

  6. nervous: afflicted with nervous disorders (at least in her perception).

  7. Thus Elizabeth and Jane are depicted as enjoying an almost ideal condition as wives. This is always the fate toward which everything in Jane Austen's novels leads, for the heroines as well as for most other female characters (she does not present any examples of young women happily choosing the single life she herself lived). The prominence in her thinking of this matrimonial fate for her characters is suggested by a letter in which she discusses looking for pictures of Elizabeth and Jane at a gallery, for in the letter she refers to them as Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Bingley rather than by the names they are called throughout the novel.

  8. chief: greater part.

  9. According to a later memoir by her nephew, Jane Austen did reveal her vision of the future fates of Kitty and Mary: “Kitty Bennet was satisfactorily married to a clergyman near Pemberley, while Mary obtained nothing higher than one of her uncle Philips's clerks, and was content to be considered a star in the society of Meryton.”

  10. suffered no revolution: experienced no great change or reversal.

  11. place at court: certain army units were attached to the court. These units were generally more prestigious and better paid.

  12. This probably refers to her pin-money, the allowance she has to spend on things for herself; it would be out of this sum that Elizabeth would try to save.

  13. The pay for an ensign in the army, Wickham's rank when they were married, was around 95 pounds. This would be a very small amount to live on. In fact, lower officers were in a particularly difficult position because they were still expected to live like gentlemen, which involved expense, despite their meager salaries.

  14. The specific reference here has been disputed. The first version of the novel was written in the 1790s, and some have argued that the novel, even when revised later, was still set in this period. If so, “restoration of peace” would refer to the brief period of peace between England and France in 1802-03. More likely, Jane Austen intended the novel to be set around the time she completed it, in 1811-12, and was here referring to an eventual end of the current war with France. In fact, most of the fighting ended in 1814, a year after the publication of the novel, and the war terminated completely in 1815.

  15. situation: residence, living situation.

  16. Being married would by itself add to a woman's public standing, and since Wickham was a military officer, a position of prestige, Lydia would be able to assume a reasonably prominent position in society.

  17. Bath: a town in southeastern England that was a spa and popular vacation destination (see map, p. 742). Jane Austen lived in Bath and set large parts of two of her novels there.

  18. arrear of civility: debt or obligation of civility. The wording of the passage suggests the nature of Miss Bingley's civility: she returns Elizabeth's politeness not from genuine good will or graciousness, but from a wish to square accounts, to avoid being in debt to Elizabeth and thus at a disadvantage.

  19. The implication is that in many cases, if not most, people do not manage to love a new relation as well as they intend at the outset.

  20. A description that hints that Elizabeth's playfulness and liveliness continue to be prominent after her marriage.

  21. Lady Catherine's abuse of Elizabeth has affinities with a lengthy episode in Samuel Richarson's Pamela, in which the sister of the hero harshly castigates and attacks the less socially elevated heroine after she marries the hero.

  22. Elizabeth's efforts here with Darcy, despite having herself been the main object of Lady Catherine's abuse, are an example of the role she envisioned for herself as his wife, that of softening him. It also shows Darcy eschewing the tendency toward resentment he had avowed to Elizabeth, and that she had found so objectionable.

  23. wait on: visit.

  24. Lady Catherine had earlier warned of the pollution its shades or woods would receive in the event of Elizabeth's marriage to Darcy (see p. 650, and p. 651, note 45), although she referred specifically then to visits by Wickham and Lydia.

  25. Thus Darcy drops some of his social snobbery out of appreciation for the Gardiners' good qualities.

  26. In listing the future situations and actions of the various characters, Jane Austen ends up saying little about the actual relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy. It is possible that she considered that the whole story had already given the reader a strong sense of what their marriage would be like. Jane Austen does, however, give one hint of her thoughts on the subject in the letter, mentioned in note 7 above, that describes her search for pictures on public display that resemble Jane and Elizabeth. She laments that she could find none that matched her idea of “Mrs. D.” [i.e., Elizabeth]. Speaking as if her characters were real people, she concludes, “I can only imagine that Mr. D. prizes any Picture of her too much to like it should be exposed to the public eye.—I can imagine he wd have that sort [of] feeling—that mixture of Love, Pride & Delicacy” (May 24, 1813).

  Note on the Text of the Novel

  The first edition of Pride and Prejudice came out in early 1813. Jane Austen herself checked over this edition, something indicated by a letter complaining of two speeches being made into one (see p. 623). It is uncertain if she examined it thoroughly enough to identify any changes she wished to make in spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. A second edition appeared later in 1813, a third in 1817. Each of these editions made slight changes to the text.

  All subsequent editions have been based on one of these initial editions. Some recent versions have modernized the punctuation and spelling, and eliminated inconsistencies in the latter. This has made the text read more easily in places, but at the cost of historical accuracy. Moreover, some of the alterations, especially of punctuation, have created subtle shifts in meaning, thus obscuring a little of what Jane Austen intends to say.

  The most important exception to this tendency is the 1923 edition of R. W. Chapman (the most authoritative edition of the novel, it is available as part oiThe Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen). Chapman essentially reproduces the original 1813 edition, making only a tiny number of changes where he believes there was a clear mistake in printing. Chapman also provides an invaluable set of notes indicating where changes were made in the second and third editions of the novel, and explaining the reasons behind any of his decisions to depart from the first edition.

  The text used for this annotation also follows faithfully the first edition of the novel (even rejecting a few of the changes to that edition made by Chapman). The aim is to bring the reader as close as possible to what Jane Austen wrote in her own draft of the novel, however odd or awkward this may make certain passages seem. The one exception made is in the spelling or capitalization of proper names, where consistency has been maintained even when that meant departing from the original edition.

  Chronology

  VOLUME I PAGE

  September Opening dialogue of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet 2

  Late Sept. Bingley takes possession of Netherfield Mrs. Bennet declares initially that M
r. Bingley “is to take possession before Michaelmas [Sept. 29]” (p. 2); it is possible it actually occurred a little later, for Mrs. Bennet tends to exaggerate facts she regards as favorable.

  Early Oct. Mr. Bennet visits Bingley Since he is “among the earliest” to visit, it is probably a few days to a week after Bingley's arrival. 8

  Early Oct. (next day) The Bennet family discusses Mr. Bingley 8

  Early Oct. Mr. Bingley visits Mr. Bennet This is described as being “a few days” later. 14

  Oct. 15 Mr. Collins writes to Mr. Bennet The letter is read on p. 114.

  Mid-Late Oct. Ball at Meryton Said in early Oct. to be 15 days away (p. 8). 16

  Mid-Late Oct. (next day) Discussion of the Ball 30

  Late Oct. Visits between Longbourn and Netherfield The first visit comes “soon” after the Ball. 36

  Early Nov. Conversation of Elizabeth and Charlotte Charlotte says it is two weeks since Bingley and Jane met (at the Ball at Meryton). 36, 38

  Early Nov. Party at the Lucases 40

  Tues., Nov. 12 Jane is invited to Netherfield Mrs. Bennet refers to the other night at Sir William's (p. 52), so this is probably a few days later. From here until late December precise dates, and days, can be provided. 54

  Wed., Nov. 13 Jane writes home; Elizabeth goes to her 56

  Thur., Nov. 14 Mrs. Bennet visits Netherfield 74

  Fri., Nov. 15 Jane feels well enough to go downstairs 98

  Sat., Nov. 16 Elizabeth writes home about leaving 108

  Sun., Nov. 17 Elizabeth and Jane return home 110

  Mon., Nov. 18 Mr. Collins's arrival at the Bennets 112, 118

  Tues., Nov. 19 Mr. Collins's marriage plans are revealed 130, 132