Austen 250 Reader Series: Pride and Prejudice (Chapters 53-56)

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 53-56.

Synopsis

Lydia and Wickham take their leave with Lydia promising they should not see each other again for at least a couple of years. Mrs. Bennet is distressed by this, but her feelings only linger that way for a short while because before long her sister, Mrs. Philips, arrives with news. Mr. Bingley is returning to Netherfield Park.

Mrs. Bennet tries to convince her husband to go see him again, but Mr. Bennet will not do it. He says if Mr. Bingley wants to reinvigorate their acquaintance, he knows where to find them all at Longbourn. And so it is that after only being back in the neighborhood for a few days, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come calling. Both Elizabeth and Jane are equally mortified. Elizabeth barely summons the courage to look at Mr. Darcy throughout the meeting. Mrs. Bennet, per usual, is cold and uncivil to Mr. Darcy while overflattering Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth is only relieved from feeling ashamed of this treatment by seeing the way Jane and Mr. Bingley behave toward one another. Before the gentlemen leave, Mrs. Bennet entreats them all to come to dinner soon.

The gentlemen join them for dinner on Tuesday. To Elizabeth’s satisfaction, Mr. Bingley sits next to Jane, but Mr. Darcy is seated next to her mother. She abhors this because Mrs. Bennet persists in being cold and almost cruel. Elizabeth wishes mightily for Darcy to speak directly to her.

Elizabeth does get a chance to speak to Darcy briefly, about his sister, but their discourse does not carry further. When everyone is gone, Mrs. Bennet reviews everything in a pleased manner and Jane feigns indifference to Mr. Bingley, but Elizabeth can see right through all that.

Even though Mr. Darcy leaves and returns to London for a few days, that does not stop Mr. Bingley from continuing to visit regularly. Mrs. Bennet schemes to give Jane and Mr. Bingley time alone together and it is not long before Mr. Bingley proposes. All are pleased with the match, and it is believed that they will make each other exceedingly happy.

Lady Catherine, quite unexpectedly, appears. Initially, Elizabeth thinks she has come to deliver a letter from Charlotte, because she is merely traveling through the area, but it is soon revealed that Lady Catherine has come to speak to Elizabeth directly. After hearing about Jane’s betrothal to Mr. Bingley, a report reached Lady Catherine that very soon Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy should become engaged. She set out at once to speak to Elizabeth on this subject in hopes that the matter would be resolved in a manner she saw fitting. But Elizabeth does not give her satisfaction. Lady Catherine makes no attempt to hide her contempt for the Bennet family and after she has offended Elizabeth in every possible way, Elizabeth asks her to leave. Lady Catherine scornfully calls Elizabeth an obstinate and headstrong girl. This harkens back to previous chapters when Mrs. Gardiner mentioned Mr. Darcy’s obstinance when it came to arranging Lydia and Wickham’s wedding single-handedly. But Lady Catherine persists. She demands satisfaction and Elizabeth will not cow to her at all. She leaves in a huff and Elizabeth goes inside feeling flustered.

Impressions

               It is with a smile of triumph that I re-read the scenes in which Jane and Mr. Bingley are reunited. There is clearly so much love between them and it is nourishing for the soul to read a scene in which two purely good characters can make such a splendid match.

               But then, Lady Catherine appears, and Elizabeth comes under fire. The first few times I read this scene, I focused mostly on how Elizabeth managed to maintain her composure without withering under the harsh criticisms and insults of someone like Lady Catherine. This time around, I chose to think of Elizabeth’s most recent thoughts about Mr. Darcy. More than once, she has entertained the idea of being in love with him. She has even gone so far as to think that perhaps he was motivated to arrange Lydia and Wickham’s marriage because he might still be in love with her. And yet, when Lady Catherine makes one demand after the other, insisting that Elizabeth deny having feelings for Mr. Darcy, she holds her ground.

Extras

               Give it a try. Watch this scene, from chapter fifty-six, and notice how Elizabeth conceals her feelings from Lady Catherine. We’ve got just one more section to go, dear Janeites. Join me next time as we conclude our reading of Pride and Prejudice with chapters 57-61.