Hey everyone, I’m Kyle. I’m an English major with a minor in Creative Writing. It’s difficult for me to choose just one of my favorite authors, but I’ve been reading a lot of Junot Diaz recently so I’ll go with him, although this could change by tomorrow. Honorable mention would have to go to George R. R. Martin because I don’t think I’ve ever been more anxious about a book series than his.
On to Pride and Prejudice and Sermons to Young Women. I think that Jane Austen would probably butt heads with James Fordyce, especially about his thoughts on Wit. Fordyce writes, “Men who understand the science of domestic happiness, know that its very first principle is ease… But we cannot be easy, where we are not safe. We are never safe in the company of a critic; and almost every wit is a critic by profession.” (400) In the novel, Darcy’s character is almost the exact opposite of the men that Fordyce is speaking of. Darcy seems to find Elizabeth’s wittiness an attractive quality that separates her from the likes of Caroline and Jane. Austen writes about Darcy, “Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.” (61) Elizabeth is so unlike the vision of women that Fordyce has that this distinction brings her into Darcy’s attention. She acts differently towards him than most women, most notably Caroline Bingley, whose attempts at conversation and manipulation are cringe inducing in comparison to Elizabeth’s playful demeanor.
All in all, by creating a main character that eschews the social norms, Austen generates drama. Elizabeth’s placement into any scene automatically creates turmoil, especially when Darcy is around, and her defiance of etiquette produces a much more compelling narrative as a result.
I think Austen’s novel is a big response to this page from the sermon. If Fodyce was reading Elizabeth and Darcy’s romantic timeline, he would not agree with Darcy’s feelings at all. Yet so far they have one of the most interesting relationships in the novel, one of the only ones that does not feel superficial but actually based on interaction. Fordyce would possibly also believe a character like Charlotte is a better woman because she accepted Mr.Collins’ marriage proposal, while he would continue to scorn Elizabeth for rejecting a man who will have property and status. Even though Elizabeth does the right thing, it was the more indelicate thing.
Kyle,
Totally agree with your comments on Mr. Darcy’s attraction to Elizabeth. The drama surrounding social norms are central to the plot, and while they do contribute to romance to some degree, they also further the novel’s argument on social conventions and manners. However, I do think that Austen would tend to agree with some of Fordyce’s warnings on too much wit. It is something to be used sparingly in certain social situations, and Elizabeth does encounter some problems while using it with Mr. Darcy. I’m also curious to see how Fordyce would react to her conversations with Mr. Wickham in the novel… They seemed a bit gossip based and brazen to me!