“I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.” Mr. Bennet! That passage was a delight.
This was a favorite of mine too. The banter between the Bennet’s is fun to read, especially in the voices Haley suggested. I wondered as I read it, especially after the descriptions of them at the end of the chapter, whether the banter is good natured. Is there love in this marriage?
You know the sound of a father’s eyes rolling back into his skull? That’s how I hear Mr. Bennet’s voice. I like the idea of world building. I’ve spent the past year in 1800’s Russia, and have Dickens in my queue, so it will be cool to compare and contrast contemporaneous views of the their world.
When I read the chapter, I took it as irony. Notice the wording is VERY clever: “It is a truth…” (A truth? Are there others?) “universally acknowledged” (by whom?) Are the single men, the objects of this sentence, in on this “universal truth?”
I read this as a comment about agendas. The men in possession of fortunes weren’t necessarily aware of this “universal truth.”
And then Mrs. Bennet is about as subtle as a hand grenade….”oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
Note the parallel construction to the first sentence—Mrs. B describes him almost to the word as a “single man of large fortune,” vs. a “good fortune,” and then goes on to quantify the fortune—which is interesting..where does she get that info? It sounds like she’s already google stalked him.
More on the dynamic between Mr. And Mrs. B: “Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture……that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character.” And then the description of Mrs. Bennet was extremely scorpion shaped: “She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.” OK then….we know where this is going to go. Mrs. Bennet’s lack of self-awareness and her ignorance is going to lead to some spectacular social blunders in the carefully hierarchical society that Austen is describing. Mr. Bennet will make blunders too, but he doesn’t care, and probably delights in ruffling the social feathers. He also enjoys ruffling his wife—he likes to stir the pot and then sit back and watch her indignation.
The trope of the middle aged woman who is desperate to social climb and is really bad at it isn’t unique to Austen—Mrs. Malaprop and several Dickens characters come to mind. I have never read Trollope but I bet you find her there too. What does the fact that this character pops up all over literature say about the society of the times? Do we still have those characters in modern literature? I can’t think of one off the top of my head…would be curious to know what others think.
This is a great reading and a fantastic question: "What does the fact that this character pops up all over literature say about the society of the times? do we still have those characters in modern literature?"
You've typed Mrs. Bennet down into a type: desperate to social climb, really bad at it.
I wonder if it's worth adding a few things--maybe things that make her unique, or maybe things that make her more like other characters of this type--to help you unpack your question. Like:
1. Why is she desperate?
2. What does it mean to "socially climb"? (Does it create safety? Prestige? Comfort? Stability? Connections? Excitement?)
3. What does her being a *mother* have to do with this typing?
4. Is she really bad at it? How so? What would it look like to be good at it?
1. Jane Austen saddled her character with a boatload of daughters to see into the world. That is a LOT for any gentry, and the Bennets are clearly posers.
2. Yes, all of the things. Social climbing in the 18th and 19th century is like us playing online games, except it was real. If you married well you got to the next level--"achievement unlocked."
3. Old women are widely used as plot devices, witches, or objects of fun. d
4. We don't know for sure, but JA (as opposed to sister Jane Bennet) gives us plenty..her three-beat description of Mrs. B and the way she talks...she is not self aware enough to be subtle about her machinations. To be good at pawning off your daughters in that world you had to pretend you were uninterested in doing so, but still sneakily doing so. If that makes sense
I imagine the Bennets might have, like many other families, been trying to have a boy to entail their estate to, which would have left any other children more secure upon Mr. Bennet's death. I wonder if Mrs. Bennet would have been so nervous or if Mr. Bennet would have been so aloof if they'd managed to have a son... do they blame themselves? Each other? Both?
Keep having babies and all of them are girls. Dang. You gotta wonder if that causes a twinge of resentment toward the youngest daughters...and makes the eldest daughters seem even more wonderful and capable by comparison.
1. Is it only men who are in possession of a good fortune who are in want of a wife? And is it any wife they want or are their specific traits that are required?
2. The author is clearly playing with the reader in this sentence. How else will the author play with us as the book progresses?
3. As Haley points out, “want” can have multiple meanings. Is there at least a wink at the notion that a single man may still have a good fortune because he does not have a wife
I love these insights. Check, check, and check! I particularly love that you identified "How else will the author play with us as the book progresses?" because that speaks to how skillfully Austen engages us from the very beginning.
I would add a fourth item to your three key things: The promise of comedy.
I'm familiar with this iconic opening sentence, of course, but closely reading it unlocks multiple hints at the fun to come.
- "Universally acknowledged." - This is wildly -- and brilliantly -- exaggerated. Nothing is UNIVERSALLY acknowledged. We've already learned with these words that at least some characters consider their world the whole world. That can either be cynical or frightening or narrow-minded or, in Austen's case as she ably demonstrates in the rest of the sentence, funny.
- "Truth." - Again, this word connotes an overstated worldview. We're going to either be dealing with an unreliable narrator -- or a very canny one with tongue firmly in cheek.
- "Must be." - Biased perspective again! For Austen to use a tone of overstatement to create a promise of comedy in one sentence -- I am here for it!
(Also, first-time Pride and Prejudice reader. First-time Austen reader. I know the highlights but not the real craft and artistry.)
Pride and Prejudice is often approached through the lens of romance due to its place in the cultural zeitgeist, but a closer reading reveals the opening line firmly establishes the novel as commentary on money and social power, rather than romantic love. It’s brilliant!
Indeed. I read the first chapter before committing to actually reading the whole book. I don’t have interest in pure romance or melodrama, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Nice! Yes! We love to think of this novel as a love story, but the opening line really shows us how *unromantic* marriage is, doesn't it? (In fact, the first chapter seems to be a portrait-in-miniature of a married couple that isn't having very much fun or romance these days...They're having more nerves and annoyance than anything else!)
I felt that there was still *some* romance in marriage in the depiction of the Bennet parents - Mr. Bennet might be a sarcastic pot-stirrer, but his compliments of his wife's beauty came off to me as pretty genuine. And while he needles her and winds her up, they both seem to be enjoying themselves in their banter. They may be adversaries in this conversation, but they don't seem to be fundamentally unhappy in their marriage.
Yeah-- I really like your attention to the nuances here. It's not all bad or all good or all easy. Just like real life :)
That's one thing I think folks might not expect from a novel that is hailed as a romance. It's actually a work of REALISM, and that means we need to tune into a higher level of nuance and contradiction. They have a realistic dynamic; not a simple binary of stereotypes. Thanks for drawing back to that point!
To me this chapter and especially the first sentence sets out that this is a novel of economics as well as a romance. Marriage for women is their business. The income of eligible bachelors is common gossip. Mrs B knows nothing of Bingley. She doesn't mention his character, appearance or family. But he is rich so he is a suitable husband
Ooh, and the "merchandise" has already been catalogued for presentation - Lizzie is quick, Jane is handsome, Lydia is good humored. But the other two daughters don't even get their names mentioned. There must be a reason for this.
Nice! Love the idea of the girls being "catalogued" for their fitness as a wife for Bingley. I notice what Mr. Bennet thinks are Lizzy's qualities versus what Mrs. Bennet perceives to be Jane's.
But what of the other two daughters...I wonder if we'll be able to tell that they're "less important" to this marriage scheme...!
Very interesting note on the fact that Mrs. B "knows nothing of Bingley." You're so right! He's rich, therefore he's worthy of a daughter (of which the Bennets have an economic surplus...)
I've never focused solely on the opening to this book, though I have read it multiple times over the years. As others are pointing out, the word 'universally' does lend to the question of 'who exactly is a part of this universe?' But, in my initial read for this week my annotations were focusing on 'acknowledged'. It stood out to me having tones of apathy instead of something with a connotation of agreement or enthusiastic consent. It is almost as if the first sentence is trying to convince us of its validity without deceiving the reader by speaking for 'others in the room'. I read it as 'a truth...universally...acknowledged..." and then the remainder of the sentence speeding up with the speaker really pleased with themselves for finding the right words for their half-truth.
I didn't have a focus going into this week, but after everyone's thoughts on the opening sentence, I wonder how I can track pride and prejudice throughout the text.
The next sentence caught my attention as it centers the male experience and how little is known about it. I've read the notes about 'want of a wife' leaning towards possession, but the next sentence implies that it is the man that is to be possessed regardless of his feelings, as he is 'the rightful property' of who ever is to acquire him. Every time I have read this text, I've rallied behind Lizzie and her journey through her pride in face of prejudice. For the first time, I empathise with Mr. Darcy as well and wonder if his pride is closer to Lizzie's than I've realised. He, too, doesn't want to be the possession society has claimed him as.
I'm excited to follow those themes throughout our read.
That’s a good insight about “in want of.” I understood the phrase to mean they lacked something that everybody (universally acknowledged) ELSE understood the man to need. That there was clearly a deficiency that had to be remedied. What is left hanging is that the men in question may not have been part of the “universe.” Are these prosperous and presentable young men personally feeling that something is missing—that they “lack” a wife? We don’t know from the information given, but the reader—especially the reader of the 19th century—would know that marriage was far more important economically to women of that class than men. Tenant farmers and working poor men would need a wife to contribute economically to the household, but men of Mr. Bingley’s class could hire a housekeeper and servants-a wife need not contribute her labor to keep him afloat.
Another thing that occurred is that there are five Bennet sisters to be married off and Mrs. Bennet’s excitement at one new bachelor moving into the neighborhood tells us that there may be a surplus of young women needing prosperous husbands, and not enough men to go around. It’s one of those world building details that is done efficiently and subtly. The author didn’t need to go into a lot of detail about all of the other neighbors—she just made sure that one family had a ton of daughters, there was one guy who showed up on the horizon, and that it was a big deal to the parent who traditionally would be most worried about her daughters’ futures.
Jenn: hold on to this! "That there was clearly a deficiency that had to be remedied." This is a GREAT way to read the setup of the novel.
We've started this story, then, in the negative. In the novel, we learn there are FIVE deficiencies in the Bennet household that "have to be remedied," and we also learn it's Mrs. Bennet's job to remedy that deficiency. We furthermore learn that Mr. Bennet is making her job hard (for reasons unknown, if somewhat funny at the outset).
Might be worth reading the novel through this lens for a few weeks: how are "social deficiencies" defined or understood? Are they threatening? What happens if they don't get "remedied"?
You just gave away the next few chapters!!! LOL! Truly I had never read any Austen and I started a few weeks ago and got bogged down and then saw your Substack, so decided that a book club is the perfect way to keep me on track. It works on both levels, doesn't it? When I wrote those words, I was thinking the deficiency--the "want" resided with the young men, as assessed by the matrons in the community. But given all of the clues in Chapter 1, how will the Bennets offload all of those daughters given the lack (want) of status and social awareness of the parents?
One of the interesting details about reading something written in the 19th century is the subtle changes in connotation of language between then and now. I can read the words and get the gist of the story but I miss the nuance.
Nice! You're noticing the tone of our narrator in your first paragraph--as you work to suss out how sincere this truth or this law really is. "Apathy" is a really great word to explore, as you continue to examine our narrator...
You've also made an excellent observation that it's not just the wives who are considered possessions. The man, too, has to exist in this universe. I love that this is perhaps opening up a reading of what Mr. Darcy goes through in the story--as much as we get a front row seat to what Lizzy endures, I'm likewise very interested in paying attention to the way this opening line dictates the social law *everyone* has to submit to, and how painful that may be for all parties involved.
This is my third or fourth time reading, and I'm still picking up on things I never noticed before.
I've always loved the banter between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, but I'm also seeing more complexity in each of their characters - Mr. Bennet is hilarious but also a bit flippant and, frankly *doesn't* have compassion on her poor nerves, and Mrs. Bennet isn't totally ridiculous; her concerns are based on the reality of the society in which her daughters are living, which she herself knows well.
I also picked up on them both using "my dear" a lot in just a few pages of dialogue, which feels really ironic, because do they even like each other??
That first line is so iconic. This whole chapter, really, sets the tone for the novel so well. And I can't read it without hearing the 1995 BBC version's voices in my head 😅
Nice!! Thanks for these notes. You're totally onto something with the depth of their characters in the opening chapter. They seem to be lightly bantering and it's a funny, warm scene. But, as we closely read, I think we start to see "whoa, there's more tension here than I thought!"
Mrs. Bennet is treated by her own husband as being nervey and ridiculous. But, as you say, of course she's acting this way: she needs to get those girls married off!
I think the choice to share this "universal truth" in the first sentence rather than dialogue or action-based text is worth noting. The novel could have instead started with "Mr dear Mr. Bennet," or something like, like "Mrs. Bennet peered from behind her lacy curtains, eyebrows raised in delight as Mr. Bingley's carriage and horses glided past her window and on to Netherfield estate".
I think modern novels, which are influenced by cinema, are sometimes told like a sequence of chronological events or scenes. Text doesn't have to be limited to what we can see. Exposition, character's thoughts, background information, and summaries are also useful and increase the depth of a story told textually rather than visually.
Oh, love this! Like Alan says, I love that you're thinking about the *why* of the opening. Why open the novel with a universal statement, rather than plant us immediately into the dialogue with these parents?
Another way to ask this would be:
--> What's the impact of that framing device beyond chapter one? (something to continue reading for!)
--> How does it feel as the reader to receive that piece of information before meeting any characters? (the sentence is generic as can be: "a man" "a wife," and avoids the particulars--the actual characters--in this story)
--> Who is speaking that opening line? What does their tone tell us or suggest to us about them?
Yes! Always add a remark!! We'll be discussing the narrator a lot in coming weeks (and the phenomenon of "free indirect" narration, which Austen is SO genius at!)
I am so glad to have this wonderful distraction on this day. I admit before my first experiences close reading with this group I didn't pay much attention to first lines, and this one is a jewel. A few of my reflections before I plunge into reading others' comments:
"A truth universally acknowledged" - the interesting phrasing makes me suspicious that the acknowledgement is indeed universal at all. And I want to discover the borders of this so-called "universe"
"A single man in possession of a good fortune" - ah, we start to define this "universe". It's male centric and rich
"In want of a wife" - not wants to get married, or seeks a partner, but is "in want of" as of an object needed to complete a collection
And, who is the narrator? - someone with a sarcastic bent as the phrasing makes the whole idea ring false
Amazing notes here! (And I'm so glad for the distraction today, too.)
I like how you're digging into each part of the sentence to ask yourself some questions about how the sentence is working and what ideas it introduces. And your final question is so much fun—and endlessly tangled in this novel. Who IS that narrator? Why do they know this world so well? (Do they know the world well? What assumptions are THEY making?)
I thought it was interesting that the single man in possession of a good fortune would himself be "considered the rightful property of some or other of their daughters" upon moving into the neighborhood. I was also wondering what the business of Mrs. Bennet's life would be if she had sons instead of daughters.
Nice! These are *excellent* questions. I wonder if it's worth flagging that as something to watch for: do we meet any mothers of sons in this novel? How are they different from mothers of daughters?
When I read this I jotted down "AGENCY??" and was thinking about that in my couple of rereads of the first chapter. Who has agency? How do they exercise it? Initially I default to thinking these rich young men have all the power, but they are going to be pursued like prey by the mamas of the Ton.
Mrs Bennet is trying to convince Mr Bennet to open the path for her to complete her main objective - she can't start matchmaking until he makes the first introduction.
Mr Bennet has a lot of agency - he's done his duty to the community by marrying and now he can do right by his passel of daughters or not. The future of the women of his house are subject to his whims.
Such a wonderful treat to be able to revisit this with you and everyone else!
I was truly grabbed by the discussion of property, as in how Mrs. Bennet truly objectifies Mr Bingly (and marriageable men in general). There's this line of hers towards the end of the chapters saying that young men moving to the neighborhood is "of no use" to them if Mr Bennet doesn't pay them a visit, which to me really underlines the utilitarian perspective she has of that class.
It's also really cool to see how Austen early on establishes that this is a world of news traveling by word of mouth (at least for now, wink wink nudge nudge): have you *heard*, she *told* me about it etc.
It’s not just her perspective. Under the social “contract” of that time, unless Mr Bennett calls on Mr Bingley and his call is accepted, Mrs Bennett and the girls cannot even speak to Bingley
This is a good point, too. I think it's both: we see in the chapter that it's Mrs. Bennet's perspective—and that her perspective is largely (if not entirely?) formed by her social reality. Her only road to getting her girls married (as is her duty as their mother) is to rely on this grumpy Mr. Bennet who jerks her around, charming as it may seem.
I love the focus on property—and that you're pointing out how Mrs. Bennet objectifies Bingley as quickly as we might assume a "man" in this society would objectify the idea of "wife." You're onto something with Mrs. Bennet's utilitarian perspective, and there's a line coming later in the novel that seems like a great foil for this moment: "What are men compared to rocks and mountains?"
For me, you're reminding me to watch for signs of luxury and relaxation in Mrs. Bennet—especially because of all those nerves she makes us, and Mr. Bennet, aware of in chapter 1. She's a nervous Nelly and relies on Mr. Bennet to make her job easier; so why doesn't he?
LOVE the attention to communication. modes, too. There are incredible academic articles on communication in Austen — worth looking up on JSTOR!
I've tried to read Pride and Prejudice several times in the past and could never get into it. I wanted to try again, though, so chose to read along with this book club. I was surprised by how much I LOVED this first chapter. I laughed and enjoyed the way Austen fleshed out the Bennets. The banter was delightful. Am I about to become a Jane Austen fan? I'm not sure, but I'm excited to find out. Thank you for putting all of this together!
It has been a long time since I've read Pride and Prejudice, but I watch 2005 Pride and Prejudice so often because... it is a perfect film?
I've always read Mrs. Bennet as a rather insufferable character but in reading chap 1 on repeat this week, I'm reading her differently. Things I am picking up on this read regarding Mr/Mrs B.
-It makes sense that she is "anxious" and obsessed with marrying her daughters off. She understands the economic reality of what will happen to her daughters if they aren't married.
-I wrote in my notes that only a man, confident in his own economic future, could be as nonchalant and unconcerned with these matters. Mr Bennet acts as if the discussion of marriage is beneath him, but his material reality is very different from that of his daughters.
-Mrs. Bennet says "But, consider your daughters" in an appeal to Mr B to go visit the newcomers. I agree, CONSIDER THE DAUGHTERS!
-All that being said, the piece of contrary evidence to Mr B's displayed lack of concern over the matter is that the second question he asks about the newcomer (after his name), is "is he married?". So perhaps it is a ruse. Let us find out.
-Mrs B's dialogue is punctuated with "!" whereas Mr B has short sentences (or silences) ending with "." -- emphasizing their differences in nature. Again though, shouldn't Mrs B be excited and eager about an opportunity to set one of her daughters up for a secure future?
-The text quite clearly states that it is the *business* of Mrs B to get her daughters married.
I'm curious to see if my new reading of Mrs B will hold up as we progress.
Another area of interest in Chap 1, is the theme of possession/property. I noted when words used in the chapter reference some type of possession (annotated with the letter p) and found so many just in these few pages.
-a single man of *possession*
-that he is considered as the *rightful property*
-said *his* lady to him one day
-Netherfield is *taken* by a young man of large fortune
-he is to *take possession* before michaelmas
-"my" little Lizzy
I particularly noticed the parallel references to possessing a home, a fortune, and a wife.
Very excited to be here and can't wait to continue to re-read these 3 pages all week and see what else I uncover.
Oh my gosh, I love your "p" annotations — you're so right that the language of property and ownership is all over the chapter, even in very subtle ways, like "my" little Lizzy.
And we agree: the 2005 film is *perfect.* I love every single shot and scene and moment of that film!!
I agree on your reread of Mrs Bennet! The stakes are so high and this woman is hustling. Worst still, she has neither Lizzy’s wit nor Jane’s social graces to help her. It’s an uphill battle.
“I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.” Mr. Bennet! That passage was a delight.
Such a good comeback 🤣
Yes! Along with the first two paragraphs, this was my favorite passage of the chapter.
This banter is perfection. The way Jane Austen crafts dialogue is incredible.
This is my favourite quote this week (and one of the best in the entire book) 🤭
Although I didn’t really “vibe” with Mr. Bennet, I found this quite witty and it made me giggle haha
This was a favorite of mine too. The banter between the Bennet’s is fun to read, especially in the voices Haley suggested. I wondered as I read it, especially after the descriptions of them at the end of the chapter, whether the banter is good natured. Is there love in this marriage?
You know the sound of a father’s eyes rolling back into his skull? That’s how I hear Mr. Bennet’s voice. I like the idea of world building. I’ve spent the past year in 1800’s Russia, and have Dickens in my queue, so it will be cool to compare and contrast contemporaneous views of the their world.
When I read the chapter, I took it as irony. Notice the wording is VERY clever: “It is a truth…” (A truth? Are there others?) “universally acknowledged” (by whom?) Are the single men, the objects of this sentence, in on this “universal truth?”
I read this as a comment about agendas. The men in possession of fortunes weren’t necessarily aware of this “universal truth.”
And then Mrs. Bennet is about as subtle as a hand grenade….”oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
Note the parallel construction to the first sentence—Mrs. B describes him almost to the word as a “single man of large fortune,” vs. a “good fortune,” and then goes on to quantify the fortune—which is interesting..where does she get that info? It sounds like she’s already google stalked him.
More on the dynamic between Mr. And Mrs. B: “Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture……that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character.” And then the description of Mrs. Bennet was extremely scorpion shaped: “She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.” OK then….we know where this is going to go. Mrs. Bennet’s lack of self-awareness and her ignorance is going to lead to some spectacular social blunders in the carefully hierarchical society that Austen is describing. Mr. Bennet will make blunders too, but he doesn’t care, and probably delights in ruffling the social feathers. He also enjoys ruffling his wife—he likes to stir the pot and then sit back and watch her indignation.
The trope of the middle aged woman who is desperate to social climb and is really bad at it isn’t unique to Austen—Mrs. Malaprop and several Dickens characters come to mind. I have never read Trollope but I bet you find her there too. What does the fact that this character pops up all over literature say about the society of the times? Do we still have those characters in modern literature? I can’t think of one off the top of my head…would be curious to know what others think.
Ha ha ha "google stalked him"
This is a great reading and a fantastic question: "What does the fact that this character pops up all over literature say about the society of the times? do we still have those characters in modern literature?"
You've typed Mrs. Bennet down into a type: desperate to social climb, really bad at it.
I wonder if it's worth adding a few things--maybe things that make her unique, or maybe things that make her more like other characters of this type--to help you unpack your question. Like:
1. Why is she desperate?
2. What does it mean to "socially climb"? (Does it create safety? Prestige? Comfort? Stability? Connections? Excitement?)
3. What does her being a *mother* have to do with this typing?
4. Is she really bad at it? How so? What would it look like to be good at it?
Just food for thought as we continue reading :)
1. Jane Austen saddled her character with a boatload of daughters to see into the world. That is a LOT for any gentry, and the Bennets are clearly posers.
2. Yes, all of the things. Social climbing in the 18th and 19th century is like us playing online games, except it was real. If you married well you got to the next level--"achievement unlocked."
3. Old women are widely used as plot devices, witches, or objects of fun. d
4. We don't know for sure, but JA (as opposed to sister Jane Bennet) gives us plenty..her three-beat description of Mrs. B and the way she talks...she is not self aware enough to be subtle about her machinations. To be good at pawning off your daughters in that world you had to pretend you were uninterested in doing so, but still sneakily doing so. If that makes sense
I imagine the Bennets might have, like many other families, been trying to have a boy to entail their estate to, which would have left any other children more secure upon Mr. Bennet's death. I wonder if Mrs. Bennet would have been so nervous or if Mr. Bennet would have been so aloof if they'd managed to have a son... do they blame themselves? Each other? Both?
Keep having babies and all of them are girls. Dang. You gotta wonder if that causes a twinge of resentment toward the youngest daughters...and makes the eldest daughters seem even more wonderful and capable by comparison.
Thought on the first sentence:
1. Is it only men who are in possession of a good fortune who are in want of a wife? And is it any wife they want or are their specific traits that are required?
2. The author is clearly playing with the reader in this sentence. How else will the author play with us as the book progresses?
3. As Haley points out, “want” can have multiple meanings. Is there at least a wink at the notion that a single man may still have a good fortune because he does not have a wife
I love these insights. Check, check, and check! I particularly love that you identified "How else will the author play with us as the book progresses?" because that speaks to how skillfully Austen engages us from the very beginning.
Amazing questions! I'd keep these close as we continue reading.
I would add a fourth item to your three key things: The promise of comedy.
I'm familiar with this iconic opening sentence, of course, but closely reading it unlocks multiple hints at the fun to come.
- "Universally acknowledged." - This is wildly -- and brilliantly -- exaggerated. Nothing is UNIVERSALLY acknowledged. We've already learned with these words that at least some characters consider their world the whole world. That can either be cynical or frightening or narrow-minded or, in Austen's case as she ably demonstrates in the rest of the sentence, funny.
- "Truth." - Again, this word connotes an overstated worldview. We're going to either be dealing with an unreliable narrator -- or a very canny one with tongue firmly in cheek.
- "Must be." - Biased perspective again! For Austen to use a tone of overstatement to create a promise of comedy in one sentence -- I am here for it!
(Also, first-time Pride and Prejudice reader. First-time Austen reader. I know the highlights but not the real craft and artistry.)
I love this! My favorite thing during my first read of this novel was realizing how hilarious it is. It's so funny and sarcastic.
Pride and Prejudice is often approached through the lens of romance due to its place in the cultural zeitgeist, but a closer reading reveals the opening line firmly establishes the novel as commentary on money and social power, rather than romantic love. It’s brilliant!
Indeed. I read the first chapter before committing to actually reading the whole book. I don’t have interest in pure romance or melodrama, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Oh, you're in for a treat :)
Nice! Yes! We love to think of this novel as a love story, but the opening line really shows us how *unromantic* marriage is, doesn't it? (In fact, the first chapter seems to be a portrait-in-miniature of a married couple that isn't having very much fun or romance these days...They're having more nerves and annoyance than anything else!)
I felt that there was still *some* romance in marriage in the depiction of the Bennet parents - Mr. Bennet might be a sarcastic pot-stirrer, but his compliments of his wife's beauty came off to me as pretty genuine. And while he needles her and winds her up, they both seem to be enjoying themselves in their banter. They may be adversaries in this conversation, but they don't seem to be fundamentally unhappy in their marriage.
Yeah-- I really like your attention to the nuances here. It's not all bad or all good or all easy. Just like real life :)
That's one thing I think folks might not expect from a novel that is hailed as a romance. It's actually a work of REALISM, and that means we need to tune into a higher level of nuance and contradiction. They have a realistic dynamic; not a simple binary of stereotypes. Thanks for drawing back to that point!
To me this chapter and especially the first sentence sets out that this is a novel of economics as well as a romance. Marriage for women is their business. The income of eligible bachelors is common gossip. Mrs B knows nothing of Bingley. She doesn't mention his character, appearance or family. But he is rich so he is a suitable husband
Adding that it is also very funny. Mr and Mrs B are delightful
The history of the economics of women is fraught, and your putting this beloved novel in the mix of that history is very insightful.
Ooh, and the "merchandise" has already been catalogued for presentation - Lizzie is quick, Jane is handsome, Lydia is good humored. But the other two daughters don't even get their names mentioned. There must be a reason for this.
Nice! Love the idea of the girls being "catalogued" for their fitness as a wife for Bingley. I notice what Mr. Bennet thinks are Lizzy's qualities versus what Mrs. Bennet perceives to be Jane's.
But what of the other two daughters...I wonder if we'll be able to tell that they're "less important" to this marriage scheme...!
Very interesting note on the fact that Mrs. B "knows nothing of Bingley." You're so right! He's rich, therefore he's worthy of a daughter (of which the Bennets have an economic surplus...)
I've never focused solely on the opening to this book, though I have read it multiple times over the years. As others are pointing out, the word 'universally' does lend to the question of 'who exactly is a part of this universe?' But, in my initial read for this week my annotations were focusing on 'acknowledged'. It stood out to me having tones of apathy instead of something with a connotation of agreement or enthusiastic consent. It is almost as if the first sentence is trying to convince us of its validity without deceiving the reader by speaking for 'others in the room'. I read it as 'a truth...universally...acknowledged..." and then the remainder of the sentence speeding up with the speaker really pleased with themselves for finding the right words for their half-truth.
I didn't have a focus going into this week, but after everyone's thoughts on the opening sentence, I wonder how I can track pride and prejudice throughout the text.
The next sentence caught my attention as it centers the male experience and how little is known about it. I've read the notes about 'want of a wife' leaning towards possession, but the next sentence implies that it is the man that is to be possessed regardless of his feelings, as he is 'the rightful property' of who ever is to acquire him. Every time I have read this text, I've rallied behind Lizzie and her journey through her pride in face of prejudice. For the first time, I empathise with Mr. Darcy as well and wonder if his pride is closer to Lizzie's than I've realised. He, too, doesn't want to be the possession society has claimed him as.
I'm excited to follow those themes throughout our read.
That’s a good insight about “in want of.” I understood the phrase to mean they lacked something that everybody (universally acknowledged) ELSE understood the man to need. That there was clearly a deficiency that had to be remedied. What is left hanging is that the men in question may not have been part of the “universe.” Are these prosperous and presentable young men personally feeling that something is missing—that they “lack” a wife? We don’t know from the information given, but the reader—especially the reader of the 19th century—would know that marriage was far more important economically to women of that class than men. Tenant farmers and working poor men would need a wife to contribute economically to the household, but men of Mr. Bingley’s class could hire a housekeeper and servants-a wife need not contribute her labor to keep him afloat.
Another thing that occurred is that there are five Bennet sisters to be married off and Mrs. Bennet’s excitement at one new bachelor moving into the neighborhood tells us that there may be a surplus of young women needing prosperous husbands, and not enough men to go around. It’s one of those world building details that is done efficiently and subtly. The author didn’t need to go into a lot of detail about all of the other neighbors—she just made sure that one family had a ton of daughters, there was one guy who showed up on the horizon, and that it was a big deal to the parent who traditionally would be most worried about her daughters’ futures.
Jenn: hold on to this! "That there was clearly a deficiency that had to be remedied." This is a GREAT way to read the setup of the novel.
We've started this story, then, in the negative. In the novel, we learn there are FIVE deficiencies in the Bennet household that "have to be remedied," and we also learn it's Mrs. Bennet's job to remedy that deficiency. We furthermore learn that Mr. Bennet is making her job hard (for reasons unknown, if somewhat funny at the outset).
Might be worth reading the novel through this lens for a few weeks: how are "social deficiencies" defined or understood? Are they threatening? What happens if they don't get "remedied"?
You just gave away the next few chapters!!! LOL! Truly I had never read any Austen and I started a few weeks ago and got bogged down and then saw your Substack, so decided that a book club is the perfect way to keep me on track. It works on both levels, doesn't it? When I wrote those words, I was thinking the deficiency--the "want" resided with the young men, as assessed by the matrons in the community. But given all of the clues in Chapter 1, how will the Bennets offload all of those daughters given the lack (want) of status and social awareness of the parents?
One of the interesting details about reading something written in the 19th century is the subtle changes in connotation of language between then and now. I can read the words and get the gist of the story but I miss the nuance.
Nice! You're noticing the tone of our narrator in your first paragraph--as you work to suss out how sincere this truth or this law really is. "Apathy" is a really great word to explore, as you continue to examine our narrator...
You've also made an excellent observation that it's not just the wives who are considered possessions. The man, too, has to exist in this universe. I love that this is perhaps opening up a reading of what Mr. Darcy goes through in the story--as much as we get a front row seat to what Lizzy endures, I'm likewise very interested in paying attention to the way this opening line dictates the social law *everyone* has to submit to, and how painful that may be for all parties involved.
This is my third or fourth time reading, and I'm still picking up on things I never noticed before.
I've always loved the banter between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, but I'm also seeing more complexity in each of their characters - Mr. Bennet is hilarious but also a bit flippant and, frankly *doesn't* have compassion on her poor nerves, and Mrs. Bennet isn't totally ridiculous; her concerns are based on the reality of the society in which her daughters are living, which she herself knows well.
I also picked up on them both using "my dear" a lot in just a few pages of dialogue, which feels really ironic, because do they even like each other??
That first line is so iconic. This whole chapter, really, sets the tone for the novel so well. And I can't read it without hearing the 1995 BBC version's voices in my head 😅
Nice!! Thanks for these notes. You're totally onto something with the depth of their characters in the opening chapter. They seem to be lightly bantering and it's a funny, warm scene. But, as we closely read, I think we start to see "whoa, there's more tension here than I thought!"
Mrs. Bennet is treated by her own husband as being nervey and ridiculous. But, as you say, of course she's acting this way: she needs to get those girls married off!
Same here, I cannot read them in any other voices :D
I think the choice to share this "universal truth" in the first sentence rather than dialogue or action-based text is worth noting. The novel could have instead started with "Mr dear Mr. Bennet," or something like, like "Mrs. Bennet peered from behind her lacy curtains, eyebrows raised in delight as Mr. Bingley's carriage and horses glided past her window and on to Netherfield estate".
I think modern novels, which are influenced by cinema, are sometimes told like a sequence of chronological events or scenes. Text doesn't have to be limited to what we can see. Exposition, character's thoughts, background information, and summaries are also useful and increase the depth of a story told textually rather than visually.
Thank you, Haley! Looking forward to next week!
I love that you're asking "Why" instead of "What" regarding the first sentence. That's a great lesson for both readers and writers.
(And don't forget that not only are modern novels influenced by cinema, but modern writers are influenced by movie deals!)
Oh, love this! Like Alan says, I love that you're thinking about the *why* of the opening. Why open the novel with a universal statement, rather than plant us immediately into the dialogue with these parents?
Another way to ask this would be:
--> What's the impact of that framing device beyond chapter one? (something to continue reading for!)
--> How does it feel as the reader to receive that piece of information before meeting any characters? (the sentence is generic as can be: "a man" "a wife," and avoids the particulars--the actual characters--in this story)
--> Who is speaking that opening line? What does their tone tell us or suggest to us about them?
Oh, can I add a remark to this? I love the passive voice there! It does SO MUCH invisible heavy-lifting!
Yes! Always add a remark!! We'll be discussing the narrator a lot in coming weeks (and the phenomenon of "free indirect" narration, which Austen is SO genius at!)
I am so glad to have this wonderful distraction on this day. I admit before my first experiences close reading with this group I didn't pay much attention to first lines, and this one is a jewel. A few of my reflections before I plunge into reading others' comments:
"A truth universally acknowledged" - the interesting phrasing makes me suspicious that the acknowledgement is indeed universal at all. And I want to discover the borders of this so-called "universe"
"A single man in possession of a good fortune" - ah, we start to define this "universe". It's male centric and rich
"In want of a wife" - not wants to get married, or seeks a partner, but is "in want of" as of an object needed to complete a collection
And, who is the narrator? - someone with a sarcastic bent as the phrasing makes the whole idea ring false
Amazing notes here! (And I'm so glad for the distraction today, too.)
I like how you're digging into each part of the sentence to ask yourself some questions about how the sentence is working and what ideas it introduces. And your final question is so much fun—and endlessly tangled in this novel. Who IS that narrator? Why do they know this world so well? (Do they know the world well? What assumptions are THEY making?)
Oh I love this! I have read the book multiples times but never considered the question of the 'narrator' - thank you.
Agreed, I loved this sentence. I read it with a teasing and loving voice in my mind. It hints to the Bennets' playful relationship so beautifully.
Love this: "a teasing and loving voice."
I imagine Jane and Cassandra bantering over this so often that she eventually crafted the perfect sentence to articulate it!
I thought it was interesting that the single man in possession of a good fortune would himself be "considered the rightful property of some or other of their daughters" upon moving into the neighborhood. I was also wondering what the business of Mrs. Bennet's life would be if she had sons instead of daughters.
Nice! These are *excellent* questions. I wonder if it's worth flagging that as something to watch for: do we meet any mothers of sons in this novel? How are they different from mothers of daughters?
When I read this I jotted down "AGENCY??" and was thinking about that in my couple of rereads of the first chapter. Who has agency? How do they exercise it? Initially I default to thinking these rich young men have all the power, but they are going to be pursued like prey by the mamas of the Ton.
Mrs Bennet is trying to convince Mr Bennet to open the path for her to complete her main objective - she can't start matchmaking until he makes the first introduction.
Mr Bennet has a lot of agency - he's done his duty to the community by marrying and now he can do right by his passel of daughters or not. The future of the women of his house are subject to his whims.
The “rightful property” stood out to me as well, Jenny. I’m very interested to see how this plays out.
Such a wonderful treat to be able to revisit this with you and everyone else!
I was truly grabbed by the discussion of property, as in how Mrs. Bennet truly objectifies Mr Bingly (and marriageable men in general). There's this line of hers towards the end of the chapters saying that young men moving to the neighborhood is "of no use" to them if Mr Bennet doesn't pay them a visit, which to me really underlines the utilitarian perspective she has of that class.
It's also really cool to see how Austen early on establishes that this is a world of news traveling by word of mouth (at least for now, wink wink nudge nudge): have you *heard*, she *told* me about it etc.
As always, lots to unpack everywhere!
It’s not just her perspective. Under the social “contract” of that time, unless Mr Bennett calls on Mr Bingley and his call is accepted, Mrs Bennett and the girls cannot even speak to Bingley
This is a good point, too. I think it's both: we see in the chapter that it's Mrs. Bennet's perspective—and that her perspective is largely (if not entirely?) formed by her social reality. Her only road to getting her girls married (as is her duty as their mother) is to rely on this grumpy Mr. Bennet who jerks her around, charming as it may seem.
So happy to be reading with you Juliana!!!!
I love the focus on property—and that you're pointing out how Mrs. Bennet objectifies Bingley as quickly as we might assume a "man" in this society would objectify the idea of "wife." You're onto something with Mrs. Bennet's utilitarian perspective, and there's a line coming later in the novel that seems like a great foil for this moment: "What are men compared to rocks and mountains?"
For me, you're reminding me to watch for signs of luxury and relaxation in Mrs. Bennet—especially because of all those nerves she makes us, and Mr. Bennet, aware of in chapter 1. She's a nervous Nelly and relies on Mr. Bennet to make her job easier; so why doesn't he?
LOVE the attention to communication. modes, too. There are incredible academic articles on communication in Austen — worth looking up on JSTOR!
I've tried to read Pride and Prejudice several times in the past and could never get into it. I wanted to try again, though, so chose to read along with this book club. I was surprised by how much I LOVED this first chapter. I laughed and enjoyed the way Austen fleshed out the Bennets. The banter was delightful. Am I about to become a Jane Austen fan? I'm not sure, but I'm excited to find out. Thank you for putting all of this together!
Yay! Isn't that the best feeling? you're not sure about a book...and then, for some reason, it clicks. Yes!
It has been a long time since I've read Pride and Prejudice, but I watch 2005 Pride and Prejudice so often because... it is a perfect film?
I've always read Mrs. Bennet as a rather insufferable character but in reading chap 1 on repeat this week, I'm reading her differently. Things I am picking up on this read regarding Mr/Mrs B.
-It makes sense that she is "anxious" and obsessed with marrying her daughters off. She understands the economic reality of what will happen to her daughters if they aren't married.
-I wrote in my notes that only a man, confident in his own economic future, could be as nonchalant and unconcerned with these matters. Mr Bennet acts as if the discussion of marriage is beneath him, but his material reality is very different from that of his daughters.
-Mrs. Bennet says "But, consider your daughters" in an appeal to Mr B to go visit the newcomers. I agree, CONSIDER THE DAUGHTERS!
-All that being said, the piece of contrary evidence to Mr B's displayed lack of concern over the matter is that the second question he asks about the newcomer (after his name), is "is he married?". So perhaps it is a ruse. Let us find out.
-Mrs B's dialogue is punctuated with "!" whereas Mr B has short sentences (or silences) ending with "." -- emphasizing their differences in nature. Again though, shouldn't Mrs B be excited and eager about an opportunity to set one of her daughters up for a secure future?
-The text quite clearly states that it is the *business* of Mrs B to get her daughters married.
I'm curious to see if my new reading of Mrs B will hold up as we progress.
Another area of interest in Chap 1, is the theme of possession/property. I noted when words used in the chapter reference some type of possession (annotated with the letter p) and found so many just in these few pages.
-a single man of *possession*
-that he is considered as the *rightful property*
-said *his* lady to him one day
-Netherfield is *taken* by a young man of large fortune
-he is to *take possession* before michaelmas
-"my" little Lizzy
I particularly noticed the parallel references to possessing a home, a fortune, and a wife.
Very excited to be here and can't wait to continue to re-read these 3 pages all week and see what else I uncover.
Oh my gosh, I love your "p" annotations — you're so right that the language of property and ownership is all over the chapter, even in very subtle ways, like "my" little Lizzy.
And we agree: the 2005 film is *perfect.* I love every single shot and scene and moment of that film!!
I agree on your reread of Mrs Bennet! The stakes are so high and this woman is hustling. Worst still, she has neither Lizzy’s wit nor Jane’s social graces to help her. It’s an uphill battle.