(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters.)

S: I have decided that I am definitely not a fan of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. How arrogant and rude she is toward Elizabeth! I am glad Elizabeth is able to think clearly and hold her own. She even treats her civilly, though Lady Catherine does not believe her to do so. It all makes me wonder if Mr. Darcy has said something, or if Georgianna mentioned casually that she really liked Elizabeth. It also occurred to me as I read this chapter how similar Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet are: they both speak foolishly much of the time. 

R: Lady Catherine is definitely not a sympathetic character, but her visit is one of my favorite parts of the book. I think it makes Elizabeth finally confront and understand her own feelings for Mr. Darcy, and the whole scene is amusing. Personally, I believe that Lady Catherine probably got word via Mr. Collins, probably from a letter from Charlotte’s family or another Meryton friend, though I agree that Darcy and Georgiana themselves may have also mentioned Elizabeth in Lady Catherine’s presence. However she learned of it, I was surprised at her going to Longbourn personally. As Elizabeth pointed out, such a visit would be most likely seen as confirmation of the report of her engagement to Mr. Darcy.

S: I pointed out in our last discussion that Elizabeth must have talked quite a bit about how much she disliked Mr. Darcy because of her family’s reactions toward him; her father’s reaction to Mr. Collins’s letter, I think, proves just how much she had spoken ill of him. I understand Elizabeth’s feelings – she doesn’t know if Mr. Darcy loves her or simply thinks of her as a close friend. She is afraid that he mayn’t love her, and yet has not had a chance to speak with him to apologise for her previous behaviour, despite what he may feel.

R: Oh, the scene between Elizabeth and her father is so uncomfortable! I retract what I said last time about not thinking Elizabeth had spoken badly of Darcy that much. I feel bad for Elizabeth. She’s dug herself a bit of a hole and doesn’t know how to get out of it. If she tries to defend Darcy, no one will believe her because no one knows what he’s done to help her family. Indeed, as we see later, that is the exact problem she has.

S: When they were finally able to talk, I was so happy! I couldn’t help smiling as I read through their conversation. They both appear to have grown much in character from when we first met them, and seem to be much more understanding and humble.

R: It’s definitely one of the best conversations in literature. I had forgotten about Darcy asking her to burn his letter, and I loved Elizabeth’s understanding response. The reader can see how much they’ve both changed as the conversation goes on, especially when he informs her that he confessed his part in keeping Bingley from knowing Jane was in London. I love how Elizabeth shows that she’s learned some restraint with her teasing at the end before they part. ‘She remembered that he had yet to learn to be laughed at, and it was rather too early to begin.’

S: Elizabeth’s conversations with her different family members make me chuckle, Mr. Bennet’s being the most amusing, and the letters written to the extended family made me both smile and laugh out loud. It gives me great satisfaction to know that Mrs. Collins is extremely pleased that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy will be married. I never wanted their friendship to end. Even though we don’t get to see a lot of it, it did seem as though they had developed a very strong relationship.

R: I think I would have expected Elizabeth’s conversation with Jane to have gone better. I think I always thought that Elizabeth becoming more restrained would have made Jane understand that her feelings had changed about Darcy. I guess I also thought that the conversation about what Wickham had done would have changed her opinion about Darcy. Elizabeth regrets her earlier comments about Mr. Darcy when she speaks to her father, which is a good lesson for us all. If you talk badly about someone behind their back, you can’t really take that back. Gossip, slander, it’s all devastating. It can ruin the subject’s life, even if it’s not true.

I do love to see that Mr. Bennet is willing to give Darcy a chance and actually get to know him. And Elizabeth’s letter to Mrs. Gardiner is hilarious, as is Mr. Bennet’s to Mr. Collins. 

I agree about Elizabeth’s friendship with Charlotte. I’m glad that they are able to continue as friends. I’m impressed with Darcy’s restraint with all of Elizabeth’s family and neighbors. It must have been difficult for him. Even if you have made changes in behavior, it’s easy to slip into old habits.

S: It makes me sad that it appears Mr. and Mrs. Wickham never grow out of their childish ways and that their marriage ended rather sadly. 

R: A happy ending most of the way around. The Wickhams were left to the consequences of their own behavior. I was glad that the Darcys were eventually able to reconcile with Lady Catherine, and that even Caroline Bingely became, at least on the surface, more amenable.

This is my favorite of Jane Austen’s books and I’ve really enjoyed reading through it again with you!

S: I’ve enjoyed reading it for the first time and discussing it with you, and the ending makes me so happy! Really, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and am glad to have had the opportunity to read it slowly and enjoy the story. I honestly thought it would be laborious to get through, but it didn’t move too quickly and I felt keenly the character’s highs and lows.

Coming up next, we will have one, perhaps two, posts that discuss four of the movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice!