Plain Mary Bennet

            Mary Bennet has neither taste nor talent, and also has the unhappy role of being the only plain daughter in the Bennet family. She may not be gifted with the natural talents necessary for woman during that time period, but this makes her work harder than the rest of her siblings for her accomplishments. She is constantly practicing piano or reading. Nevertheless, she lacks her sisters’ charms at the piano, Jane’s beauty, and Elizabeth’s wit in conversation. 

            Jane Austen seems to spend very little time on Mary’s character, and is very unsympathetic towards her in the novel. We as humans have very little over our physical appearance nor natural musical ability, and we are limited in the amount over our way with words. Jane Austen writes about Mary in a dismissive manner which makes us comfortable with treating Mary dismissively because she is the forgotten plain sister. The reason she tries so hard to improve her skills is to make herself noticeable (but it appears very unappealing) Just like in that society, today we are still incredibly judgmental, and I feel like we judge Mary too quick due to how she is written.

            I sympathize with Mary, and feel that if she were alive today she would be quite successful. She might be the plain girl but I feel like she would that cool nerdy girl who likes to read Harry Potter or a book like that. Even though I feel this way I understand why Jane Austen chose to write Mary in this way. Having such a plain character in the novel highlights the traits in the other girls that make them so special.

Pride and Prejudice: Film vs Novel

I purposefully put off watching the newest movie until after I had finished Pride and Prejudice. I had watched the older film versions of the movie when I was younger, and I new the main gist of the novel, but I knew that reading the story is always much better than the movie. When I finished, I talked to my Mother (whose favorite book is Pride and Prejudice) and told her that I wanted to watch the newest film with her. With that she complained that every version of the novel she has watched never portrayed the book accurately and certain characters were completely different. She mentioned once that Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy's terribly mean aunt in the novel was often portrayed as a sweet old lady in the older films. Nonetheless we watched the newest film and we were both pleasantly surprised.

  Unlike the earlier films Lady Catherine DeBourgh was no angel in this version of Pride and Prejudice and was brilliantly played beyond my imagining by Judi Dench.  Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth was a bit off, coming across as though she cared a little more about the race for marriage then the book usually allowed, but in her more serious moments and in her powerful scenes with Darcy, she shone through brilliantly.  Matthew MacFayden shines as a different kind of Darcy then the one we read about in the book.  In a movie of two hours length, Darcy’s character must evolve a bit quicker than what is laid out in the book, and from the first minute we lay eyes on him, MacFayden manages to bring Darcy across as a shy but proud man who almost immediately gazes upon Lizzy admirably.  This is necessary.  If we developed Darcy at the speed he was developed in the book, the movie would probably be twice the length.

I of course prefer the book to the movie, but it did a brilliant job of portraying the complex characfers of Jane Austin's classic. The movie was good in it's own right, and if you have the time to watch it in the middle of your class load, like I did, I suggest doing so. But only after finishing!

Mr. Darcy's and Mr Collins' Proposals

Elizabeth Bennett is really unlucky. In only a few months, she receives two of the most insensitive and rudest marriage proposals in all of literature. First her ridiculous cousin Mr. Collins asks for her hand, and soon after refusing him, Elizabeth receives another proposal from her proud and selfish acquaintance Mr. Darcy, which she also refuses. These two proposals seem to be different in every way, just as the two characters who deliver them are different. However, both the insincere flattery of Mr. Collins’ proposal and the insulting honesty of Mr. Darcy’s reflect a conceited certainty of being accepted. This certainty, founded on social and financial security, is what most angers Elizabeth about these two offers.

Mr Collins first starts off his proposal by saying that Elizabeth knows perfectly well why he is there, "You can hardly doubt the pruport of my discourse" (80). He describes how from the moment he first stepped into the Bennet house he had chosen Elizabeth to be his future wife. The readers can tell that Elizabeth finds this proposal ridiculous from the beginning as the text describes that the Mr. Collins had "made Elizabeth so near laughing" (80). Mr Collins then launches into a soliloquy explaining his reasons for marriage in general – so he, a clergyman, can set a good example, secure his own happiness, and fulfill the wishes of his authoritarian patroness – and in particular – so he can mend a long standing feud with the Bennett family. Clearly, he has no real affection for her and no doubt that she will accept him, either, because he speaks with such confidence. Though Elizabeth refuses Mr. Collins no less than five times, he is still unable to believe that she does not mean to marry him. “…it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made you. Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications…I must therefore conclude you are not serious in your rejection of me…” This continues to show his confidence, something that forced Elizabeth to reject the school.

Mr. Darcy's proposal was straight and to the point, although we don't actually get to read his whole speak to Elizabeth, we do see his profession of love, " In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you" (142). He was very blunt in his profession of love, but he still had the underlying confidence as Mr. Collins had had. When Elizabeth rejects him, he angrily asks for an explanation, and this shows that he was clearly expecting an acceptance.

Elizabeth's Feelings Towards Mr. Darcy

Elizabeth's first encounter with Mr. Darcy was during a ball, where he clearly stated that Elizabeth was not pretty enough to tempt him to dance. This first encounter coupled with Mr. Darcy's rude behavior in public set Elizabeth's prejudice against him, so when she met Mr. Wickham in chapter 15 she was ready to believe everything bad he had to say about Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Wickham is a new soldier in town who "had accepted a commission in their corps" (54) Soon after his and Elizabeth's acquaintance Mr. Darcy along with Mr Bingley arrive on horseback. When Mr. Darcy first recognizes Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth notices a change in both he and Mr. Wickham. " Happening to see the countenance of both as they looked at each other, as all astonishment at the effect of the meeting. Both changed color, one looked white, the other red" (55). From this observation Elizabeth can tell that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham knew each other, and it is confirmed later my Mr. Wickham who says: "You could not have met with a person more capable of giving you certain information on that head than myself- I have been connected with his family in a particular manner since my infancy" (58). As Elizabeth begins to inquire about Mr. Darcy she takes what Mr. Wickham says as truth. Mr. Wickham explains how Mr. Darcy's father had promised to give him financial support, but when he died the young Mr. Darcy did not keep promise, forcing Mr. Wickham to work in the military. From this story Elizabeth forms a new opinion of Darcy because she believed he disregarded his own fathers will and she later declares that Mr. Darcy "deserves to be publicly disgraced" (60). It is interesting to see how Elizabeth so willingly takes Mr. Wickhams story as truth due to her past prejudice of Mr Darcy. So when she is later asked by Mr. Darcy to dance she is truly stunned because is "a man whom one is determined to hate" (68).

Elizabeths opinions of Mr. Darcy changes later in the novel, but during their dance she questions him about Mr. Wickham and she does not change her feelings towards him. She finds him rude and unagreeable. Even as Mr. Bingley defends his friend, she refuses to take anything else as truth because she believes Mr. Darcy has told Mr. Bingley only his side of the story. She is prejudice towards Darcy based on only a few things she has heard and her first encounter with him.

Pride and Prejudice Closed Reading 2

True love. Was it possible during Elizabeth's time that a woman could find true love? The beginning of chapter 6 Elizabeth and Charlotte speak about love. From Elizabeth's perspective it is obvious that her sister Jane is infatuated with Mr. Bingley, but for Charlotte she believes that Jane must try harder to secure Mr. Bingley despite the fact they have met nearly every day. Charlotte begins to explain that it is never the woman who falls in love first, "In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels" (20). This quote shows that because the society encouraged that women find husbands, it did not matter if the woman loved the man or not, because she needed to be married, and love would have to wait. Elizabeth insists that Jane should find out more about the man before she goes into such rash things as marrying him, but Charlotte disagrees saying, "When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses" (20). This again shows that the societies priority is to get married then you can fall in love if "she chooses" meaning that there are some women who marry men who in the end they never fall in love with.
Elizabeth is still concerned though, as she worries that Jane does not know enough about this man, "I do not imagine that much has been unfolded" (21). From this quote it can be inferred that Elizabeth is worried that once her sister is married to Mr. Bingley she will find something that she doesn't like and won't be happy with her marriage. To this Charlotte responds, "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance" (21). This yet again shows that during the time women married whoever seemed fit or rich and would find out things later about their husbands, and they would either fall in love or have an unhappy marriage that was left totally up to chance. I believe that from what Elizabeth has described of her sister, that Jane has indeed fallen in love with Mr. Bingley, and I believe he reciprocates the feeling. So maybe true love during this time period was very unlikely, but Jane and Mr. Bingley seemed to have found it.

Pride and Prejudice Closed Reading 1

For my first closed reading on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen I will analyze the discussion of pride between the Bennett family and the Lucas family. After both families attend the ball the women of the families gather together to speak of the night in chapter 5 of the novel. From the discussion it can clearly be seen that the first priority for these women is the men and who they danced with. During this time period it was a honor to be married to a man of Great wealth and notoriety. A marriage to a young man with these qualities gave the family and the young woman pride. This is why Mrs. Bennett is quite pleased that Mr. Bingley danced with her daughter twice, "Oh, you mean Jane, I suppose, because he danced with her twice. To be sure that did seem as if he admired her- indeed, I rather, believe he did- I heard something about it- but I hardly knew what- something about Mr. Robinson"(12). Mrs. Bennett, while being polite about it, is bragging to the rest of the girls that her daughter danced with a man who fancied her twice, meaning that he liked her enough to ask for a second dance. This brings great pride to Mrs. Bennett, and no doubt Jane, the lucky lady who got to dance with Mr. Bingley two times in one night.

As the conversation continues they merge to the subject of the illusive Mr. Darcey. The women believed Mr. Darcey to be very rude when he did not dance with Elizabeth, or any other girl at the ball. Mr. Darcey even called Elizabeth "tolerable" which is not something that would bring pride to Mrs. Bennett who only wants her daughters to be well married and beautiful. Mrs. Bennett finds that his attitude at the ball was due to his pride, which she found offensive. Yet Miss Lucas begins to defend Mr. Darcey for he does, in fact, have a lot to be proud of, "...there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, everything in his favour, should think highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a right to be proud" (13). While I agree with Miss Lucas, at the time period, Mr. Darcey did have a right to be proud for everything he has in his life, yet it does not excuse his behavior at the ball. As the conversation continues Mary begins to explain how pride is "a very common failing" meaning that it is in human nature to be proud, but it is often linked with vanity. She says, "Pride relates more to our pinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us"(14). This quote represents what I believe about this novel. The title should really be "Vanity and Prejudice" because from what is understood from Mrs. Bennet's character, she does not want her children to be proud of themselves as much as she wants others to envy them. These women spend their time preparing for balls looking there best, not to be proud in their own appearance but for others to admire them. So the question is: Is Mr Darcey proud of himself? Or is he feigning pride so that others may envy him for his accomplishments?

Coming Through Slaughter Structure

Today in class we discussed the structure of Jazz music, and how the structure of Jazz music inspired the structure of "Coming Through Slaughter" by Michael Ondaatje. As this novel is about the great Buddy Bolden a famous Jazz player from the south and his style of improvisation, you can see this style imitated in the text.
As our group discussed, we knew that typical jazz has 1 measure of 8 with a 4/4 shuffle beat, with the added improvisation or solo, but this is repeated. Looking through the text we noticed that most new ideas or plot lines start with an Astrix (*) which can be interpreted as a new beat to the measure of 8, and usually after each * there are four paragraphs or lines that follow. As stated before the text follows Buddy Bolden's style, so when there are some pages with only one line this can be interpreted as Buddy's unusual solo style that interrupts the basic Jazz structure. Also the text is split into 3 chapters, which can be used to show the usual 3 verses sung in Jazz.

Coming Through Slaughter Closed Reading II

"So many murders of his own body. From the slammed fingernail to the sweat draining through his hair eventually bleeding brown into the neck of his shirt. That and Nora's habit of biting the collars of his shirt made him eventually buy them collarless. There was a strange lack of care regarding his fingers, even in spite of his ultimate nightmare of having hands cut off at the wrists. His nails chewed down and indistinguishable from the callouses of his fingers. He could hardly feel his lady properly anymore. Suicide of the hands. So many varieties of murder. After his child died in his dream it was his wrist he attacked." (49)





From this passage I can infer that Bolden is either depressed or extremely paranoid. In the second sentence when he talks about his sweat he describes it as "bleeding" into his shirt, this use of diction cannot be a coincidence. The words "murder" "bleeding" "nightmare" "cut" and "died" show that Bolden is constantly thinking about either his own death or the death of his child in his dream. The ending of the passage is interesting when he describes that "it was his wrist that he attacked". Attacking the wrists in a form of cutting is a sign of depression and the need for pain to release that depression, somehow this passage conveys that the different "murders" of his own body is a sign of depression and self mutilation. I deduce that Bolden is paranoid and/or nervous as he has bitten his fingernails to where they were "indistinguishable". So from this passage I can infer that Bolden is both depressed and paranoid about his future.

Coming Through Slaughter Closed Reading I

"He found himself on the Brewitts' lawn. She opened the door. For a moment he looked right through her, almost forgot to recognize her. Started shaking, from his stomach up to his mouth, he could not hold his jaws together, he wanted to get the words to Robin or Jaelin clearly. Whichever one answered the door. But it was her. Her hand wiping the hair off her face. He saw that, he saw her hand taking her hair and moving it. His hands were in his coat pockets. He wanted to burn the coat it stank so much. Can I burn this coat here? that was not what he wanted to say. Come in Buddy. That was not what he wanted to say. His whole body started to shake. He was looking at one of her eyes. But he couldn't hold it there because of the shake. She started to move towards him he had to say it before she reached him or touched him or smelled him had to say it. Help me. Come in Buddy. Help me. Come in Buddy. Help me. He was shaking. " (pg 45)

From this passage we get an interesting look at the person who is Buddy Bolden. Bolden seems to be a man of conflicting emotions, for not long before he stated he never wanted to see anyone he knew ever again, (39) and yet he appears on the Brewitts' front lawn. As Robin opened the door Bolden "looked right through her", from this it can be inferred that Bolden is distracted or has something on his mind. He clearly went to their house for a reason due to the fact he wanted to "get out the words clearly" he needed to tell the Brewitts something important, yet he forgets to even acknowledge who she even is. As the passage continues to describe the way Robin removed the hair from her face, it can be understood that Bolden was watching her and her movements. "He saw that" this is repeated and this can show that his observation was important. Earlier in the text Bolden had seen Robin naked which seemed to be a defining moment in their relationship, the way he notices her here may show that he may have more than friendly feelings towards Robin. As stated earlier Bolden was at their house for a reason to tell the Brewitts something important, but instead of saying what he intended he proceeds to say, "can I burn my coat here?" This can be seen as an sign of deflection and nervousness. It can be seen later in the passage that Bolden really wanted to say "help me" which may have been something he was ashamed of, he doesn't want to admit that he needs help.