Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 51

Jane Austen · Mountaineers 10th–12th

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Her mother stepped forwards, embraced her, and welcomed her with rapture; gave her hand with an affectionate smile to Wickham, who followed his lady; and wished them both joy, with an alacrity which showed no doubt of their happiness. Their reception from Mr. Bennet, to whom they then turned, was not quite so cordial. His countenance rather gained in austerity; and he scarcely opened his lips.

Wickham was not at all more distressed than herself; but his manners were always so pleasing, that, had his character and his marriage been exactly what they ought, his smiles and his easy address, while he claimed their relationship, would have delighted them all. Elizabeth had not before believed him quite equal to such assurance; but she sat down, resolving within herself to draw no limits in future to the impudence of an impudent man. She blushed, and Jane blushed; but the cheeks of the two who caused their confusion suffered no variation of colour.

Read both passages aloud. Where do a few plain words land harder than the long sentences around them?

For the educator Two passages, six sentences in all, a few lines apart in the chapter. The first gives the two welcomes. Mrs. Bennet’s is one long sentence in three parts divided by semicolons, each part with its own verbs: she “stepped forwards, embraced her, and welcomed her with rapture”; she “gave her hand with an affectionate smile to Wickham”; she “wished them both joy”. It ends on “an alacrity which showed no doubt of their happiness”, where the word “doubt” is the narrator’s, not hers. Mr. Bennet’s welcome takes two short sentences. The first is an understatement, “not quite so cordial”; the second is two plain clauses joined by a semicolon and “and,” and the most it gives him to do is to have “scarcely opened his lips.” The length of each welcome matches the person: she pours out, he holds back. The second passage is the paragraph on which the homecoming turns, and each of its three sentences turns on a semicolon followed by “but”. The first sentence holds its main verb back. After “his manners were always so pleasing, that,” the result does not come at once: first a condition contrary to fact, “had his character and his marriage been exactly what they ought,” with “had” in place of “if”; then the subject, “his smiles and his easy address”; then a second interruption, “while he claimed their relationship”. Only then does it reach “would have delighted them all”, a delight that did not happen. The second sentence ends on one root used twice, “the impudence of an impudent man”: noun and adjective close a circle, and “draw no limits” leaves it open. The third sets two short, matching clauses (“_She_ blushed, and Jane blushed”; the underscores mark the edition’s italics, a stress on Elizabeth) against one long and formal clause in which the guilty pair are not even the subject: their cheeks are, and the cheeks “suffered no variation of colour.” Students may notice that this is all the two who caused the trouble are said to suffer. For the talk prompt, let students find the places by ear before they explain them. Likely answers are “not quite so cordial”, “he scarcely opened his lips”, “the impudence of an impudent man” and “_She_ blushed, and Jane blushed”. Some will hear warmth against coldness, others noise against a silence that says more, or a silence that says too little. Leave whether Lydia is better off without shame alone here; the last written question asks it.

Discussion

Narration Tell the chapter back in a few sentences, from Jane’s dread before the carriage arrives to Elizabeth’s letter to her aunt. Then pick the one sentence that matters most, and say why the chapter needs it.

On the wedding day, Jane and Elizabeth feel for Lydia “probably more than she felt for herself”. Does Jane’s pity help her see the day clearly, or mislead her? Character
Mrs. Bennet welcomed Lydia “with rapture”, and later agreed they all should have gone to Brighton. Mr. Bennet scarcely opened his lips. Which of them fails her more? Moral reasoning
Elizabeth expects nothing better from Lydia, but she had never thought Wickham could sit among them so much at ease. Why does his calm surprise her when Lydia’s does not? Character
Austen calls Lydia “fearless”, yet twice Lydia says she was afraid. What is she afraid of losing? Inference
Lydia promised “so faithfully” not to tell that Darcy was at the wedding, yet she says she would tell all if her sisters asked. Whose honour keeps the rest of the secret? Moral reasoning
In her letter, Elizabeth calls Darcy “comparatively speaking, a stranger to our family”. Who is she trying to convince? Inference

Make a Connection Think of a story, or a time in your own life, when someone could not keep a secret they had promised to keep. Why can some people keep a secret when others cannot?

Vocabulary

impudence: Elizabeth had not before believed him quite equal to such assurance; but she sat down, resolving within herself to draw no limits in future to the impudence of an impudent man. Shameless boldness; nerve that does not care what anyone thinks (from Latin impudens, without shame: in-, not, and pudere, to be ashamed). At its root the word names what this chapter is about, having no shame. Elizabeth resolves “to draw no limits in future to the impudence of an impudent man”, using the noun and the adjective together, as if Wickham’s impudence could be explained only by itself.
alacrity: Her mother stepped forwards, embraced her, and welcomed her with rapture; gave her hand with an affectionate smile to Wickham, who followed his lady; and wished them both joy, with an alacrity which showed no doubt of their happiness. Cheerful readiness; quick, willing eagerness (from Latin alacer, lively or brisk). Mrs. Bennet wishes the couple joy “with an alacrity which showed no doubt of their happiness”: the speed of her welcome is itself the sign that she has no doubts to get past.
austerity: His countenance rather gained in austerity; and he scarcely opened his lips. Sternness; a severe, unsmiling plainness (from Greek austeros, harsh or bitter to the taste). Mr. Bennet’s face “rather gained in austerity”: it grows sterner while he says almost nothing. Today the word often means strict saving, as in government spending; Austen means the look of a stern face.
impenetrably: Smiles decked the face of Mrs. Bennet, as the carriage drove up to the door; her husband looked impenetrably grave; her daughters, alarmed, anxious, uneasy. In a way that cannot be seen into or got through (from Latin in-, not, and penetrare, to enter or pierce). Mr. Bennet “looked impenetrably grave”: nobody can read what lies behind his face, and he does not say. In the same sentence his wife’s smiles show everything she feels.

Critical thinking

On the wedding morning, Lydia’s aunt lectured her the whole time she dressed, and Lydia “did not hear above one word in ten”. Is she unable to listen, or unwilling?
Lydia never feels the shame her sisters feel for her. Is she better off for not feeling it?