Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 12

Jane Austen · Mountaineers 10th–12th

Teaching Companion Print Adapt for your student

Copywork

To Mr. Darcy it was welcome intelligence: Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough. She attracted him more than he liked; and Miss Bingley was uncivil to her and more teasing than usual to himself. He wisely resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape him--nothing that could elevate her with the hope of influencing his felicity; sensible that, if such an idea had been suggested, his behaviour during the last day must have material weight in confirming or crushing it. Steady to his purpose, he scarcely spoke ten words to her through the whole of Saturday: and though they were at one time left by themselves for half an hour, he adhered most conscientiously to his book, and would not even look at her.

But their father, though very laconic in his expressions of pleasure, was really glad to see them; he had felt their importance in the family circle. The evening conversation, when they were all assembled, had lost much of its animation, and almost all its sense, by the absence of Jane and Elizabeth.

Read both passages aloud. Darcy has more than one reason to be glad that Elizabeth is going. Which reason would he least like to say out loud?

For the educator Two passages, six sentences: the whole of Darcy’s paragraph, from the news of the leaving to the half hour with his book, and Mr. Bennet’s welcome at Longbourn. The first sentence puts him first (“To Mr. Darcy”), uses “intelligence” in its old sense of news, and turns on a colon to his own view, given in the narrator’s sentence: “Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough.” The second joins two clauses with a semicolon and “and”. The first clause is short and plain. The second gives Miss Bingley two faults in balance, “uncivil to _her_” and “more teasing than usual to himself”, with the italic _her_ pointing the contrast between the two people she treats badly. The third is the long one. Its main clause ends “no sign of admiration should _now_ escape him”; after the double hyphen (this edition’s dash), “nothing that could elevate her with the hope of influencing his felicity” restates “sign of admiration” in apposition; after a semicolon, an adjective phrase (“sensible that”) goes back to describe “He”, holds a condition set off by commas (“if such an idea had been suggested”), and ends on the alliterative pair “confirming or crushing it.” The fourth opens on a phrase that describes him (“Steady to his purpose”), gives the day in a main clause, turns on a colon, sets a “though” clause after “and”, closed by a comma, and ends on two actions joined by “and”, the last in the plainest words of the paragraph: “would not even look at her.” The second passage turns from a man glad to see Elizabeth go to a man glad to see her come. Its first sentence opens on “But”, sets a “though” phrase between its subject and its verb (“though very laconic in his expressions of pleasure”), and after a semicolon gives the reason in the past perfect: “he had felt their importance”. Its second sets a “when” clause between subject and verb, then names the loss as a rising pair, “much of its animation, and almost all its sense”, the second half set off by commas like an afterthought that is really the point. For mechanics, notice the underscores that mark italics, the double hyphen for a dash, the colons in the first and last sentences of Darcy’s paragraph, and the semicolons in its second and third and in Mr. Bennet’s first. For the talk prompt, listen for a student who picks “She attracted him more than he liked”, a feeling he did not choose; one who picks Miss Bingley being “more teasing than usual to himself”, a smaller reason and a vainer one; and one who picks Miss Bingley being “uncivil to _her_”, a reason that sounds like care for Elizabeth, which a proud man might also keep to himself. No answer may say that Darcy will act on the feeling, or that Elizabeth notices anything.

Discussion

Narration Tell the chapter back in a few sentences, from Elizabeth’s letter to her mother to the news waiting at Longbourn.

When Darcy and Elizabeth were left alone for half an hour, he “adhered most conscientiously to his book.” What did that half hour cost him? Character
When her daughters come home early, Mrs. Bennet is “sure Jane would have caught cold again.” How much of that is worry for Jane? Character
The chapter ends with Catherine and Lydia’s news that “a private had been flogged; and it had actually been hinted that Colonel Forster was going to be married.” Whose voice do you hear in “actually”? Tone

Make a Connection Think of a time, in a book or in your own life, when someone was very glad to see another person but said almost nothing. How did the gladness show?

Vocabulary

deferred: The communication excited many professions of concern; and enough was said of wishing them to stay at least till the following day to work on Jane; and till the morrow their going was deferred. Put off to a later time (from Latin differre, to carry apart, to delay). The going is “deferred” by one day. The polite, formal word suits a household that delays a departure with “professions of concern”, here meaning spoken declarations of it.
felicity: He wisely resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape him--nothing that could elevate her with the hope of influencing his felicity; sensible that, if such an idea had been suggested, his behaviour during the last day must have material weight in confirming or crushing it. Happiness, especially a settled, deep kind (from Latin felix, happy, lucky). Darcy guards against any hope in Elizabeth of “influencing his felicity”. The grand word for his own happiness shows how seriously he takes it.
laconic: But their father, though very laconic in his expressions of pleasure, was really glad to see them; he had felt their importance in the family circle. Using very few words (from Laconia, the region of Sparta, whose people were famous for short replies). Mr. Bennet is “very laconic” about his pleasure. The word lets the narrator say that his gladness is real while he says almost none of it.

Critical thinking

Darcy hardly speaks to Elizabeth on her last day, while Miss Bingley grows much more polite to her just as she leaves. Which of them shows more of what they feel?
Darcy decides to give Elizabeth no sign of his admiration and will not even look at her. Is that sensible self-control, or is it pride?