Pride and Prejudice (Pt. 1)

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to BNC Book Club. I'm Kristen. [00:00:03] Speaker B: And I'm Summer. This is the podcast where we bring you all the comfort and gossip of a regular book club. But just between you, me, and her. [00:00:10] Speaker A: And you may be wondering what the B and the C stand for. Well, the B stands for birds, and. [00:00:16] Speaker B: The C stands for composure. I was inspired by Pride and Prejudice. [00:00:22] Speaker A: Yes. All right, we're going over Pride and Prejudice today, but before we do that, how have you been? [00:00:29] Speaker B: I've been good. I've had a lot going on. We just took two weeks off for Thanksgiving, which this is getting released. Nowhere near that. [00:00:38] Speaker A: No. [00:00:39] Speaker B: So, yeah. I actually have some news for you. My husband has been recommending our podcast to his video game buddies. [00:00:49] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:00:50] Speaker B: And they're listening. [00:00:52] Speaker A: Awesome. [00:00:53] Speaker B: Two of them say that you sound like a baddie. [00:00:56] Speaker A: Oh, okay. Were these people at his wedding or are they just new friends? [00:01:03] Speaker B: No, these are random people. [00:01:05] Speaker A: Okay, well, thanks, I guess. Thanks to all those out there who are listening. I appreciate it. [00:01:12] Speaker B: Thanks to everyone calling me a baddie. It's been heard and appreciated. [00:01:19] Speaker A: And appreciated fully, I promise. That's funny. [00:01:26] Speaker B: I thought you might enjoy that. How's your life been going? [00:01:29] Speaker A: It's actually been going pretty well. I still don't have my teacher back in my classroom at all, but we have a new teacher who actually has a credential who's going to be our sub for the rest of the year. As in, like, 2024 year, not the school year. And she's actually the principal's wife, and so we're getting a lot of help. [00:01:49] Speaker B: Oh, okay. [00:01:50] Speaker A: So it's working out. She's taking over most of it, and I no longer have to prep as much as I used to, and I'm back to doing my actual job. [00:01:59] Speaker B: That's good. [00:02:00] Speaker A: All right, so we're going over Pride and Prejudice, which is by Jane Austen. It was published January 28th in 1813. Jane Austen was born in December of 1775. That's crazy. Her father was a rector. And the only reason I bring this up is because Collins is a rector, and I feel like there are things with that. [00:02:22] Speaker B: Okay, okay. [00:02:24] Speaker A: Not so much in this book, but she doesn't have other rectors, and I just feel like her relationship with Faith is so interesting. She was the sixth child in her family, but she was only the second girl. They sent her off to school with her sister a couple times, but they always kept coming back. But their family wasn't very rich because they're only a rector's family, so they don't really have a lot of money, but she started writing pretty early. At about 12, she started writing plays for herself and her family because they used to put them on in the backyard. And then she, between 1787 and 1793, wrote about 90,000 words of just her juvenile writings that she later put into a couple of books, which is crazy because she was only like 14, 15. [00:03:06] Speaker B: Honestly, that's insane. And it makes me appreciate the work that I just read a little bit more, whereas before I wasn't appreciating it. [00:03:16] Speaker A: And this was her second novel. The first one that was published was Sense and Sensibility, but this is her second one. But this is like her fourth book that she wrote because she wrote Love and Friendship when she was 14. Most of it was written down, although she did change it. And then she wrote Sense and Sensibility and she wrote Lady Susan, which didn't come out until after she died. [00:03:35] Speaker B: Wow. [00:03:35] Speaker A: When she first began this novel, it was going to be titled First Impressions and then was later titled Pride and Prejudice. She completed the initial draft in 1797 when she was about 21. And then after that, a bunch of years went by, literal years went by and she made a bunch of corrections to it. And then eventually it was one of her best selling novels. When she published them, they were sold anonymously. It was very hard for her to get published. But most women sold their books anonymously because they didn't want to be seen as like a working woman, quote, unquote. And so they had to publish it anonymously. She sold this book, her second book, via commission, which means that you just sell the copyright and then whoever receives it can make as much money as they want because they already gave you the money for the copyright, basically. But she wasn't uncomfortable. As she got older, she was in a pretty good status. She never got married, neither did her sister. And so she always was with her brothers because that's the only thing that you can do. But her brothers were relatively well off, and she was relatively well off because of the money that she had from her publishing. So she just kind of hung out until she died. [00:04:40] Speaker B: Dang, that's sad. [00:04:42] Speaker A: Yeah. So had you ever read this before or had you watched the movie or anything? Like, how familiar were you with the actual story? Or did you just know? [00:04:51] Speaker B: Overall, I've seen the movie several times. [00:04:55] Speaker A: The 2005? [00:04:57] Speaker B: Yes. Okay, that one. Very specifically, that one. [00:05:01] Speaker A: Yes. [00:05:02] Speaker B: With Keira Knightley. [00:05:03] Speaker A: Yes. [00:05:03] Speaker B: And I will say already, like, obviously there's a lot more details in the book than there were in the movie. However, I feel like the movie portrays the love interest or, like, growing love a little bit better than I think the writing does for me. [00:05:21] Speaker A: Really? [00:05:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:23] Speaker A: Okay. The writing is sometimes hard to understand what they're actually saying until you read it about four times. [00:05:30] Speaker B: Yeah, but I'd be, like, reading it, and I was like, I thought he loved her at this point, but it's like he's rather indifferent. [00:05:38] Speaker A: It's like, okay, no, I mean, he likes her by, like, fourth chapter. [00:05:43] Speaker B: Yeah, but it doesn't feel like that. [00:05:48] Speaker A: That's because he's socially awkward. He literally doesn't show it to her. But inside he's like, oh, my God. [00:05:55] Speaker B: Anyway, we'll get into it while we talk about the actual book. [00:05:59] Speaker A: All right, so chapter one. One of the most iconic lines of all time. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. We open on Mrs. Bennet telling Mr. Bennet that a neighboring house has just been rented out and a single man is coming to town. So she would like him to go introduce himself to him, because they can't get introduced unless somebody has introduced them, because that's just how society and etiquette works. She wants him to be introduced because they have five daughters. Jane, Lizzie, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. And maybe he'll marry one of them because it's a pretty wealthy house and, like, they're pretty girls. And Ms. Mr. Bennet says, like, oh, I'll put in a good word for Lizzie then. If this guy is going to marry one of our daughters. And Mrs. Bennet is like, okay, whatever, but we have a lot of daughters, okay? Like, her one goal in life is to get her daughters married. And we find out why there's an actual reason why she has to get the daughters married. And it's because they aren't gonna have this house. As soon as the dad dies, everybody's gonna be out on their butts, so they have to get married. And then in chapter two, Mr. Bennet makes Mr. Bingley's acquaintance. And there's an assembly slash a dance that's coming up. And he didn't tell them that he did this. And so he's just, like, sitting there and it's just, like, chilling. And. And so Mrs. Bennet is just complaining and complaining and complaining about how, oh, we're going to be at this dance, but we won't be able to even talk to Bingley because we haven't been introduced to him, and we can't get introduced to him because of this reason and that reason. And it would just be so improper if we hadn't met him yet and we couldn't get an introduction for our girls. And he says something about getting introduced from the host. And then she's like, no, we couldn't do that because she hasn't said something. And he's like, oh, well, I mean, I met him, so maybe, like, I could make the introduction. And so then all of the girls start freaking out because they're like, oh, my God, I can't believe you did that for us. And he's just. He likes to make his wife stew a little bit. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Gotta say, in a dramatic fashion. So they get to the ball dance assembly thing, and Bingley visits their dad. And they see that Bingley went to town and picked up five women, and they were like his sisters. [00:08:19] Speaker A: So there's rumors going around the town and they. They say, oh, he left. He's about to come back for this assembly. He's going to bring 12 people. And then he's gone. And then when, like, while he's gone, they're like, oh, no, actually, he's bringing six people. And then when he shows up, he actually just has his two sisters and his two friends. [00:08:35] Speaker B: Oh, okay. So he has two of his sisters and then two of his friends, and we meet one of them and everybody's like, oh, my God, he's so good looking. But then they start talking to him and they're like, actually, he's so good looking, but he's super unpleasant to be around and nobody likes him. And then Bingley, because he's been dancing all night with Jane and he's like, darcy, you should dance with my partner's sister. And he's like, yeah, she's okay looking, but she's not really tempting enough for me. And then Mrs. Bennet is like, okay. And she goes home and she tells her husband how much she hates Darcy. Which I just thought was hilarious because. [00:09:16] Speaker A: Lizzie overheard that conversation and then told everybody what he said about her. [00:09:23] Speaker B: The mom was like, this is embarrassing. And Lizzie's like, yeah, he's a horrible person. There's a lot of hating on Darcy in the beginning. [00:09:31] Speaker A: There is so much hating on Darcy. And honestly, Mrs. Bennet always hates Darcy. Even to the end of what we read, she's constantly like, fuck that guy. [00:09:40] Speaker B: Constantly. I said, don't let money sway you, baby. When Jane and Elizabeth are alone, Jane gushes about her night and how much she liked Bingley. And then Elizabeth says, he would be a fool not to like you and asks, do you like his sisters? I didn't really think they were as nice. And then she's like, oh, once we get to know them, they'll be great. They're staying with him, and Elizabeth's like, okay, they're a little bit spoiled, but whatever. Bingley is here trying to figure out if he wants to buy an estate, and Bingley and Darcy are just great friends. This whole time, Darcy is. Bingley's better in every way, except he was not as inviting. Like I said, he's super rich, he's super handsome, but he's just off putting. Bingley apparently always sees the best in things, and everyone in his party thinks Jane is pretty, but Darcy says she smiles too much. [00:10:36] Speaker A: So what did you think so far? I mean, I know that you have seen the movie, but were you just like, damn, they really hate him? [00:10:42] Speaker B: I was like, damn, they really hate him. Damn. This is getting interesting. Writing style. Because this is when I got into the writing style. It says everything that's happening, and it's. [00:10:51] Speaker A: Not as descriptive, but you kind of jump into different people's heads. Yes, you're mostly with Lizzie, but we kind of just jump into other people's heads, and they're like. And then this person was thinking this about them. [00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I needed to adjust to that writing style. And so for the first couple of chapters, this chapter in particular went right over my head, if you noticed. I kept your notes on this chapter. [00:11:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:13] Speaker B: Because I was, like, not comprehending a lot that was going on. There was a lot. [00:11:18] Speaker A: It was a lot. Sir and Lady Lucas are their neighbors, and they're the good sort. They're the good friends to the Bennetts. In fact, their eldest daughter, Charlotte, who is 27, is Elizabeth's best friend. And the morning after the assembly, they have a gab sesh about everybody and the night before. And Mrs. Bennet tries to make a point of. Oh, Charlotte, he danced with you first. Yeah, yeah. Crazy. And then Lady Lucas says something like, oh, but he danced with Jane twice. And she's like, oh, I didn't even notice. He danced with Jean twice. Oh, my God. Thank you so much for telling me. She wants to talk about her daughter so bad and how much that it seems like Bingley isn't her. Charlotte danced with Bingley first, but everyone knows that he likes Jane the best, and he told some of the other guests that she was the prettiest one there. And then they move on to Darcy and how he offended Lizzie and how standoffish he was in general. And Jane tells them that Ms. Bingley, who is Caroline, says that he's great in intimate settings, but we don't know him that well, and he's awkward. He only danced with the people that he knew. And they said that if that's the case, then he should have been fine talking to Mrs. Long, because they were talking one on one. But Mrs. Long said that he was still sith and that he was still, like, very bad at making conversation. And if Lizzie has another chance, she should reject him outright for dancing, because he rejected her for dancing. And so they're like, you should do that back to him if he ever says anything. And she's like, well, yeah, I could easily forgive his pride if he had not offended mine. Like, saying, if he was just being dumb, then I could have been fine. But he specifically was like, oh, she's tolerable, but she's not handsome enough to tempt me. And she's like, bitch, what the fuck? And I don't know, maybe it's a little bit of a prejudice creeping in over his pride. [00:13:05] Speaker B: Oh. [00:13:07] Speaker A: It'S in the title. [00:13:09] Speaker B: That feels illegal. Don't do that again. Feels illegal. One thing about that chapter that I completely missed, and it's probably because it was put on so early in this book for me, when I was still trying to figure out the way it was written. I must have skipped over the line where we said, charlotte is Elizabeth's best friend, because later in the book, I was like, what do you mean they're best friends? I was like, we haven't talked about this bitch, like, once, maybe. [00:13:38] Speaker A: We talk about her all the time. She said everything with them, anytime they're in a. In a party, she's always like, I'm standing next to Charlotte and we're talking. [00:13:46] Speaker B: Okay, I don't know what I'm on then. I don't know how I missed that. I was like, since when are they friends? [00:13:54] Speaker A: That is so funny. Wow. [00:13:56] Speaker B: Okay, major plot points missed by summer. [00:14:00] Speaker A: One for one, they have a couple of visits with Bingley's sisters, and they really only like Jane and Elizabeth from the Bennett family. And they don't like any of their other siblings or their parents, so they kind of just hang out with them, and that's about it. Jane likes the girls, but Lizzie is like, they're stuck up. They're mean. I really don't want to hang out with them. But sure, Jane, you really like their brother. We can be nice to them. That's fine. Plus, they kind of have to, because these people are more wealthy than them, so they want to be in their good graces. Obviously, she can tell that her sister likes Bingley, but she can't tell if anybody else can see it. So she asked Charlotte her opinion of, like, what's going on between them. And Charlotte basically says that Jane should be more open, because if a man isn't receiving any signals from the person that they're trying to pursue, then they're eventually going to back off. Just because, you know Jane and you know that she's paying a lot of attention to him. [00:14:50] Speaker B: She. [00:14:51] Speaker A: She is a very quiet, introverted person. And so even though they talk all the time, she's not necessarily giving him, like, super big vibes. And so maybe she should put out more vibes is what Charlotte's opinion was. [00:15:01] Speaker B: Yeah, start vibing. [00:15:03] Speaker A: Start vibing more. But either way, they seem like they would be very well matched. And if they really needed to, they could just get married now, and then they'll figure everything else later. Elizabeth doesn't really understand that. She's like, well, that doesn't seem like a good idea. You should probably love them first. And Charlotte's a little bit more like, it's fine. It'll work out. But again, Charlotte is 27 and Lizzie is 20, so there is a big difference in age. [00:15:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:27] Speaker A: Charlotte is officially a spinster, officially on the shelf. She's not really getting any offers. Like, she's definitely a different state than Lizzie is. Plus, they always say that she's plain and everything, where Lizzie and Jane are the prettiest in the town. [00:15:41] Speaker B: So mean. [00:15:42] Speaker A: Yep. While Elizabeth has been obsessing over her sister and Bailey, she hasn't noticed that she caught the eye of Darcy. And so this is when we kind of jump into Darcy's perspective. No sooner has he allowed himself to think that she wasn't a troll than he was like, oh, you know what? She's actually got some pretty nice eyes. There's an intelligence in them. There's just something about her. You know, everything about her is just attractive, especially her easygoing attitude. She can talk to anybody. She's super nice and super playful. And so he just starts trying to get closer and closer to her at all the parties. And she notices, but she thinks that he's judging her the entire time as he's, like, just creeping closer and closer and just trying to get closer and closer to the conversation. Even though he doesn't say anything, he's just, like, hovering closer and closer. And she's like, he must not like me a lot. This is Crazy. [00:16:30] Speaker B: I'm starting to be convinced we read different books. Because I was reading this, and I was like, he's just being weird. [00:16:38] Speaker A: He's being so weird. But then, like, so funny. [00:16:42] Speaker B: I didn't get at all the part where he's starting to take a lot of interest in her. I didn't even get the shift of, like, perspective and how we're looking from Darcy's. [00:16:50] Speaker A: Yeah, it definitely shifts. This is the transition. So it says, you make me laugh, Charlotte, but it is not a sound. You know, it is not a sound. And then you never act yourself this way. When she said, get married and we'll figure it out later. Then that's why she's like, oh, that's a laugh. Like, you would never actually do that yourself. And then it goes from that sentence to. Occupied in observing Mr. Bingling's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she herself was becoming the object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Yeah, but, like, Mr. Darcy had @ first scarily allowed her to be pretty. He had looked at her without admiration at the ball. And when they met next, he looked at her only to criticize. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature on her face, he then began to find it rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression in her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying, though he had detected with critical eye more than one failure of perfectly symmetry of her form. So basically, he's like, she's fucking perfect. See, he was forced to acknowledge that her figure was light and pleasing in spite of asserting manners and, like, not a fashion. But he's like. Literally, he's saying, like, all of these things are terrible, but I love her. She's great. [00:18:01] Speaker B: Kristen, this is such an English class thing where you're, like, dissecting it in a completely different way than me. I'm like. He's like, yeah, I think about how pretty she is sometimes. That's all I was getting from that is he was criticizing her, but now suddenly he's like, oh, yeah, I guess she's pretty. Like, she's pretty. And I kind of think about her, but I wasn't picking up, like, falling in love, and you're picking up falling in love. [00:18:25] Speaker A: I don't know if it's necessarily falling in love, but this is, like the fourth or fifth time that they've interacted together. And the first two times he was like, fuck that girl. And then as he's sort of getting to know her. He was like, this is interesting. I'm not gonna talk to her, but I'm gonna be very close to her and find out everything about her. I'm just gonna sit on the outside of their conversation. Just stand there and look at her. So at another dinner party, some of the younger kids are dancing and singing and everything. Sir Lucas walked up to Darcy and is like, oh, Darcy, you should go dance. There's a lot of people around, and obviously you would like to dance, right? Darcy, you're probably a very good dancer, so you should probably go dance. And Darcy's like, no, I'm good. And the conversation continues until Lizzie walks by. And it's not even towards them. It's just in their general direction. And so Sir Lucas is like, lizzie, come here. You know what you guys should do? Both of you should dance. It would just be so great if you guys went to go dance. Everyone would love it. They would just be like, oh, what a cute couple. Go dance. Go dance. Darcy actually offers his hand and is like, oh, yeah, let's go dance. But she's like, no, I'm good. I actually wasn't coming over here for this, so I'm. I'm gonna go over there. Please don't do that. So she does refuse his hand when he asked to dance the next time she leaves. And then Darcy is standing there alone and is lost in thought, But Caroline Bingley comes up, which is Ms. Bingley, because his other sister is Mrs. Hirsch. So Caroline comes up and she's like, oh, what are you thinking about? You're obviously thinking about, like, what a terrible place this is and how horrible these people are. And he's like, oh, actually, I was thinking about how nice a person is when they have a pair of fine eyes. What great pleasure a woman with pretty eyes and face can bestow. Like, he's just so down bad. [00:20:04] Speaker B: I thought it was sarcasm. [00:20:06] Speaker A: No, see what you mean. [00:20:09] Speaker B: Like, I was reading entirely different book. I thought that was literally. That line was sarcasm. Like, he was like, she thinks she's the fucking shit. [00:20:18] Speaker A: No, he's looking at her as she's walking away, and he's flabbergast. And he's like, wow, what a fine figure and what nice eyes. What a beautiful face. And then Carolina's like, what are you thinking about? He's like, yeah, that girl over there, she's hot. And so she makes fun of him and is like, oh, well, you'll have to tell me about how Mrs. Bennet is at Pemberley, because I'm sure that she'll just make such a fuss and, like, da, da. And basically making fun of him for having a crush on Lizzie. [00:20:45] Speaker B: So chapter seven militia comes into town, and the girls meet them in town, and they're flirting. Jane specifically went to see Bingley's sisters, and her mom was like, you're gonna go on horseback? And she was like, no, I should go in a carriage, don't you think? And she was like, no, you're gonna go on horseback because it's gonna rain, and then they're not gonna have you come back in the rain, so you get to stay there longer. Obviously, you're going on horseback. And they were like, this is ridiculous. So she goes anyway on horseback and ends up getting sick because she was riding in the cold rain by herself on horseback. So she sends a letter to Elizabeth that she's sick. So Lizzie is like, f this. I'm gonna go visit her. And walks all the way there, and everyone sees her comment is like, what the F is this mess? Except Darcy was like. [00:21:35] Speaker A: And I'll give you this. [00:21:36] Speaker B: Darcy was like, I didn't really see any dirt. And they were like, she was covered in it. What are you talking about? [00:21:44] Speaker A: She was like, no, she just looks so expressive from her walk. She just looked like she was a little flesh. Her hair was a little bit messed up. And he's like, oh, wow. [00:21:56] Speaker B: And then Lizzie was told to go home, but she was like, actually, no, I'm not going home. And she kind of, like, weaseled her way into getting invited to stay longer to take care of her sister. So that's what happened. [00:22:07] Speaker A: And now Mrs. Bennet has two daughters at Netherfield, which she must be happy about. [00:22:12] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, she's aesthetic. Lizzie leaves a room, and they're talking about how she came. She's getting insulted. And this is when Darcy actually makes a comment. He was like, I didn't really see anything wrong with her. They talk about the families and how the other family has had poor fortune. And then they go to dinner and start talking about why Elizabeth prefers books over cards. Because they offer to play cards, but she didn't want to play cards. She wanted to read a book. [00:22:39] Speaker A: The reason why she doesn't want to play cards is because they're betting with money, and she doesn't have any money. They are too rich for her, and so she decides to read a book instead. [00:22:47] Speaker B: Good for her. Then she leaves and comes back to tell everyone that Jane is worse. So they have to send for another doctor. [00:22:54] Speaker A: And they do, and this is when you start to see that Caroline Bingley is the biggest suck up to Darcy that you've ever seen in your life. See every single thing that he does. She's like, oh, my God, you do that so well. Do you work out? That's what I'm getting from her. Just like, obsessive. [00:23:15] Speaker B: She's flirting, but she's flirting in such a way that my brain isn't comprehending it as flirting. It just talks about how they all sound the same because they're all in this like 1800s language. And I'm like, I can't tell if they're being sarcastic or not. [00:23:32] Speaker A: Just assume they're not being sarcastic. [00:23:34] Speaker B: But I. I do assume they're not being sarcastic. And then I still get stuck with things that just don't make sense. I don't know. This is too much. This is a lot for me to be reading. But I'm here for it. [00:23:49] Speaker A: Okay? So then, because she got worse, they sent for her mother so that she can see Jane for herself. But discovering that Jane's illness is actually not as bad as she thought it was going to be, she's like, oh, no, you're fine. You can stay here as long as you need. We can just say that the doctor said that you need to stay here because you're not good enough yet, but you're fine. And so then after that is all settled with her condition, they all go to breakfast. So it's Kitty, Lydia, and then everybody from Netherfield. So most people, the only person that's not in the room is Jane. So everyone asks on Jane, and Mrs. Dennett says that she loves that her daughter is getting taken care of by these nice people in such nice rooms. And Bingley accepts the compliment, but says that it would probably take him no time at all to leave if he wanted to. He could probably leave in about five minutes. And Lizzie is like, oh, yeah, I kind of read that about you. Like, I kind of understand your character from being around you a little bit longer. That totally tracks with who you are. And then Darcy jumps in and saying, that's actually not a good thing to just leave right away. Because even if he was going to leave right away, and then one of his friends came up to talk to him and was like, hey, maybe you should stay. He would automatically stay just like that. He wouldn't think of another thought. And so Lizzie's like, why is that a bad thing? And he's like, well, it's not a bad thing. I'm just saying, it just Depends on the company that you keep and who you do this for. Because I think that he would do it for anybody, and he shouldn't be like that. So they go back and forth, and then it basically gets into, like, who he knows and, like, his friends and who he would do it for. So then he was like, well, I would hate to be in a place like this where it's always the same type of people every day. And so then Mama Bennett gets upset about being in that area, and she's like, well, we talk to so many families, and we have such a diverse amount of people in our town and how we've had a lot of even offers for Jane's hand. And she almost got proposed to before, and she has gotten love letters and, like, all of this stuff. And Lizzie's like, yeah, it actually died because of those love letters in the poetry that he gave her. And Darcy is like, well, I thought love letters were the food of love. And she's like, no, that's only if it's a good, stout love that's already established. When you give me poetry and we don't know each other immediately. [00:25:51] Speaker B: Dead. [00:25:52] Speaker A: 100 dead. We don't. We don't need that again. And so then they move on, because Lizzie was able to mediate out of that. And then Lydia asks Bingley if he'll have a ball, because he said before that he was gonna have a ball, and he says that he will as soon as their sister is better. They all leave. And then the rest of the party that's there, they start making fun of the family, and Darcy doesn't join in. So that means that Caroline and Luisa were making fun of the family and he didn't join in. [00:26:20] Speaker B: Like how it says Darcy doesn't make fun of them when they leave the room. And you're like, cute, cute, cute, cute, cute, cute. [00:26:25] Speaker A: No, I was mostly talking about cute with their banter. I really like their banter. [00:26:29] Speaker B: They do have good banter. [00:26:31] Speaker A: So still at Netherfield, Elizabeth is amused by how much Caroline is exalting Darcy's letter writing. She's like, oh, my God, you such great lines. You always write so well. You have so many correspondence. I'm sure that you're the best at this. And they joke around with each other a little bit, saying that Bingley is somebody who takes everyone's opinion into account, even if he already made up his mind. Darcy and Lizzie have the argument about whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing. And later in the night, he stares at her. And she thinks that it must be because he found something wrong with her, because she can't imagine him staring at her because of a good reason. And while Caroline is playing, Darcy asks Elizabeth if she wants to dance. And she says no. And then they talk a little until Caroline asks after Jane, and Lizzie goes and checks on her. So then the next day, Caroline tries to badmouth them again as the two of them are there on the walk, like her and Darcy on a walk. And she tries to pat on Lizzy. But then Louisa and Elizabeth come up, and Luisa grabs Darcy's other arm. And so they start walking along, and it's actually only a three person path. And so he's like, hey, maybe we should walk somewhere else so that Lizzie can walk with us. And Liz is like, no, it's fine. I'm gonna go. You guys have fun. Bye. [00:27:42] Speaker B: Bye. [00:27:43] Speaker A: So she's definitely ready to leave. [00:27:45] Speaker B: I agree. She could not be happier to leave that place. Hey, look, I did notice it. I said, Mrs. Bingley is trying way too hard to impress Darcy. So Caroline Bingley is trying too hard to impress Darcy. They're in the sitting room, and she invites Elizabeth to take a turn about the room because she had been trying to read Darcy's like, second. The second to his book that he was currently on. It was ridiculous. It's like, you haven't even read the first, but whatever. They invite Darcy to take a turn about the room with them, but he declines. And then once they're up and walking, he's like, okay, I couldn't have joined you because it would have negated your point. And they were like, what is the point of us walking? And he said to either gossip together or to make your figures look better by simply walking, because a female knows that that's what makes your figure look better. And then they're both like, you could never say that. And at the end of this chapter, it goes. He starts to realize the danger of giving Elizabeth too much attention. So I was like, he doesn't like her. He's not wanting to be like her. So he's like, I need to not give her any attention. [00:28:54] Speaker A: Because he likes her so much when he's talking to her and she's like, oh, I couldn't tease you because of this, even though he's like, once my good nature is lost forever, then it's gone. And you won't get it back if I think that you've betrayed me or whatever he says in that chapter. And they're like, going back and forth and I think he's like, oh, I really like talking to her. I need to back off, because I'm in danger of falling in love with her. Which is why I put at the end of this chapter, oh, no, he's falling in love. He's literally like, she's great. I need to back up. I can't do this. [00:29:24] Speaker B: When I read that, I. I read it in Taylor's voice. Uh, oh, he's falling in love again. Oh, no. [00:29:35] Speaker A: Oh, no. That's what I wanted. You picked up on my reference. Thank you. [00:29:39] Speaker B: You're welcome. I could not scroll past this part on our document this entire time without thinking of that song. So Jane is well enough, so they try to leave. Their mother doesn't send the carriage because she wants them to stay longer, but Elizabeth gets Jane to request the Bingley carriage, and they're like, yeah, okay, you can have it. And then Darcy avoids Elizabeth because he thinks he's getting too close to her. [00:30:04] Speaker A: And he's just a dumbass. [00:30:06] Speaker B: Yep, that's just how he lives his life, I guess. [00:30:11] Speaker A: So once they're back home, Papa Bennet tells Mrs. Bennet a couple days later that a stranger is coming. He's a gentleman whom they have never met. It is Mr. Collins. He is the man who will inherit their house land when Mr. Bennet dies. He is a clergyman or rector, and he has the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and would like to extend an olive branch because his father got into a falling out with Mr. Bingley. And so they. Their family has been strained for a long time, and he wants to reconnect with them. So he says that he'll be there today. And that's when Mr. And Mrs. Bennet are talking to each other, and they're kind of saying, like, oh, we're not going to really discourage him from talking to the girls or do anything because that could be good for us to, like, secure the land with one of our daughters. And him and Kitty and Lydia basically dismiss him right away before he even gets here. But when he does get here, he is formal. He's 25, and he's effusive with his compliments. He just says as many compliments as he can get out of his mouth. But he also makes it very clear that he wants to, quote, unquote, get to know the sisters more. And alluding to, like, hey, maybe I. [00:31:19] Speaker B: Could marry one of them, maybe. Which. [00:31:24] Speaker A: That's what happens in this time frame. [00:31:27] Speaker B: I know. I just like to repeat. [00:31:30] Speaker A: So he has the privilege of knowing Lady Catherine De Bourgh. And the honor of doing anything that she wants him to do. Basically, his house is very, very near her house, Rosings. And her daughter Anne is perfect but sickly. So Mr. Collins is always sure to offer up the best compliments to her. And Mr. Bennet is asking him, oh, do you just come up with these compliments before you say them, or do you think of them ahead of time? I'm just wondering what's going on with you. And Mr. Collins is like, oh, well, of course I think about them, but I make sure to say them in such a way that it gives them an unpracticed air. You know what I mean? And Mr. Bennet is like, yeah, I can tell. [00:32:12] Speaker B: Interesting. [00:32:13] Speaker A: After dinner, they're supposed to go read. And he's like, you know what? I want to read this sermon book. And so he reads a couple of sermons until Lydia just goes off and starts talking about something else. And Collins is slightly offended by her interrupting him, but he ends up moving on and plays a game instead. And he's just so fucking annoying. He's so funny. He's a very good comic relief character, but he kind of sucks. [00:32:39] Speaker B: So he's talking to their mom, and he's like, I think I'm gonna marry Jane. And then their mom is like, actually, so she's kind of almost engaged, just so you know. And then he gets introduced to Mr. Wickham right after that. And then Darcy Bingley show up. They're, like, going about a walk in town or something. So when we see Bingley and Darcy, there's a weird tension between Wickham and Darcy. And Elizabeth immediately picks up on it, and she's like, I don't know what's going on. But then we move on. [00:33:12] Speaker A: Mr. Collins has now set his eyes on Lizzie to marry because Jane is no longer available. [00:33:18] Speaker B: Mr. Wickham goes to dinner with them. He is talking with Elizabeth while they're playing cards and a game with her sisters, but her sister's so engrossed in the game that she's not even paying them any attention. So they're just talking the whole time. They talk about Darcy, and Wickham says that he's known him since he was an infant. And Elizabeth's like, yeah, no one likes Darcy. And he's like, I can't blame you guys. He's a horrible person. And then he reveals that the late Mr. Darcy, our Mr. Darcy's father, was actually his godfather, and that he is currently being denied the promised money that the late Mr. Darcy gave him. And they talk for a really long time between the connections between Darcy and himself. And then they mention that Lady Katherine is actually Darcy's aunt. And this whole time, I was like, aww, they like each other. [00:34:11] Speaker A: Mm. They like each other. Plus, Wickham is hot. Very, very hot. That's what it says, is that he's super, super attractive. That's. That's basically all we know about him. [00:34:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:21] Speaker A: And he hates Darcy, which is two things that Lizzie also likes and enjoys, so it's good. [00:34:27] Speaker B: Lizzie also said Darcy is hot, so are we really trusting her opinion right now? [00:34:33] Speaker A: I'm just saying. Also, Darcy might be betrothed to his cousin Anne de Bourgh, who is Lady Catherine's daughter. So Elizabeth tells Jane what Wickham told her. And Jane, she believes in people too much to believe that this is really the whole story. She's like, there has to be a way for them both to be good guys, right? There's just a misunderstanding here somewhere. Neither one of them could be at fault. And Elizabeth is like, you poor, sweet summer child. No, no, no. Then they get invited to the Netherfield Ball that Bingley is throwing next Tuesday. And everyone is excited for the ball, even Mary Elizabeth. She was not looking forward to Mr. Collins attention, since she wanted to spend the evening with wickham. And when Mr. Collins asked Elizabeth for the first two dances of her night, this is when Elizabeth realizes that she is the object of his affection and who he is going after. And she's like, ooh, I'm just not gonna touch that right now. I'm just gonna try to ignore that until I can't. And the four days before the ball are unbearable since it's bad weather and they have to stay inside. This next chapter is a doozy, and it's very long. We are at the ball and Wickham is not there, which Lizzie was not expecting. For a moment, she thinks that he was not invited at all because of Darcy. But then his fellow officer, Denny, explains that he went out of town yesterday and he's not back yet. But he doubts that Wickham would have stayed out of town this long if Darcy wasn't here. So she is annoyed that now she can't talk to Wickham because of Darcy, even though it's not really Darcy's fault because Wickham just stayed away. But she's like, it's Darcy's fault because Wickham's in here because he doesn't like Darcy. So she spends her time talking to Charlotte, letting her know Everything about what happened with Collins this week. And then she does dance the first two dances with Collins and hates it, and is talking to Charlotte again when Mr. Darcy comes up and asks for her to dance with her. And she's just so shocked that she accepts right away. And she even tells Charlotte, like, I'm not gonna have any fun. This is gonna be a terrible dance. And she's like, I'm sure it'll be fine. Go out there anyway. It was great. Plus, like, you already accepted. You can't refuse him. [00:36:34] Speaker B: Yeah, that's rude. [00:36:35] Speaker A: While they're dancing, they're silent at first, and then Lizzie makes a remark about the dancing that they're doing and his terrible conversation skills. And so then they banter a little bit about how much or how little they should be conversing while dancing. And he asks if she goes to Meryton often, and she answers in the affirmative and then brings up Wickham, because she saw that they had a look, and so she's wondering what that's about. But just as they're about to get into it, then they're interrupted by Sir Lucas, who says that they look great dancing together, and he hopes to see them dancing together again very soon at a very special event. Wink, wink, saying, like, jane and Bingley's wedding, basically. After that, it seems like Darcy is agitated, and Elizabeth asked him a couple more questions to get some sense of his character, since he has heard quite a few differing opinions on him. And so she's, like, trying to get a sense of him, but when they part, they're both dissatisfied. But Darcy is more so because he has an actual crush on Lizzie, and so he can tell that he's fucking up. And Lizzie's just like, eh, that was a conversation with Darcy. I'm just gonna move on. So she talks to Caroline, and Caroline warns Lizzie off of Wickham, since whatever he is saying about Darcy isn't true, because she's like, I don't know the story, but what I do know is that he's poor. She's like, I already know that. He told me that, so back the fuck off. And Elizabeth doesn't believe anything Caroline says, since all she can say is that he's poor. And she tries to talk to Jane about what she learned from Bingley about Wickham, but Bingley has never met Wickham and only knows what Darcy told him. And so Darcy did nothing wrong, according to him. So she again is like, okay, well, these are not great information sources for me here. [00:38:16] Speaker B: So true though she Needs a third party. [00:38:19] Speaker A: She needs a third party. [00:38:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:22] Speaker A: Mr. Collins then realizes that Darcy is Lady Catherine's nephew, and he insists on introducing himself to Darcy. And this is not very good. It's not great. She immediately tries to shut him down and is like, please don't do that. And he's like, no, no, it's fine. I would listen to you in every way, except in ways where you know nothing about what you're talking about. And so I'm gonna go over there and maybe my introduction. Bye. Bye. And Darcy is, like, so upset by him making the introduction. He's just like, what? Who is this guy? And then throughout dinner, Mama Bennett also keeps telling her friend in a very loud voice that she's sure that Jane and Bingley will be married soon. And it'll be such a wonderful match, not just for her, but her sisters, too. Because once Jane gets married, then all of her sisters can get elevated to whatever, and so then they'll get more eligible matches. And she just like saying this super loud in the middle of his party in front of everyone in the town. And so she's a little wine drunk or something, sherry drunk, whatever they drink at that time. And then right as her mother quiets down, then Mary decides that she's going to play for everybody. And she plays kind of badly, like she's not very good at it. She. She practices a lot, but she's not the best. And so eventually, after a lot of awkwardness, then Lizzie shoots her dad a look to tell Mary to get off. And so then her dad is like, you know, Mary, you should give other people a chance. And then everyone is embarrassed for Mary, and Mary's embarrassed. And then she's like, well, maybe I shouldn't have done that. Because then it's like this shit show. She can feel Darcy staring at her and her family, but she looks over at Bingley and Jane and they're just so happy in their little corner. And it doesn't seem like Bingley is noticing anything that's happening at the party except for Jane. And so she's like, it's fine. It'll be fine. He doesn't care about my family. It's fine. I might be embarrassed about what's happening here, but it's not a big deal. Bingley doesn't seem to mind. Then Collins makes a speech, and Lizzie is sensing that Darcy is looking more and more horrified. As the night goes on after this, Colin sticks with Lizzie for the rest of the night, but Charlotte is also there and kind of engaging Colin So that Lizzie doesn't really have to talk to him because she doesn't want to talk to him. And Lizzie is happy that, like I said, Bingley doesn't really notice anything. Mrs. Bingley makes sure that their carriage is there 15 minutes after everybody else leaves so that she can get time alone with them. Everyone is like, oh, I'm tired. I would really like to go to bed. And her and Bingley and Jane are just talking in the corner, and they're just like, oh, this is so great. You guys should come to dinner sometime. He's like, yeah, I'll come. I just need to go to town for a few days, and then I'll be back. And as they're leaving, Mrs. Bennet is so sure and satisfied that two of her five daughters are going to be married very, very soon. [00:40:58] Speaker B: That was a lot. It was a lot. [00:41:00] Speaker A: It was a long chapter. A lot happened. [00:41:03] Speaker B: A lot happened. My only thought after all that was, Elizabeth is far too concerned with matters long done with. Because she, like, the whole time was like, okay, but Darcy's a dick to Wickham. [00:41:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:15] Speaker B: And screwed him over. Like, the whole time, she just keeps repeating it. So I was like, okay, like, move on. [00:41:22] Speaker A: So here's the thing. He doesn't have a fortune or anything. And this is what he says. He was supposed to get a fortune from Darcy, and Darcy decides to not give it to him. So this is why he's in the military. That's the only way that he can make any money. And so he's not necessarily a great match for Lizzie. He would be a better match if he had more money. This is her saying, like, you have ruined him. He cannot get married. He cannot do this. He cannot do that until he builds himself up in the militia. And, like, you stole his life from him, basically. He was in a comfortable position. He was in a comfortable life, and you stole everything from him. And I'm just supposed to think that you're a good guy? [00:41:58] Speaker B: I guess that's true. I don't know. Yeah, I guess all that's true. Okay. The next day, Colin asks for a minute alone with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is like, please, God, no, Mom, don't leave me alone with him. And her mom's like, no, this will be great. Bye. I'm leaving. You're gonna have a great time. And leaves. Colin then proposes in a very textbook way. And I don't mean, like, he gets down on one knee textbook. I mean, like, he just rattles off reasons and solutions and thoughts and just, like, says them in like, word vomit. And just, like, this marriage would be good because of this reason. This reason, this reason, this reason. And I'm like, God, okay. And he does all this in a single page of my book, and there's no pause in between any of the words. Basically, at the end of it all, she just turns him down. He says it's because she's a girl, and obviously she wants to accept, but she needs a second proposal because she wants him to not think that she wants to accept. And they go back and forth, and she's like, no, I really don't want to marry you. And he's like, I know that you want me to propose to you a second time. I get it. It's just what girls do. And she's like, no, really, I don't like you, and you should really stop. And he's like, no, I think I'm gonna do it again anyway. And it was driving me absolutely nuts. [00:43:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, that's who he is. [00:43:30] Speaker B: Eventually, she's like, okay, but, like, really, do not do this again. And he's like, fine. And he talks to the mom, and then the mom's like, actually, you should do it again, but please give me a minute. I need to convince her father to convince Elizabeth to marry you. And she goes to the dad, and then the dad's like, all right, call her in here. So they call Elizabeth in, and he says, look, either option, somebody's not gonna talk to you. And she was like, what are you talking about? And he's like, so if you don't marry him, your mom says that she's never gonna talk to you ever again. But honestly, if you do marry him, I'm never gonna talk to you ever again. So who do you not want to talk to ever again? And she's like, actually, my mom would be the best option. [00:44:17] Speaker A: She's a daddy's girl through and through. And so she's like, thank you, God, for not making me marry this man. I know that would be very easy for our family, especially because if you died, that she would inherit the estate with Mr. Collins, and so her family would be fine. They wouldn't have to go anywhere. It would be a great solution, which is what Collins was saying. But she's like, please, please, please don't make me marry him. He's like, no, you don't have to. [00:44:40] Speaker B: And Elizabeth gets away with denying him. And then he comes in, and her mom's like, I need a moment alone with you. And she's like, she's just a stubborn girl. And he's like, actually, if she's stubborn, I don't want to marry her anyway. Oh, Collins. [00:44:54] Speaker A: Oh, Collins. Collins, Collins, Collins. What else can I say? I mean, really, after those two chapters, she's just like, fuck, Collins, you're something else, man. [00:45:03] Speaker B: For real. [00:45:04] Speaker A: So after he finally accepts the rejection 100%, he's not gonna marry her anymore. He's cold and he doesn't want to talk to her. He instead turns his attention to Charlotte. And Lizzie is super glad about it because they had the Lucas's come over and she's like, he's not talking to me anyway. I'm glad that he's able to talk to somebody else and not bother me with whatever he's doing. Then later, the girls are walking to Meryton and they meet Mr. Wickham again. And this is the first time that they met after the ball. And so he says that he didn't want to go to the party because the more he thought about just didn't seem like a good idea. But he wanted to pay her at least some sort of special attention. So they walked home together. At this time, Caroline writes Jane a letter letting her know that the entire party has actually left for London and they're not going to be back. So that's interesting. Bingley left for London and thought his business was going to be quick, but it's not. So they just decided to follow him and give him company. And since they'll already be there, they're probably not going to leave anytime soon. And they're not going to be back for a while. They're definitely not going to be back in the winter. And. And they're like, once we're around friends, you know, we're probably not going to want to leave at all, if you really think about it. She also says that Darcy wants to see his sister. And Caroline hopes that Georgiana, Darcy's sister, will marry Bingley because she's very accomplished and Bingley has always admired her. And so after this letter concludes, Lizzie believes that they've done this so that Bingley doesn't marry Jane. And Jane thinks that it's just because he doesn't love her. And so this is Caroline's way of letting her down easy and saying, like, hey, I know that you kind of had a thing for him, but actually he's gonna get married to Georgiana Darcy. So like, if you thought there was a thing going on, there's not a thing going on. Just wanted to let you know. And so she's like, she's just being very nice. And she's just trying to tell me in such a nice way that her brother and I are never together, that her brother never liked me in the first place because Caroline would never willingly be deceitful to her. So they decide to tell their mother that Bingley has left, but not that he possibly has eyes for Georgiana, and that this whole entire time he's been leading her on. They're just saying, like, oh, he left. We're not sure if he's coming back. And I wrote these meddling kids because I'm like, all of his party that got Bingley out of there. They're just like, no, no, no, no. Let's. Let's bring you away. [00:47:30] Speaker B: Yeah. I said, fuck his sister, yo. [00:47:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So after this, the Bennetts dine with the Lucases again that day. And Charlotte once again distracts Collins for Lizzie, which Lizzie thanks her for. She didn't just listen. She engaged with Collins. And she might have thought that he would have been interested in her now if he wasn't leaving so soon. But then that next morning, he stole out of the house because he's living at the Bennett house. And so he left like a thief in the night, and he came to Lucas Lodge and he fell at Charlotte's feet and proposed to her and just said like, please, please, please marry me. And professed his love. So her entire family is joyful. And considering her prospects and her age, she feels like she got pretty lucky. She just hopes that Lizzie will be okay with it. So she tells Collins, like, hey, please don't say anything to anybody until I talk to Lizzie, because I want her to be the first one to know, and I don't want her to know from anybody else. He's about to leave, and he's talking to Mr. And Mrs. Bennet, and he says, like, oh, yeah, I'm leaving. And they're like, okay, well, it's good to see you. And he's like, well, I'll be back soon. And they're like, what? What do you mean you'll be back? Are you gonna try and go for one of our other daughters? And he's like, no, but I'll just be back soon. So then he leaves and goes home, and then Charlotte ends up telling Lizzie, and Lizzie just cannot understand that Charlotte would accept him because she didn't think that Charlotte could ever be happy with a man like that. And she just cannot believe that her friend would do this. And this is when I will quote the movie and say, I'm 27 years old. I have no money and no prospects. I'm already a burden on my parents. [00:49:02] Speaker B: And I'm frightened. [00:49:03] Speaker A: And I'm frightened. Honestly. Same. I'm also 27, so go get that bad girl. You deserve it. [00:49:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I said, good for Charlotte, taking what she wants and not killing what anybody thought. Sir Lucas. Her father comes and announces his daughter's engagement after all of this. And Elizabeth's mother is fucking peeved. She's pissed off. She's like, I can't believe Charlotte's gonna take over this house. And she's just. She's pissed off. Nobody else really cares. Elizabeth's like, yeah, whatever. We already talked about it. Now everyone's stressed about Mr. Bingley's coming back, and they're talking about whether or not Jane is gonna get married off. [00:49:44] Speaker A: Poor Jane. Because she doesn't want to think about it, but her mother keeps bringing it up. [00:49:49] Speaker B: She was in love. Mr. Bingley's sister Caroline confirms that he is too busy to come back to visit her for the rest of the winter. And he's not coming because before, they had a little hope that she was just talking about herself, but she's like, no, we're talking about, no one's coming back. Lady Jane's upset. She basically thinks that this has ruined everything. And Elizabeth is upset for both her and her friend Charlotte, because Charlotte's not in love. And Jane is in love, but she can't be with him. And then Mr. Bennet says to Elizabeth that he hopes she finds love and alludes to Mr. Wickham being that guy. The end of the chapter. She confirms that everyone has now heard of Darcy's cruel intentions in Town towards Mr. Wickham. So everybody in town are all proud to say that they hated him. As soon as they met him, I was like, wow, we're back to this whole I really hate Darcy thing. [00:50:42] Speaker A: Yeah. This is the part of the story where I'm like, so she's obsessed with him, too. It's not just him being obsessed with her. She's kind of obsessed with him. She's obsessed with hating him, I guess. [00:50:50] Speaker B: Kind of, yeah. [00:50:51] Speaker A: So then Mr. Cullen leaves again because he was around for a while to visit Charlotte, but he left again, and the Gardiners are with them for Christmas instead. Mr. Gardiner is Mrs. Bennet's brother. He's a tradesman, but he has very good manners and education, and it's much better than his sister. And if somebody had met him, they would never know what he does for a living, basically. So he's just Very well bred. His wife is also close with everybody, especially the eldest two girls, Jane and Lizzie. So she shows up, ready for the tea that they're about to spill, because they regularly correspond with her. But she's like, there's more. You gotta tell me everything when we're in person. I love her. She's also a little bit younger than everybody else, so it's very easy for her to fit in with the girls. Mrs. Gardiner talks to Lizzie and is sure that Jane just needs to get a change of scenery to get her mind off of it. And so she suggests Jane coming to London with them. And Lizzie is like, yeah, I think that'll be really good. They live in town, which is London, so that's where Bingley is. But they're in a different part of town, so they probably won't see him. And Lizzie says that she's sure they won't see him because Darcy is with him. And Darcy would never deign to enter Grace Church street, which is basically like a rougher part of town. He would never deign to go there. So she's like, it's fine. Don't worry about it. [00:52:04] Speaker B: Interesting. [00:52:05] Speaker A: But they think that she'll probably see Caroline because Caroline and Jane still regularly corsicated. Respond. Mrs. Gardiner is weary of Lizzie and Wickham's preference towards each other because she's seen them interact a couple times. Because the gardeners are here, they're having a lot of parties, and Wickham is basically invited to all of them. And so she's like, hey, I see you guys flirting a lot. And be careful. But when Ms. Gardiner actually talks to Wickham, he's able to offer her some news about the people in her hometown. Because he lives in the same hometown as her, and because she lives in the same hometown as him, when he's telling her about Darcy and everything and everything that he went through and why he's doing this now, she's like, oh, okay. Yeah. And then as she's thinking about it more, she's like, I think I heard somewhere that he was a bad kid. So that tracks. And I just found that so funny because it's just one of those things where, like, when somebody tells you something bad about somebody and then you're, like, thinking about it, and you're like, you know what? I did hear something bad about them. You're right. [00:52:58] Speaker B: That. [00:52:58] Speaker A: You're totally right, actually. Yeah. Actually, I think it's like, confirmation bias. And so that line just cracks me up every time, because I'm like, girl, you don't know anything. You don't actually know what you're talking about. You're just like, yeah, I'm pretty sure. [00:53:14] Speaker B: She just wants to be a part of the Goss. Okay? [00:53:16] Speaker A: Exactly. So in the next chapter, Mrs. Gardiner warns Lizzie against the dangers of Marion Wickham. And this is when she actually has a sit down conversation with her. She's like, hey, Lizzie, I want to talk to you, but I want to tell you this, and the only reason I'm telling you this is because I know that me telling you not to fall in love with somebody is not going to make you fall in love with them like some other girls. So I know that you have like a sensible head on your shoulders. So me warning you will actually be a warning to you rather than a push for you to go closer to him. She says, Wickham doesn't have any money. He doesn't have any money. He can't provide for you. Maybe if he was more advanced in his service or if he had the inheritance that he was supposed to get, then it would be fine, but because he doesn't have those things, it's kind of not a good match for you and you should back off, like, be aware that this isn't a good match and you shouldn't really be pursuing this. So Lizzie agrees to do her best to not fall in love with him, even though he's the hottest guy that she's ever seen. Then again, Collins returns once the gardeners leave and Jane leaves, but he stays at Lucas Lodge instead because the wedding day is soon upon them. The day before the wedding, Charlotte goes over to Lizzie to say goodbye and she promises to write and visit Charlotte, even though she's pretty sure that when she goes to visit Charlotte, it's not going to be a good trip. Then when Charlotte actually gets there and starts sending Lizzie letters, she softens to it and softens the descriptions that Mr. Collins had always said about the place. So she ends up actually pretty curious to see it herself, to see what she actually thinks about it. She also writes Jane, who's in London, she saw Caroline and Louisa, but no Bingley. He's off taking care of business with Darcy and staying with Darcy while they're staying in a different house. Caroline repays her visit within two weeks, but it's very short. And Jane realizes that Lizzie was right and Caroline never actually liked her. Things with Bingley and Wickham seem to be officially dead, because right after this we find out that Wickham actually has found a new young woman who has a dowry of £10,000 and has basically left Lizzie. Not in the lurch because they weren't really doing anything, but he just doesn't pay her as much attention because he has a new girl who has a lot of money, lots of money. But it even says she doesn't view Wickham in a bad light, like she views Charlotte for marrying for money. But she's like, well, Wickham kind of has to marry for money because he was a little bit richer before, and so now, obviously, he wants to improve his station. And so she's like, well, because I'm not upset with him, I know for sure I wasn't in love with him. So it seems like it's a quick move on for both of these boys, because Bingley is going to go off with Georgiana Darcy and Wickham is going to be with Miss. Whoever her name is. [00:55:50] Speaker B: Two months pass, and Elizabeth goes to visit Charlotte. She stops at her aunt's house first to see Jane. And then they talk about how Wickham is no longer interested in Elizabeth because he found another girl who just came into some fortune. Her aunt calls him a mercenary, which is, I guess, like a gold digger for that time period. And her aunt and uncle invite her to a tour of pleasure, which is basically just walking around. [00:56:16] Speaker A: Yeah, they're supposed to go to the lakes, which is why I have the Take Me to the Lakes, where all the poets went to die. I also have to say, one of the last things in that chapter was, what are men to rocks and mountains? And I'm. I feel the same, because she's like, I'm gonna be surrounded by nature. It's gonna be so great. What are men to rocks and mountains? And I'm like, yeah, same girl. Same, actually. [00:56:35] Speaker B: That is very relatable. So they go and visit Charlotte and her cousin, Mr. Collins, and everything is going fine. Elizabeth is told that Lady Catherine is probably going to invite her to dinner. She's warned that Lady Catherine is very indifferent, not very warm to people, so she is pre warned about everything. And then she surprises everyone by just showing up and randomly inviting them all to dinner without even seeing them at church, which is what they expected to happen. [00:57:00] Speaker A: Anne invites them to dinner, not Lady Catherine. [00:57:03] Speaker B: Oh, I thought that was Lady Catherine this whole time. [00:57:05] Speaker A: The daughter invites them to dinner. Dine with him. [00:57:08] Speaker B: Okay, missed that part. [00:57:09] Speaker A: But also, Lizzie likes that Anne de Berg looks sickly. And she's like, yeah, she does look sickly. That's great. And Darcy will marry her. It's perfect. And she's just so petty. Colin starts bragging about getting invited to dinner so early and it's all anybody can talk about for the next couple of days until it arrives. He also makes sure to tell Elizabeth that she should just wear her nicest dress because Lady Catherine understands that not everyone has elegance and she really likes to keep the ranks preserved, so if she just wears whatever, it's fine. Like fucking Collins. He just never stops trying to belittle and undermine her. They get there and are introduced by Charlotte. Both Sir Lucas and Maria are so scared that they say very little. Lady Catherine seems very self important, which reminds Lizzie of all the things that Wickham told her about Lady Catherine and agrees with his assessment of her. So far dinner is good, but no one really says anything important. Lizzie wants to join in in conversation, but there is no one to talk to and Lady Catherine is just talking at them and telling them her opinions about everything rather than trying to hold a conversation. Then Lady Catherine finally turns her questions to Elizabeth since she knows the least about her specifically, and asks about her family, her friends, what she does, like what they've been up to and her connections. And Lizzie says, oh well, we had education but we never had a governess and our mother was never really attentive with our studies. So you got out of it what you put into it. So there are people that tried and there are people in our family that didn't. Lady Catherine is also shocked to hear that all of her sisters are out, even though the oldest siblings have not been married yet. And that's a little bit unusual for the time period. But Lizzie is like, we haven't been married yet. Like how is that fair to the girls who want to go out and want to party if we're not married yet? Like they should also have an opportunity to do what they want. And so Lady Catherine's like, oh wow, you have a lot of impertinence and you are very strong in your opinions for someone so young. How old are you? And Elizabeth doesn't want to answer directly about her age and Lady Catherine again is shocked about her impertinence and Lizzie thinks that this is probably the first times that anybody has ever spoken back to Lady Catherine. A week goes by and Sir William leaves and Lizzie is happy to not see Collins more after he's gone because she was sure that she might. But they just go back into their regular routines after this, since Lizzie is going to be there a while. Charlotte uses the drawing room in the back that is slightly too small and slightly Too out of the way. But Collins doesn't bother here there at all. So Lizzie knows that it's all by design of her being in this back room. They see Lady Catherine a lot, and Lizzie learns about her and how active she is in her community, where she just goes and meets random people in her community and tells them exactly how they can be better and how she can make them better. When the others go and see her, other than going to dinner, she has to go to dinner with them, but any other time that they go for tea or anything, she kind of gets out of it and goes for a walk instead. She's like, no, it's okay. I don't gotta go. [01:00:04] Speaker B: Good for her. [01:00:06] Speaker A: Since Easter is coming around, she finds out that Darcy is coming to Rosings. And even though she isn't happy about it, she hopes that she will at least be amused by the new people coming around. Both Lady Catherine's nephews are here. It's Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. And they return with Collins because he was waiting for them to come. He wanted to see their carriage arrive. And so he sees their carriage arrive and they thought that he was just gonna come back and be like, oh, the men have arrived. But he actually comes back with them in tow. Even Charlotte is like, oh, this must be because you're here, Lizzie. Like, he wouldn't have showed up so quickly if you weren't already here. And she's like, what are you talking about? Colonel Fitzwilliam is not handsome, but he has great manners and he's able to talk to Lizzie very, very easily. Meanwhile, Darcy is just in a corner being socially awkward and not saying anything and just staring at her. He finally asks about her family and this is the only comment he makes really to her. And she just says, oh, yeah, well, they're fine. Jane has been in London. Have you seen her? And he's like, no. And they move on. [01:01:09] Speaker B: Lady Catherine invites him over again and she's focusing a lot of her conversation on Darcy because she loves Darcy so much, because Darcy's her favorite nephew and obviously she loves Darcy and so she only talks to really Darcy. Elizabeth this whole time is just talking to Fitzwilliam and talking with him, and they end up talking about music. Lady Catherine's like, what are you talking about? And they're like, music. And then he makes her promise to play some music for him. So she goes to the piano to play some music and Darcy, like, weirdly comes up to her and she's like, really off putted by it because he kind of, like, just stalked over from the corner of the room. And Elizabeth and Darcy banter back and forth while Fitzwilliam watches them and just, like, randomly puts his comments in, but just mostly lets them go back and forth. And then she ends up playing until they leave. Darcy then randomly shows up on the doorstep while everyone's gone. He apologizes because he thought all the ladies, at least, would be there. And then they just talk, and she starts making comments about Mr. Bingley having left. They go back and forth about random stuff. And then he says, charlotte's lucky to be so close to family. And she's like, what do you mean, so close to family? And he's like, you're, like, half a day's ride away from where you live. You're really close. And she was like, this isn't close. And he's like, you only think people who live in the same town of you is close. And I wondered if that was relevant in the future. [01:02:35] Speaker A: She thought he was alluding to Bingley and Jane's relationship as saying, like, well, you would have preferred if your sister lived in town, because that would have been close enough to you. And then she's like, whoa, I'm not. That's not what I'm saying. You could be near or far. Like, it just depends on, like, how close you are with your relationship. But also, if Collins was a little bit, like, better companion for Charlotte, maybe she would think that the distance was half as short. But considering how he is, it's not a short distance. [01:02:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I guess that's true. So then he, like, leaves, and Charlotte is there, and she's like, actually, did you know that he's kind of in love with you? And she was like, no, I don't think so. And then Darcy and Fitzwilliam randomly visit throughout the week, and Darcy will just sit there for long periods of time without talking. [01:03:18] Speaker A: And I'm obsessed with how obsessed he is with her. [01:03:22] Speaker B: He just doesn't talk, but he stares at her so weird. [01:03:28] Speaker A: It's so funny. Okay. So she often takes her walks that she was talking about, like, when they go and see Lady Catherine. And at one point, she sees Darcy there, and she's like, hey, I really like this path a lot. Just want to let you know. And she thought it would make him leave because she thinks still that he doesn't like her. And so she's like, oh, if I tell him this is one of my favorite places that I frequently go to, then obviously he's not going to come anymore. But then he shows up a second time and then even a third time, and she's like, oh, weird. Weird that he keeps doing this. He's trying to punish himself by being my presence. That's what her conclusion that she comes to is. He starts to ask her questions, but they're mostly random and dispersed weirdly. And so she again, is like, he's just making weird small talk, and this must be penance for something that he did. There's no way that he actually enjoys doing this because it's so weird and awkward. He also says something alluding to the fact that next time she's in this area of town that she'll be staying at Rosings. And she thinks that it's him saying something about her and Fitzwilliam's connection, and, like, maybe there's something there. And she's like, oh. But then, not long after that, she sees Fitz on a path, and both men are supposed to be leaving on the weekend if Darcy doesn't put it off again. So he's been secretly putting off his trip so that he can spend more time with Lizzie. It seems like Fitzwilliam lets her know that he can't marry her because he needs to marry Rich. He's a second son, and so he doesn't have all of the ability of a first son to marry whoever he wants. She asks about Georgiana, and he says that he's also her partial guardian. And she comes to guess what she's like. And he wonders how she could have known that. And she's like, oh, no, it's fine. I just know that Luisa and Caroline talk about her, and, like, she's great. And he's like, oh, yeah, I kind of know about them because he's. They're Bingley sisters. And it's confirmed for Lizzie after a whole long conversation about him saying, I don't know if this is actually about Bingley, but I'm pretty sure that Bingley was just saved from a poor connection with this girl's family. And so Darcy just saved Bingley. It's confirmed that Darcy is actually the one that interfered with Bingley and Jane's relationship and purposely broke him apart. It wasn't Caroline doing it. It was Darcy. She has to act like she doesn't know what Fitzwilliam is talking about because it's her family that he's talking about. And he's like, hey, this can't get back to the family. And she's like, yeah, yeah, no problem. My lips are sealed. She's mad once she gets back to her room, especially since there were such strong objections on the lady. And she thinks that Jane is perfect and that no one would object to her. And she's like, what is he even talking about? Then she thinks about her family and is like, well, nobody could reject my father either. And then she thinks about her mother and she's like, oh, maybe somebody could reject my mother. But then she thinks about it more and she's like, my mother is only silly. There's nothing actually wrong with. With her. She just is a little bit. So she's still just mad, and so she thinks so hard on it that she gets a headache. And so she decides to decline the offer to go with them to Rosings for tea. With everyone gone, Lizzie decides to look over Jane's letter since Jane has been in London. And she's like, I can read between the lines, and I know that Jane is still unhappy and Jane is still sad, and so she's just getting madder and madder at Darcy for taking away her sister's happiness. But both of them are supposed to be leaving soon, and she'll be seeing Jane in a few weeks. Then Darcy calls on her and immediately is like, oh, how are you? And then just starts pacing around the room because he's not sure what to do. He blurts out a couple of things, and then he says, and I'm gonna quote this verbatim because it's a great line. In vain I have struggled. It will not die. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. Such a swoon. The rest of this proposal goes terribly, but this line is just so. She says nothing, which means that he just proceeds to go on with what he was proposing to her. As he continues to propose, he's not only telling her, like, heart reasons of like, oh, I love you. He's also telling her everything that's wrong with her and her family and her connections and her inferiority and her low breeding and, like, all of these things. And so he's like, yeah, I really tried to not like you, but here we are. And when she first heard him propose, she felt a little bit bad because she's like, oh, damn, I'm about to, like, ruin this kid's life. That sucks. But then as he keeps going and going and going and keeps saying how inferior she is and how bad, like, your rank is so beneath mine, she's like, all right, you know what? I don't fucking care how he takes this. She hates that he assumes that she will accept because he's of such high birth. He's like, I'm telling you all this. And I'm basically. He's nagging her. He's like, he's being super rude to her. And I was like, but you're gonna be with me anyway. And she's like, no, the. [01:08:10] Speaker B: I'm not. [01:08:13] Speaker A: And she's like, I would say thank you if I was flattered, but I'm not, so I'm not going to. Yeah, because I've never cared about your opinion, so you can't give me any flattery. She hopes that he won't be in love for too much longer, and if she let him on, she wasn't trying to. So she hopes that he'll get over it soon. After this rejection, Darcy is mad. But in forced calmness, he asks why and why she doesn't say anything else. Like, this is so little to give him. Like, why is she doing this? And she says, that one. He doesn't even like her. He just spent all of this time saying that. All the things that were wrong with her and her family and everything. And, like, what? Whatever. But even if this wasn't the case, even if she was indifferent towards him, how could he think that she would marry him after what he did to her sister? She just doesn't understand it. She's like, you took away my sister's happiness. Why would I want to marry you? She's my favorite sister, and you can't deny what you did. And he's like, no, I can't deny that. And she's like, well, you told Bingley to stay away from her. And he's like, yeah, I gave him better advice than I'm taking myself right now. Like, I probably shouldn't even be here because she's so below his class. And she's like, oh, my gosh, it doesn't even matter. But not only that, you also made Wickham be reduced to basically poverty because you were jealous of him and his relationship with your father. And he's like, okay, what are you talking about? Now he's getting even more bad because he's like, why are you bringing up Wickham? Like, what does this even have to do with anything? And she's like, well, all of these things since I've met you, since I've known you, you are not a good person. I've never really liked you. She says, it doesn't matter how he would have approached it. She would have declined because he's arrogant and selfish, and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry. And that's a big ouch. [01:10:03] Speaker B: Yeah. That's so mean. This man just told you that he's in love with you, whether or not he insulted you a bunch of times. He did just say, I'm in love with you. [01:10:14] Speaker A: I ardently admire and love you. [01:10:17] Speaker B: Oh. [01:10:19] Speaker A: And he's like, oh, okay, I get it. I didn't realize that you hated me. Got it. Now I'm ashamed of my own feelings, frankly. And he leaves. As soon as he's gone, she just starts crying because she just let all of this emotion out. They just let all this emotion out. And she's like, damn. So she's just crying and crying, and she's upset and is astonished every time she thinks about Darcy actually proposing to her and being in love with her, but then still breaking up Bingley and Jane. And she just can't wrap her mind around it and just goes over and over how he's treating everyone. And she. That's when she hears everybody come back. She is not super happy, and she doesn't want to be around anyone because she knows that Charlotte will be able to perceive what she's doing. So she goes and hides in her room. [01:11:03] Speaker B: This man is autistic. That's all I got from this chapter. I was like, he loves her, but he also can't say I love you without explaining why it's such a bad idea to say I love you. He needs everything in his life to be rational, and it has to have a good reason, and he needs to have it all thought through. But he's like, oh, love, I hate this. And that's why he, like, sits in a corner, just stares because he's like. [01:11:38] Speaker A: He's just so awkward. He's like, I love her, but also, I can't speak to her. Every time I speak to her, we get enough. I. I don't understand. You just talk to her and she laugh with you. She laugh with you, not at you. [01:11:49] Speaker B: What? Oh, poor him. [01:11:52] Speaker A: This is a proposal number two for Elizabeth, but the third proposal we've had in the actual book. And this is another rejection from Lizzie. So how. I mean, these proposals are pretty similar. Both of them kind of say, hey, these are all the things why we should be together, quote, unquote. Because Collins also was mean to her in that, like, oh, I know you're gonna marry me, because you have to live in this house, and you want to do this, and you want to do that. He's not actually trying to marry her for her. Darcy is trying to marry her for her. But they both were very mean in their proposals. And she's like, no, I don't want that. [01:12:24] Speaker B: I like how you're saying that. They're super similar in that way, because in my head, they're. They're complete opposites. Because the first one, he was like, I don't really like you, but here are all the reasons we should be together. And they're, like, all very reasonable, and obviously it should happen. Whereas Darcy was like, I am in love with you, but we should actually not be together. And it would be a horrible idea. [01:12:43] Speaker A: That's true. That's true. But they both. I don't know. I feel like in both ways, they're just. Yeah, you're right. They're both being mean to her, but in different ways. Yeah. [01:12:52] Speaker B: And they're, like, completely opposite of each other, but also very similar in the way that they're just like, I don't care about how you actually feel. You should marry me anyway. [01:13:03] Speaker A: I mean, Darcy has a lot of money. It's kind of big that she rejects him. Really? She shouldn't be. He gets 10,000 a year, and her family makes maybe 500. [01:13:12] Speaker B: It's reasonable, but, like, we already know that Elizabeth is not gonna be the person who marries for fucking money. [01:13:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:13:18] Speaker B: She's very obviously, in her own mind, she was willing to marry Wickham, let's be honest, who didn't have much money. [01:13:26] Speaker A: No. [01:13:27] Speaker B: She was like, yeah, I'll marry that because I really like him. [01:13:29] Speaker A: Well, she was never that close to it. She was always like, yeah, I'll make sure to, like, distance myself as soon as her. She was flirting with him. I would say they were probably dating, but I don't know if she was ever like, I want to get married to him. In love with him. Yeah. [01:13:42] Speaker B: And she says she's not like, I'm in love with him and want to get married to him, but, like, she was starting to like him. And if they had, like, explored it further, she would have been like, yeah, I'm fine with Mariana. Who cares? You know? [01:13:53] Speaker A: I mean, even. Same with Colonel Fitzwilliam, when they were kind of flirting and she was like, oh, I could kind of see something. And even in the chapter, it's like she was comparing him to Wickham, and she was saying, like, I. Wickham is hotter, but I think I like Fitzwilliam's mind more. [01:14:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:14:08] Speaker A: And so she would have. I feel like the person that she would have been more willing to marry would be Fitzwilliam, especially because he is kind of a higher rank. But he can't marry her because he needs more money. [01:14:16] Speaker B: Yeah. This time period is such a mess. [01:14:19] Speaker A: So I know that you already watched this movie, but do you have any predictions for what's gonna happen for everything that you don't know? Obviously, you know the main love interest that happens, but what's gonna happen maybe to the rest of the sisters or to Mr. And Mrs. Bennet? [01:14:37] Speaker B: I already told you what I pretty sure I remember happens to one of the sisters, which is like a big shocking moment in the book. So I'm not gonna say it out loud because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the book or seen the movie. Okay. I don't really know. I hope to see more of Darcy's actual emotions come out in the book a little bit better and clearer. I will say that I'm excited to read the second half because now I kind of understand what's going on and the writing style. That's where I'm at. [01:15:09] Speaker A: All right, well, that's where we're at. We're gonna read the next half this next week. [01:15:16] Speaker B: That's where we're at. We'll talk to you guys later. [01:15:19] Speaker A: I don't know if there's anything else to say. I guess that's it.