Chapter 29 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to read the advice for whom it serves. “Do not make yourself uneasy, my dear cousin, about your apparel. Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and daughter. I would advise you merely to put on whatever of your clothes is superior to the rest--there is no occasion for anything more. Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed. She likes to have the distinction of rank preserved.” Here “apparel” means clothes, “becomes” means suits, and “the distinction of rank” means the visible difference between people of higher and lower standing. The student decides whom the advice serves: Elizabeth, Lady Catherine, or Mr. Collins himself. The card does not say that Lady Catherine dislikes Elizabeth; she calls her “a very genteel, pretty kind of girl”.

One reading

Elizabeth, and it is kindly meant. Mr. Collins has spent the day preparing his guests, so that the great house “might not wholly overpower them”, and now he spares his cousin a worry about her gown. A plain dress is what Lady Catherine expects, so Elizabeth need not fret. On this reading the advice is a clumsy kindness, and the reason he gives is simply true of his patroness.

• Do not make yourself uneasy, my dear cousin, about your apparel.
• that the sight of such rooms, so many servants, and so splendid a dinner, might not wholly overpower them.

Another reading

Lady Catherine, and Mr. Collins himself. The comfort ends on a reminder: she likes the line between ranks kept, and a plain gown keeps it. He says “us”, counting himself among those who must dress below her, and he comes “two or three times” to their doors so that she is not kept waiting. On this reading the advice serves his patroness’s taste and his own wish to bring her guests who know their place. Elizabeth’s ease is a side effect.

• Lady Catherine is far from requiring that elegance of dress in us which becomes herself and daughter.
• he came two or three times to their different doors,

Listen for

• Hears the turn from comfort, “Do not make yourself uneasy”, to a reason that is about rank.
• Notices the word “us”: Mr. Collins counts himself among those who must dress below her.
• Notices that the first thing the evening asks of Elizabeth is to look her rank.
• Does not say that Lady Catherine dislikes Elizabeth.

If stuck

• What does Mr. Collins tell Elizabeth to wear?
• What reason does he give at the end?
• Whom does he mean when he says “us”?

A strong answer A strong response names whom the advice serves and rests it on the speech’s last sentence. One reader hears a clumsy kindness to a cousin who might worry. Another hears a reminder of rank dressed up as comfort, serving Lady Catherine’s taste and Mr. Collins’s own anxiety, and notices his “us”. The best answers notice that the evening runs on rank before anyone sits down, which is the ground Elizabeth will have to stand on when the questions come.

What it asks It asks the student to look again at the narrator’s “In spite of”. “In spite of having been at St. James’s, Sir William was so completely awed by the grandeur surrounding him, that he had but just courage enough to make a very low bow, and take his seat without saying a word; and his daughter, frightened almost out of her senses, sat on the edge of her chair, not knowing which way to look. Elizabeth found herself quite equal to the scene, and could observe the three ladies before her composedly.” Earlier that day Sir William has said he is not surprised by the invitation, “from that knowledge of what the manners of the great really are, which my situation in life has allowed me to acquire.” Here St. James’s is the royal court, where Sir William was once presented, “awed” means overcome with wonder and respect, and “my situation in life” means his position in the world. The student decides whether his time at court has failed to steady him, or has taught him to be awed. The card keeps to Sir William and Elizabeth on this evening, not to whether rank should matter in general.

One reading

Yes. Court is where Sir William learned to prize rank, and his pride rests on it: he boasts of knowing “the manners of the great”, a knowledge his “situation in life” has given him. A man who measures himself by his nearness to the great has the most to lose in a great house. He spends the card game “storing his memory with anecdotes and noble names”, gathering rank to tell of later. Elizabeth has had no such training, and she thinks money and rank “mere”, so she is free to watch. On this reading the narrator’s “In spite of” is a joke: his time at court is the cause of his awe, not the cure.

• which my situation in life has allowed me to acquire.
• He was storing his memory with anecdotes and noble names.

Another reading

No. Court never made him easy. Maria dreads her introduction “with as much apprehension as her father had done to his presentation at St. James’s”, so he was frightened then too, and on the steps of Rosings he “did not look perfectly calm”. Maria, who has never been near a court, is more frightened still. On this reading the awe is in the man, and the grand rooms would shake him with or without the court; the “In spite of” means just what it says. Elizabeth’s calm is her own, and even she needs “courage” for it.

• with as much apprehension as her father had done to his presentation at St. James’s.
• even Sir William did not look perfectly calm.

Listen for

• Weighs “In spite of”: does the narrator mean it straight, or with a smile?
• Notices Sir William’s boast before dinner, that his “situation in life” has taught him “the manners of the great”.
• Sets him beside Elizabeth, who has never been to court and thinks money and rank “mere”.
• Keeps to this evening, and does not turn the question into whether rank should matter in general.

If stuck

• What does Sir William do when he enters the room?
• What does he boast about before dinner?
• What is he doing during the card game?

A strong answer A strong response decides whether court steadied Sir William or taught him his awe, and rests it on his own words before dinner. One reader finds the narrator joking: the man who prides himself on knowing “the manners of the great” is the one most overcome by them, and he leaves still “storing his memory with anecdotes and noble names”. Another finds a timid man who was just as frightened at court, as Maria’s fear reminds us. The best answers set him beside Elizabeth: the guest who cares least for rank is the one free to “observe the three ladies before her composedly”, and that freedom is what lets her answer Lady Catherine later.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh Elizabeth’s first reading of her hostess. “She was not rendered formidable by silence: but whatever she said was spoken in so authoritative a tone as marked her self-importance, and brought Mr. Wickham immediately to Elizabeth’s mind; and, from the observation of the day altogether, she believed Lady Catherine to be exactly what he had represented.” Here “formidable” means alarming, “authoritative” means commanding, and “represented” means described. The student decides how much of Elizabeth’s judgment is her own and how much is Mr. Wickham’s account, met again. The card must not say that Mr. Wickham’s whole account of Mr. Darcy is now confirmed; Elizabeth finds him right about Lady Catherine’s manner, and nothing in the chapter tests the rest.

One reading

Her own. She waits for a whole day of watching before she decides: the verdict comes “from the observation of the day altogether”. And the narrator, not only Elizabeth, describes the same manner: a tone that “marked her self-importance”, a welcome that does not let visitors forget “their inferior rank”. On this reading Mr. Wickham described what anyone could see, and Elizabeth checked it fairly.

• from the observation of the day altogether,
• so authoritative a tone as marked her self-importance,

Another reading

His. He comes to her mind “immediately”, at the first sound of the voice, before the day of watching begins. A guest who arrives with a description tends to find it. The word for her verdict is “believed”, not knew. On this reading the evening quietly raises her trust in Mr. Wickham, on the strength of a manner, which is the easiest thing about a person to describe.

• brought Mr. Wickham immediately to Elizabeth’s mind;
• she believed Lady Catherine to be exactly what he had represented.

Listen for

• Notices the order in the sentence: “immediately” first, then “the observation of the day altogether”.
• Separates what the narrator shows of Lady Catherine from what Elizabeth believes.
• Asks what a correct description of a manner can prove about the one who gave it.
• Does not say that Mr. Wickham’s account of Mr. Darcy is confirmed.

If stuck

• Whom does Lady Catherine’s voice make Elizabeth think of?
• When does she decide what Lady Catherine is like?
• Could a person be right about one thing and wrong about another?

A strong answer A strong response chooses and rests on the order of the sentence. One reader finds an honest check: Elizabeth watches all day, and the narrator describes the same self-importance. Another notices that Mr. Wickham comes to mind “immediately”, before the watching, and that the verdict is a belief. The best answers notice what the evening does for Mr. Wickham in Elizabeth’s eyes, and how little a manner can prove about anything else he said.

What it asks It asks the student to read Elizabeth’s answer about her education. “Then who taught you? who attended to you? Without a governess, you must have been neglected.” Elizabeth replies: “Compared with some families, I believe we were; but such of us as wished to learn never wanted the means. We were always encouraged to read, and had all the masters that were necessary. Those who chose to be idle certainly might.” Here a “governess” is a woman employed to teach daughters at home, “never wanted the means” means never lacked the means, and “masters” are visiting teachers of music, drawing and the like. The student decides how much ground Elizabeth gives and how much she keeps. The card does not say which sisters chose to be idle; the chapter names none.

One reading

A good deal, and honestly. She grants the comparison to a stranger who has just called her family’s ways “very strange”. Then she adds a sentence no one asked for: “Those who chose to be idle certainly might.” Some of the five, it seems, did choose. On this reading she will not defend her family with a claim that is not true, even at a table where the truth does her no credit.

• Compared with some families, I believe we were;
• Those who chose to be idle certainly might.

Another reading

Very little. The admission is the doorway, and the defence comes after the semicolon: “such of us as wished to learn never wanted the means.” She moves the question from what the family supplied to what each daughter chose. Lady Catherine hears the challenge: she answers at once that “nobody but a governess” can give steady instruction. On this reading she gives up a word and keeps the argument.

• such of us as wished to learn never wanted the means.
• We were always encouraged to read,

Listen for

• Notices the semicolon that turns the answer from admission to defence.
• Weighs the last sentence, which nobody asked for.
• Notices that Lady Catherine’s question is a real point of difference, not mere snobbery: the Bennets really had no governess.
• Does not name which sisters were idle.

If stuck

• What does Lady Catherine think must happen to girls without a governess?
• What part of her charge does Elizabeth grant?
• Who, in Elizabeth’s answer, is responsible for whether a girl learns?

A strong answer A strong response weighs the two halves of the answer. One reader hears a real admission, made plain by the unasked last sentence about the idle. Another hears a small concession that opens a firm defence: the means were there, and learning was each girl’s choice. The best answers notice that the chapter does not make this a simple win over a snob; Elizabeth has to defend a family that really does differ from what Lady Catherine expects, and she does it without pretending.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh who is making Elizabeth’s argument. “All! What, all five out at once? Very odd! And you only the second. The younger ones out before the elder are married! Your younger sisters must be very young?” Elizabeth answers: “Yes, my youngest is not sixteen. Perhaps _she_ is full young to be much in company. But really, ma’am, I think it would be very hard upon younger sisters that they should not have their share of society and amusement, because the elder may not have the means or inclination to marry early. The last born has as good a right to the pleasures of youth as the first. And to be kept back on _such_ a motive! I think it would not be very likely to promote sisterly affection or delicacy of mind.” Here “out” means formally introduced into society, old enough for balls and visits; “full young” means rather too young; and “delicacy of mind” means fine feeling. Gutenberg’s underscores mark italics, so her voice leans on “_she_” and “_such_”. The student decides whether her place in the family makes her case stronger, weaker or neither.

One reading

Yes: it makes the case stronger. The custom Lady Catherine expects puts the elder first, and Elizabeth is one of the elder sisters, unmarried. When she speaks of the elder who “may not have the means or inclination to marry early”, she is describing girls in her own place, and she argues against holding the younger back for their sake. She even grants a point against herself first. On this reading she argues from principle, not from interest.

• because the elder may not have the means or inclination to marry early.
• The last born has as good a right to the pleasures of youth as the first.

Another reading

Less than it seems. Elder or younger, she is a Bennet defending her own family’s way to someone who has just called it “Very odd!”, and the heat of the italics shows feeling as much as reasoning. Lady Catherine does not weigh Elizabeth’s place among the sisters at all: her answer is about the speaker’s youth, “you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person.” On this reading what counts against Elizabeth at this table is not her place in the family but her age, and that turns the talk to the question she will not answer.

• And to be kept back on such a motive!
• you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person.

Listen for

• Notices that Elizabeth first grants “Perhaps _she_ is full young”.
• Hears the stress in “_such_ a motive” and asks what motive she means.
• Notices that Lady Catherine answers the speaker, not the argument.
• Does not decide in general whether rank or custom should matter; keeps to what Elizabeth’s answer protects.

If stuck

• What surprises Lady Catherine about the Bennet sisters?
• Which sister is Elizabeth, counting from the eldest?
• What does Lady Catherine say back to Elizabeth’s argument?

A strong answer A strong response decides whether Elizabeth’s place in the family changes the weight of her case. One reader finds it stronger: she argues against a custom that would favour girls like herself, and grants a point against her own side first. Another finds her defending her family with feeling, and notices that Lady Catherine answers the speaker, not the argument. The best answers notice that this is the moment that brings on the question of her age.

What it asks It asks the student to set the drawing-room beside the carriage. At Rosings Elizabeth answers “We never had any governess”, “Not one”, and “My mother would have no objection, but my father hates London”, though none of it does her family credit there. On the ride home: “As soon as they had driven from the door, Elizabeth was called on by her cousin to give her opinion of all that she had seen at Rosings, which, for Charlotte’s sake, she made more favourable than it really was. But her commendation, though costing her some trouble, could by no means satisfy Mr. Collins, and he was very soon obliged to take her Ladyship’s praise into his own hands.” Here “commendation” means praise. The student decides with whom honesty costs Elizabeth more, and why.

One reading

Mr. Collins, or rather Charlotte. With Lady Catherine the truth costs Elizabeth nothing she cares about: a great lady’s surprise. In the carriage the truth would hurt her friend, who lives beside Rosings and whose husband wants it praised. So she bends it, and the bending costs her “some trouble”. On this reading kindness to a friend is the one thing that can make Elizabeth less than honest.

• for Charlotte’s sake, she made more favourable than it really was.
• though costing her some trouble,

Another reading

Lady Catherine. Plain answers to a woman who is “not used to have her judgment controverted” take nerve, and they are given at her own table. In the carriage, shading the truth is the easy road, and Mr. Collins is not even satisfied by it. On this reading the drawing-room is the harder test of honesty, and she passes it, while the carriage asks only for kindness.

• she was not used to have her judgment controverted.
• My mother would have no objection, but my father hates London.

Listen for

• Notices “for Charlotte’s sake”: the report is for the friend, not the cousin.
• Weighs “costing her some trouble”: this is the only effort of hers the chapter names.
• Separates a softened report from a lie, and plain answers from rude ones.
• Does not say how Lady Catherine will treat Elizabeth on later visits.

If stuck

• What kind of answers does Elizabeth give about her family?
• What does Mr. Collins ask her in the carriage?
• Whose feelings is she thinking of in each place?

A strong answer A strong response names who is harder and rests it on the last paragraph. One reader finds the carriage harder, because there the truth would hurt Charlotte, and bending it costs Elizabeth “some trouble”. Another finds the drawing-room harder, because plain answers to a woman “not used to have her judgment controverted” take nerve. The best answers notice that Elizabeth gives way where a friend’s comfort is at stake and not where rank expects it, and keep that in mind for the last written question.

What it asks It asks the student to read Lady Catherine’s pleasure at her own table. “He carved and ate and praised with delighted alacrity; and every dish was commended first by him, and then by Sir William, who was now enough recovered to echo whatever his son-in-law said, in a manner which Elizabeth wondered Lady Catherine could bear. But Lady Catherine seemed gratified by their excessive admiration, and gave most gracious smiles, especially when any dish on the table proved a novelty to them.” Here “alacrity” means eager speed, “commended” means praised, “gratified” means pleased, and “a novelty to them” means something they had never had before. The student builds a thesis on what Lady Catherine takes pleasure in, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not say that Lady Catherine dislikes Elizabeth or means her harm.

One reading

Being looked up to. Her widest smiles come when a dish is new to her guests, that is, when her table shows them something beyond their own. The narrator calls the praise “excessive” and has said her manner does not let visitors “forget their inferior rank”. Two men echoing each other over every plate keep that rank in view all through dinner. On this reading the dishes are only the occasion; what pleases her is the distance between her table and theirs.

• especially when any dish on the table proved a novelty to them.
• nor was her manner of receiving them such as to make her visitors forget their inferior rank.

Another reading

Being a good host. The dinner is “exceedingly handsome”, and a hostess is glad to see it enjoyed. A dish that is new to her guests is a treat she has given them, and her smiles are “gracious”. Elizabeth’s wonder that she can bear the praise is Elizabeth’s taste, not proof of vanity. On this reading Lady Catherine enjoys giving pleasure, in the way her house and rank allow her to give it.

• The dinner was exceedingly handsome,
• and gave most gracious smiles,

Listen for

• Notices “especially when any dish on the table proved a novelty to them”: her widest smiles come when the guests are out of their depth.
• Weighs the narrator’s word “excessive”, and Elizabeth’s wonder, against “gracious”.
• Links the dinner to the drawing-room, where Lady Catherine “was not used to have her judgment controverted”.
• Does not say that Lady Catherine dislikes Elizabeth or means her harm.

If stuck

• Who praises the food, and in what order?
• When does Lady Catherine smile most?
• What does a guest show, when a dish is new to them?

A strong answer A strong response might argue that Lady Catherine enjoys the deference more than the dinner, because her widest smiles come when a dish is new to her guests, which shows how far her table stands above theirs. Key evidence includes “especially when any dish on the table proved a novelty to them” and the narrator’s word “excessive”. The strongest objection is that any host is glad to see her food enjoyed, and that her smiles are “gracious”. A revised thesis might hold that she takes real pleasure in giving, but in giving from above, to guests who look up; that is the pleasure Elizabeth’s answers in the drawing-room will not supply.

What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. After her defence of her sisters: “Upon my word,” said her Ladyship, “you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age?” “With three younger sisters grown up,” replied Elizabeth, smiling, “your Ladyship can hardly expect me to own it.” Lady Catherine “seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer”, and says, “You cannot be more than twenty, I am sure,--therefore you need not conceal your age.” Elizabeth answers, “I am not one-and-twenty.” Here “own” means admit. The student builds a thesis on whether the reply is a fair answer to rudeness or a discourtesy to a host, meets the strongest objection, and revises. The card must not say that Lady Catherine dislikes Elizabeth or means her harm; she calls her “a very genteel, pretty kind of girl” and is only astonished. It must not say how Lady Catherine will treat her on later visits.

One reading

A fair answer. The question comes at the end of a long run of questions that “Elizabeth felt all the impertinence of”, about her sisters, her father’s carriage and her mother’s maiden name, all answered “very composedly”. And it is not a real question: it follows “very decidedly for so young a person”, so it is a way of telling her she is too young to hold an opinion. She answers with a joke, smiling, not a snub, and when pressed she says enough. On this reading she gives the host every courtesy except the one that would accept the put-down.

• Elizabeth felt all the impertinence of her questions, but answered them very composedly.
• you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person.

Another reading

A discourtesy. She is a guest at this table; Lady Catherine rose “with great condescension” to receive her party, and has just called her “a very genteel, pretty kind of girl”. A plain question about her age is no worse than the others she has answered, and she is the “patroness” of the house where Elizabeth is staying. Even at the end, “I am not one-and-twenty” only repeats what Lady Catherine guessed and still gives no number. On this reading Elizabeth chose to “trifle” where a word would have cost her nothing.

• Her Ladyship, with great condescension, arose to receive them;
• Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer;

Listen for

• Notices that the age question follows straight on “very decidedly for so young a person”, after a run of plain answers.
• Weighs “I am not one-and-twenty”: a yielding, or one more way of not saying.
• Weighs the narrator’s “dignified impertinence”: which word belongs to Lady Catherine’s manner, and which to her question?
• Does not say that Lady Catherine dislikes Elizabeth, or how she will treat her later.

If stuck

• What has Elizabeth just said when Lady Catherine asks her age?
• How does Elizabeth answer, and what is her face doing?
• What does she finally tell Lady Catherine, and is that her age?

A strong answer A strong response might argue that the reply is fair, because it answers the last of many impertinent questions with a smile rather than a snub, and because the question is really a remark that she is too young to hold an opinion. Key evidence includes “very decidedly for so young a person” and the composure of all her earlier answers. The strongest objection is that she is a guest at Lady Catherine’s table, that her hosts depend on Rosings, and that even “I am not one-and-twenty” withholds the number. A revised thesis might hold that the reply guards her dignity at a small cost in courtesy, and that whether the cost is fair depends on whether one hears the question as a question or as a put-down.