I have been reading Sense and Sensibility over the last few weeks, and one of the things that surprised me the most in that novel (because I knew all of the big plot details already) was how much Austen tells rather than shows in Sense and Sensibility. In particular, she tells who ends up with whom and how that happens rather than showing how it comes about and in one instance (or pairing male-female) she writes: "This only need be said;--that when they all sat down to table at four o'clock, about three hours after his arrival, he had secured his lady, engaged her mother's consent, and was not only in the rapturous profession of the lover, but in the reality of reason and truth, one of the happiest of men." While I really like the prose and the words she uses, Austen doesn't say how such a pivotal moment happened.
In a lot of these chapters, initially in Pride and Prejudice, Austen does tell a lot of details in the beginning of the chapter, but I find them to be helpful moments and expect them during the beginning of novels and in the exposition. One thing I enjoyed learning so much while I have studied Shakespeare acting classes, is that an actor should linger over words containing new people and places and pivotal pieces of information--not pause around the nouns necessarily but give it voice long enough that the audience can let it sink in; I love voice work! In Shakespeare, a lot of the characters are thinking aloud and working stuff out for themselves and you get to hear what is going on in their heads; I try to bring that to my voice work when I'm reading other material--when it is appropriate.
The first quote within Chapter 6 that I particularly enjoyed was the following bit: " 'You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself.' " Elizabeth says this to Charlotte and comes to understand she doesn't necessarily know Charlotte as well as she thinks she does.
Darcy starts falling for Lizzie! "But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. 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...He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards conversing with her himself, attended to her conversation with others." He, I would argue, is a person who is quite sure what qualities he is looking for in a wife, but I'm not sure he was realizing that Elizabeth is his type.
I was surprised by these exact words in the prose with just how playful Elizabeth can be; I haven't noticed that before. " 'Did you not think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well just now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton?' 'With great energy; but it is always a subject which makes a lady energetic.' 'You are severe on us.' 'It will be HER turn soon to be teased,' said Miss Lucas. 'I am going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows.' 'You are a very strange creature by way of a friend!--always wanting me to play and sing before anybody and everybody! If my vanity had taken a musical turn, you would have been invaluable; but as it is, I would really rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers.' On Miss Lucas's persevering, however, she added, 'Very well, if it must be so, it must.' And gravely glancing at Mr. Darcy, 'There is a fine old saying, which everybody here is of course familiar with: "Keep your breath to cool your porridge"; and I shall keep mine to swell my song.' Her performance was pleasing, though by no means capital."
On the other hand, Miss Caroline Bingley is playful too but much more of an edge of taunting: " 'Nay, if you are serious about it, I shall consider the matter is absolutely settled. You will be having a charming mother-in-law, indeed; and, of course, she will always be at Pemberley with you.'...He listened to her with perfect indifference while she chose to entertain herself in this manner; and as his composure convinced her that all was safe, her wit flowed long."
In Chapter 7, there's some very helpful information to let us know--especially in our modern perspective--how the Bennets are doing financially.
"Mr. Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation...The village of Longbourn was only one mile from Meryton; a most convenient distance for the young ladies, who were usually tempted thither three or four times a week...Every day added something to their knowledge of the officers' names and connections...They could talk of nothing but officers; and Mr. Bingley's large fortune, the mention of which gave animation to their mother, was worthless in their eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign." This is all pretty important information and perhaps has a bit of foreshadowing of what's to come. There's a distant relation who is set to inherit. The proximity of the officers is creating quite the stir!
"Mr. Bennet coolly observed: 'From all that I can collect by your manner of talking, you must be two of the silliest girls in the country. I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced.' ... 'I am astonished, my dear,' said Mrs. Bennet, 'that you should be so ready to think your own children silly. If I wished to think slightingly of anybody's children, it should not be of my own, however.' 'If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it.' 'Yes--but as it happens, they are all of them very clever.' 'This is the only point, I flatter myself, on which we do not agree. I had hoped that our sentiments coincided in every particular, but I must so far differ from you as to think our two youngest daughters uncommonly foolish.' 'My dear Mr. Bennet, you must not expect such girls to have the sense of their father and mother. When they get to our age, I dare say they will not think about officers any more than we do. I remember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well--and, indeed, so I do still at my heart; and if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, should want one of my girls I shall not say nay to him; and I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir William's in his regimentals.' " Some things I only notice after spending so much time with the text, producing it and editing it: there are a lot of conversations so far between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. It's good that Mr. Bennet takes a bit of time to make this remark given what happens later with one of his youngest daughters.
It was really interesting to me when I was pulling these quotes that not too long later, Mrs. Bennet is calling a daughter silly! " 'How can you be so silly,' cried her mother, 'as to think of such a thing, in all this dirt! You will not be fit to be seen when you get there.' 'I shall be very fit to see Jane--which is all I want.' 'Is this a hint to me, Lizzy,' said her father, 'to send for the horses?' " I think that the way that Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet talk to each other is very realistic and shows how close they are with each other.
Elizabeth reaches Mr. Bingley's place of residence:
"She was shown into the breakfast-parlour, where all but Jane were assembled, and where her appearance created a great deal of surprise. That she should have walked three miles so early in the day, in such dirty weather, and by herself, was almost incredible to Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and Elizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it. She was received, however, very politely by them; and in their brother's manners there was something better than politeness; there was good humour and kindness. Mr. Darcy said very little, and Mr. Hurst nothing at all. The former was divided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt as to the occasion's justifying her coming so far alone. The latter was thinking only of his breakfast...When breakfast was over they were joined by the sisters; and Elizabeth began to like them herself, when she saw how much affection and solicitude they showed for Jane." I can't believe that Elizabeth actually begins to form an affection for Mr. Bingley's sisters! That probably won't last long, huh?!
Here's the audio version of my voice work:
Since I am pregnant, I recognized while I was recording (especially this latest time), I have a shortness of breath which is audible in my recordings; it is less apparent after I edited the 7th chapter. It is hard to leave the recordings at this point! There's a bit of a cliffhanger here: how is Jane going to recover? What will happen during the rest of Elizabeth's stay with the Bingleys/Hursts and Darcy? I will want to continue with Pride and Prejudice for a while, for sure, and I'm tempted to produce an episode/blog entry with a new acting skill or dialect soon.
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