Austen 250 Reader Series: Pride and Prejudice (Chapters 48-52)

Hello and a heartfelt welcome to one and all. This year, in honor of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday celebration, the Jane Austen Summer Program is dedicating blog space to summarizing and reviewing the great works written by one of the world’s most renowned authors. We have now reached the point in our journey when it is time to discuss what some might consider Austen’s most treasured piece: Pride and Prejudice. Published January 28, 1813, this novel’s quick-witted characters and highly quotable dialogue have allowed this classic to become timeless and continually lauded by modern audiences. This week, we will focus on the events that unfold during chapters 48-52.

Synopsis

Mr. Gardiner is much better at sending along correspondence than Mr. Bennet, but there is so little to share. They cannot find Lydia or Mr. Wickham and eventually, Mr. Bennet comes home while the rest of the Gardiners return to London. When Mr. Bennet arrives at Longbourn, he initially says very little. It is not until he learns that his wife is still behaving in a hysterical manner and keeping to her room that he comments on the situation. He is ashamed.

Jane and Elizabeth are alerted by Mrs. Hill, a servant, that their father recently received a letter from Mr. Gardiner. They find Mr. Bennet walking through the garden, and he gives them the letter to read aloud. Lydia and Wickham are to be married. According to Mr. Gardiner, the expense will not be so great. Mr. Bennet is beside himself. He is sure Mr. Gardiner had to pay a great deal to get Wickham out from underneath his debts. He goes so far as to say Wickham would be a great fool if he took Lydia for less than ten thousand pounds. Elizabeth and Jane fret over Mr. Gardiner laying out such a vast quantity. But they encourage their father to correspond with their uncle at once and go inside to share the news with their mother. Mrs. Bennet is in raptures. She can talk of nothing but ordering wedding clothes and she is desirous of traveling about town and stopping to tell all her friends and relations the good news. To think: Lydia is married at the age of sixteen. What joy!

There is some discussion about Lydia and Mr. Wickham potentially returning to Hertfordshire. If Mrs. Bennet has her way, they would settle in the neighborhood. But Mr. Bennet states plainly he will not admit either one of them to the house. There is a moment in which Elizabeth wishes she had never told Mr. Darcy of her family’s struggles. She surmises that they would have made quite a good match. He would’ve been the person she could’ve loved and attached herself to, but now, that will never happen. The family later learns that after the wedding ceremony, Mr. Wickham is to retire from the regiment and join the regulars in the North. Before leaving, Lydia would like to come home and see her family. Mr. Bennet immediately denies them entry into his home, but Elizabeth and Jane persuade him to allow the visitation.

Lydia and Wickham arrive at Longbourn in a happy manner. They are all smiles. Elizabeth and Jane are embarrassed, for Lydia’s sake, but she does not blush or stammer once. At times, Elizabeth becomes so flustered by Lydia and Wickham’s easy treatment of their situation, she flees. A few days later, Lydia realizes she never got the chance to tell Elizabeth all about her wedding ceremony. Even though Elizabeth says she can live without having that knowledge, Lydia proceeds with her story. She even mentions that Mr. Darcy was there, and that information piques Elizabeth’s interest. But Lydia says no more on the topic. She forgot she was supposed to keep Mr. Darcy’s presence a secret. Immediately, Elizabeth sends a letter to her Aunt Gardiner, wishing to know all the particulars of Mr. Darcy’s involvement.

Mrs. Gardiner writes a lengthy letter in response. She, at first, did not realize Elizabeth was ignorant of the situation, so she is happy to share her knowledge. Mr. Darcy is the one who arranged the marriage. He found the couple through Mrs. Younge. Then, when he spoke with Lydia, his first inclination was to persuade her to leave Mr. Wickham and go home, but she flatly refused. So, he set to work on convincing Mr. Wickham to marry her. He admitted that he fled the militia because of some debts that needed to be paid and took Lydia with him as his companion for sport. He had no intention of ever marrying her because he still hoped he might be able to secure a fortunate match. But Mr. Darcy said this would not suffice. He paid all Wickham’s debts, as well as for his commission in the regulars, then presented the results to Mr. Gardiner. Near the end of her letter, Mrs. Gardiner finally makes plain her thoughts by telling Elizabeth she believes Mr. Darcy did this all for her sake, to spare her some grief and comments cheekily that she hopes to be invited to Pemberley soon so she may explore the grounds again.

Elizabeth thinks over all this and marvels at what Mr. Darcy took upon himself and accomplished. She is not vain enough to believe he did it all because of a love he still bore for her, but she does manage to feel quite beholden to him. Just as she has finished her reflections, Mr. Wickham comes upon her. They have an odd conversation because he tries to acquit himself of all wrongdoing and re-write the past. Elizabeth does not allow for that, but she also does not fully contradict him either. They part with him looking bewildered.

Impressions

               It is while reading this section of Pride and Prejudice that I am most reminded of Jane Austen’s epistolary work, Lady Susan. The whole of Lady Susan Vernon’s story is told through letters, either sent by her, her family members, or acquaintances, and the reader must piece together the action by perusing these missives. Much in the same manner, during this short section, we read a series of letters, conveying all that happened in London to Lydia and Wickham. It is also through Mrs. Gardiner’s letter that we come to understand how Mr. Darcy handled the situation.

               I quite like this method of storytelling in this instance because it is sensible. Elizabeth Bennet could not have been present during the search for Lydia and Mr. Wickham in London and even though she could have learned a bit by having a conversation with her younger sister, she might not have gleaned nearly as much from Lydia as she did from the knowledgeable and referred Aunt Gardiner.

Extras

               With that, we’re onto chapters 53-65. Feel free to read ahead and race toward the end. I know that’s what I’ll do. 😉

Note: There are still a few places left for JASP 2025! This year’s four-day symposium, JASP 2025: Sensibility and Domesticity, will take place June 19-22, 2025, in historic New Bern, North Carolina. We will be focusing on Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, and considering the birth of her career as a published author and taking a transatlantic look at the world into which she was born. Program topics include medicine, birth, and domestic arts in Regency England and colonial North Carolina. We’ll be covering the aforementioned topics and celebrating Austen’s 250th birthday through a wide range of activities including workshops, small-group discussions, and workshops. Our Regency Ball is also not an event to be missed! We can’t wait to celebrate Austen’s 250th birthday with you!