For Thursday: Pride and Prejudice, Vol.3, Chapters 1-9

Self-Portrait by Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun, 1790

For Thursday, start reading Vol.3, getting to or around Chapter 9. But again, if you fall short, you will still be able to contribute to the in-class writing.

Here are some general ideas to consider (you DON'T need to answer these):

* Note Elizabeth’s reaction to arriving at Pemberley: what do you make her reaction to the feel of the place, and of the account of Darcy his housekeeper gives her? Is she dazzled by the sheer wealth and spectacle of the place, or something else?

* How does Darcy signal a change in his attitude (if not his love) at their next meeting? How should Elizabeth and the reader ‘read’ this?

* Think, too, about how letters continue to play an important role in the novel, even when we can’t literally read them. It’s possible that First Impressions was an epistolary novel before Jane Austen re-wrote it as Pride and Prejudice. So why might she have retained some of the letters, and/or their role in the plot?

* Why would Wickham run off with Lydia since he wouldn’t even consider marrying Elizabeth (presumably because of her lack of money)? What might this say about him or his intentions?

* This novel has a running debate about the virtues of discretion vs. saying too much. Why does Elizabeth never tell anyone (other than Jane) what she learns about Wickham and Darcy? Was this the wisest course of action?

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