“What a contrast between him and his friend!”
Previously, Mr Bingley moved into Netherfield Park, whipping Mrs Bennet into a getting-her-five-daughters-married-off frenzy, (much to the amusement and misery of her husband). Now she knows that he has visited the new neighbour to get in his good books, he is characteristically refusing to share an iota of information about him, so the female Bennets turn to Sir William and Lady Lucas (last mentioned in Chapter 1) for details. They describe him as “quite young”, “wonderfully handsome”, “extremely agreeable” and, most crucially, “fond of dancing”. As he pulls his carriage up outside the Bennet residence to return Mr Bennet’s visit, we also learn that he has a blue coat and black horse. The ball can’t come soon enough! (Though I have to wonder if “black and blue” is meant to conjure images of bruises and damage. Someone should keep an eye on this man.)
As is customary, an invitation to dinner is extended, and politely declined due to business in the town (really, I know a period drama isn’t the kind of genre for this kind of subplot, but someone should keep an eye on him), much to Mrs Bennet’s immense dismay. He should stay in Netherfield “where he ought to be”, she thinks; a woman of specific ideals and high expectations.
Anyway, the household has to wait for the party to meet Bingley LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Out of the 12 ladies also attending, 5 of them are his sisters and 1 is Bingley’s cousin, though considering the time, she is still a viable competitor for his affection. There are also 7 fine gentlemen in attendance, including the one we’re all here for : Mr Darcy. (Since Kate Beaton’s comics were my first real exposure to this titan among classic literature’s men, you can expect me to link a couple of them. As with the digital Pride and Prejudice, I’m not affiliated in any way with the site, but think this is a fine opportunity to get her some unwitting readers.)
He has it all : “handsome features”, “noble mien” and earns £10,000 every year through means that I would not be surprised if not ever elaborated on. What a catch! Poor Mr Bingley gets pushed to the back of the line as his friend becomes the talk of the party, despite being far from the life of it. Halfway through the evening, his proud personality shows itself (another example of the titular ‘pride’!) and not even that superficial crowd will stand for it, gravitating back to Bingley as he dances with everyone he can.
Our (possible) hero, Elizabeth, sits to the side of the party, missing out on two dances while Mr Darcy does the same, the difference being that he wants to. If you’re expecting me to go on to say that they bond over this mutual distance from the party, despite the irony of Lizzy not actually wanting to, you would be mistaken. Instead, she overhears Bingley trying to goad his good friend into joining the party with little luck.
It’s here that I began to read into his characterisation and concluded that he suffers from social anxiety, wishing to not dance with those he isn’t “particularly acquainted with”, though he does admit - in front of Lizzy - that he would dance with the eldest Bennet sister (that’s... *looks it up* ... Jane), and brands Lizzy as merely tolerable.
After the party, the Bennet girls go home to their father and regale the blossoming love between Jane and Bingley, who, to his dismay (he was rather hoping for his wife to be disappointed upon meeting him properly) danced together twice that night. It appears that Sir William and Lady Lucas were right about Bingley. There’s also a wonderfully bookish tangent here where we go into detail on how Mr Bennet spent his evening absorbed in a book, “regardless of time”. A very dark/light academic sort of thing, I’d say.
For whatever reason, Austen decides to use the girls to recap the events of the party through exposition at the end of the chapter, but she is self-aware about this to her credit, using the Bennet patriarch to beg them to “say no more of his partners.” We end the chapter with Mrs Bennet making some flagrantly undue judgement (‘Prejudice’?) on Mr Darcy based on a single, distant interaction. I suppose I’ll see whether this “most disagreeable, horrid man” simply holds different values to the rest of his company, or is just proud.
Thoughts
- Longer chapter this time
- Mr Darcy is here!
- Is he aloof - or projecting social anxiety?
- Mr & Mrs Bennet are always at odds!
- Everything is centred around the pursuit of a partner
