#Sir William Lucas

[anghraine]

What's your opinion of Darcy's "every savage can dance" line in the book? I think it's not as bad as it could be, since it's in response to Sir William's casually bigoted comment on polished societies, but responding to bigotry with MORE bigotry - even in jest - doesn't look great.

I think it's actually the worst thing he says in the entire book.

Sure, it's not surprising that Sir William and Darcy would have their upper-class white English opinions on what makes societies civilized or """savage""" in a book from 1796/1813 and all, but the very commonness of those ideas underpinned a lot of real-world harm happening then, and before, and long after.

I don't think the point of the interchange is to highlight their racist assumptions about the world, either. Sir William's polished societies comment is presented, IMO, as kind of harmlessly inane if annoying and Darcy is being a bit of an asshole to Sir William because he has a low tolerance for that kind of inanity and doesn't like being pressured into things he hates. The attitudes towards other cultures they're revealing in the process are basically background noise as far as P&P is concerned.

It's bad.

[mametupa]

Third time’s a charm!   😉

[lizzy-bonnet]

You cannot convince me that Mr. Collins would not happily kick a baby if advised to do so by his noble patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

[angelofgrace96]

Okay I get why Mr Darcy considers the Bennets extremely rude now, that was pretty awful. Sir William just came over to share happy news, and they all but call him a liar??

[firawren]

Pride and Prejudice Chapter 6: Mr. Darcy takes some time to ignore his surroundings and just enjoy looking at Elizabeth and her fine eyes

View the full series of P&P chapter memes here

Mr. Darcy at Sir William Lucas's house party

[diioonysus]

creatures in art: nymphs

[guillotineman]

[thefatedthoughtofyou]

Eddie is such a name lengthening type of guy. Steve is steven. Dustin is Dustinberg. Mike is Micheal. Lucas is I Love Lucas. Max is Red or Pippy Long Stocking. He calls El so many different things but NEVER eleven. Her favorite is Waffle House. Will is Will the Wise. Sometimes he calls him Sir William and it makes Will blush a little bit.

Erica is always Lady Applejack, he'd used something else once and she'd hit him so hard he had a bruise on his arm for a week. He calls Nancy, Nancy Drew and it makes her not hate the nickname anymore. Robin is Robert. She loves it. Calls him Edwin. He loves it.

He's got weird names for everyone but none of them are shorter then their actual names. Sometimes it's just a simple usage of their last names. But never anything shorter.

He calls Steve, Steven one day when they're alone, whispers it when Steve presses close to him in the kitchen, Eddie had gone to get them drinks and Steve just, followed him.

And Steve presses closer, whispers,  "Edward". And it makes Eddie scrunch his face cuz nooo no no nope, real names are not allowed. But Steve smooths his thumb over the creases between Eddie's eyebrows and then he's kissing Eddie.

And Eddie decides maybe it's fine. Maybe Steve can call him Edward... Sometimes. Anytime he wants. As long as he kisses him after.

[recycledmoviecostumes]

This striped waistcoat was first spotted on Jim Broadbent as Mr. Worrall in the 1994 film 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒐.   The following year, Christopher Benjamin wore it as Sir William Lucas in 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒆.   From there, it went on to be worn by Rupert Vansittart in the 2013 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 as Mr. Wattlesbrook.   This costume has been seen several additional times - find out where: Bit.ly/RegRom181  

[fictionadventurer]

1980 Pride and Prejudice Episode 1 Thoughts

I'm kind of digging the low-budget 1980s artificiality. Feels comfortable.

Love Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and the way the script highlights the sitcom vibes of the story, especially in their scenes.

This Lizzie is amazing. She's lively, witty, mischievous, but without feeling like a modern girl in Regency dress. I think I started to fall a little bit in love with her.

Not too fond of Jane so far. Maybe I'm too influenced by other adaptations' takes on her, but she just doesn't act like Jane. I didn't even know which sister was Jane until after the first ball.

This Bingley's a touch too much on the buffoonish side. Though the scenes of banter with Darcy and Lizzie were well-done.

(I'm a bit disappointed they cut out a lot of banter in the letter-writing scene. Now "if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow" seems to come out of nowhere, because we don't get Bingley's witty rejoinder about "comparative heights and sizes").

I'm surprised by how much focus there is on Mary, though disappointed that they portray her piano-playing as "she's terrible" and not "she's better than Lizzie but too stiff and artificial".

Also a lot of Kitty and Lydia! Excellent! (We get the coughing scene!)

Sir William Lucas and Charlotte are both very good.

Everything I've ever heard about this adaptation has focused on how robotic this Darcy is. I guess that skewed my expectations, because I found him shockingly expressive. He's reserved, haughty, and wears his good breeding like a mask, but he's not inhuman. There are plenty of moments where he loosens up a bit, or where we can see the humanity behind the iron control. Like the letter-writing scene--Darcy goes after Bingley for boasting about his poor handwriting, and it might seem like he's just being a pedantic stick-in-the-mud, but he was so straight-faced about it that it was clear to me that he was joking around with a friend.

That first scene with Darcy did feel more like these people were telling us how proud Darcy was before he had a chance to show them.

That first moment with Elizabeth made me realize that the worst thing Darcy says is not "not handsome enough to tempt me" but "I am in no humor to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men." Ouch.

Fascinated by how much of the narration is put into dialogue (and how well it usually works).

There were several points where the dialogue seemed too stilted and artificial, but it's almost word-for-word from the book, so I can't really complain.

I did find myself wondering how well this works for people who don't know the book. Sure, it's almost word-for-word (if abridged and rearranged in places), but is it engaging on its own merits, or just a satisfying watch for the book-loving pedants who can tell it's word-for-word? Because the style of this feels like something that most people wouldn't find engaging if they didn't already know the story.

[anghraine]

And the 5k update of Love, Pride & Delicacy is up at AO3!

Alas, Charlotte’s good sense briefly failed her;—she mentioned Lady Catherine’s existence in passing.

“Will she be here long?” Elizabeth asked.

“I believe so,” said Charlotte.

“Yes, Miss Elizabeth, you will have the honour of seeing Lady Catherine de Bourgh on the ensuing Sunday at church,” said Mr Collins, with greater enthusiasm than anything he had directed at Charlotte, “and I need not say you will be delighted with her.” 

But of course, he did need to say.

[mametupa]

Hilarious addition to the book and other adaptions!

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Inspired by @kajaono's post the other day about Victoria Hamilton, JLM and Austen adaptations, have a list of the actors that have been in at least 2 Austen adaptations:

Hat trickers:

Victoria Hamilton played Henrietta Musgrove in Persuasion (1995), Julia Bertram in Mansfield Park (1999), and Mrs. Foster in Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Johnny Lee Miller played one of Fanny's brothers in Mansfield Park (1983), Edmund Bertram in Mansfield Park (1999), and Mr. Knightley in Emma (2009).

Doubles:

Joanna David played Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility 1972; she also played Mrs. Gardiner in Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Samantha Bond played Maria Bertram in Mansfield Park (1983); she later on played Mrs. Weston in Emma (ITV, 1996)

Bernard Hepton played Sir Thomas Bertram in Mansfield Park (1983); he later on played Mr. Woodhouse in Emma (ITV, 1996)

Sylvestra Latouzel played Fanny Price in Mansfield Park (1983); she later on played Mrs. Allen in Northanger Abbey (2007)

Nicholas Farrell played Edmund Bertram in Mansfield Park (1983); he later on played Mr. Musgrove in Persuasion (2007)

Irene Richard played Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice (1980); she then played Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (1981)

Robert Hardy played General Tilney in Northanger Abbey (1987); he later on played Sir John Middleton in Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Sophie Thompson played Mary Musgrove in Persuasion (1995), and then the following year she played Miss Bates in Emma (Miramax, 1996)

Kate Beckinsale played Emma Woodhouse in Emma (1996); later on she played Lady Susan in Love and Friendship (2016)

Blake Ritson played Edmund Bertram in Mansfield Park (2007) and later on Mr. Elton in Emma (2009)

Jemma Redgrave played Lady Bertram in Mansfield Park (2007); she later on played Mrs. DeCourcy in Love and Friendship (2016)

Lucy Robinson played Mrs. Hurst in Pride and Prejudice (1995); the following year she played Mrs. Elton in Emma (ITV, 1996)

Carey Mulligan played Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005) and then Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey (2007)

Lucy Briers played Mary Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1995); she also played a minor role as Mrs. Reynolds in Emma (2020)

If we include Austen-adjacent pieces:

Hat tricks:

Hugh Bonneville played Mr. Rushworth in Mansfield Park (1999) and later on played Rev. Brook Bridges in Miss Austen Regrets (2007) and then Mr. Bennet in Lost in Austen (2008)

Doubles:

Olivia Williams played Jane Fairfax in Emma (ITV, 1996); she later on played Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets (2007)

Also, Greta Scacchi played Mrs. Weston in Emma (Miramax, 1996) and went on to play Cassandra Austen in Miss Austen Regrets (2007)

Guy Henry played John Knightley in Emma (ITV, 1996), and later on played Mr. Collins in Lost in Austen (2008)

Christina Cole played Caroline Bingley in Lost in Austen (2008) and then Mrs. Elton in Emma (2009)

Anna Maxwell Martin played Cassandra Austen in Becoming Jane (2009), and then went on to play Elizabeth Bennet in Death Comes to Pemberley (2014)

JJ Feild played Mr. Tilney in Northanger Abbey (2007) and later on played Mr. Nobley in Austenland (2014)

If we include radiodramas/radioplays:

Hat tricks:

Blake Ritson gets it as he played Colonel Brandon in the 2010 S&S radio drama

Doubles:

Amanda Root played Anne Elliot in Persuasion (1995); she also played Fanny Price in the 1997 radio drama for Mansfield Park

Felicity Jones also played Fanny in the 2003 radio drama for Mansfield Park, and later on played Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey (2007)

Robert Glenister played Captain Harville in Persuasion (1995); he also played Edmund Bertram in the 1997 radio drama for Mansfield Park

Amanda Hale played Mary Musgrove in Persuasion (2007) and later on Elinor Dashwood in the 2010 radio drama for Sense and Sensibility.

David Bamber played Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice (1995); he later on played Mr. Elton in the 2000 radio drama for Emma

Robert Bathurst played Mr. Knightley in the same adaptation of Emma; later on he played Mr. Weston in Emma (2009)

Also in that adaptation, Tom Hollander played Frank Churchill; he later on played Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Juliet Stevenson played Anne Elliot in the 1986 radio drama for Persuasion; later on she played Mrs. Elton in Emma (Miramax, 1996)

And I'm very likely still forgetting someone.

[erraticprocrastinator]

Part 2 of "English Is Hard", the series where I talk about all the annoying details that can make writing a living Hell

Capitalising formal titles.

Oh, God, this one is a doozey.

It can be incredibly difficult to know when you're supposed to capitalise a person's title, especially when you're a new writer or working with characters in a more formal setting for the first time. Here are the tips I use to figure it out myself!

As a general rule, if the sentence would still make sense if the title was replaced with the character's first name, it needs to be capitalised. I've included a couple of examples below to properly explain.

After several moments, the Empress walked away, scowling.

After several moments, Alexandra walked away, scowling.

In this example, "the Empress" could be replaced with the character's first name, and the sentence would still be completely correct, so her title is capitalised.

"She does not want to be an empress, she wants to be normal."

"She does not want to be Alexandra, she wants to be normal."

In this case, although still referring to Alexandra's status as an empress, switching the title with her name does not make sense. This example is referring purely to the position, and not to the individual herself. Hence, it does not need to be capitalised.

Actually, that's another good way of summing it up: if referring to a specific individual, the title should be capitalised, but if referring to merely the position itself, it does not need to be.

A few more examples to expand on this:

Sadly, Queen Elizabeth passed away in 2022.

(the title could be replaced with just the first name and the sentence would still make sense)

Born in 1738, George became king in late 1760.

(the sentence refers to the position of king)

The Prince scurried past, giggling to himself.

He was a very important individual- the president, no less.

Now, when it comes to titles such as "sir" and "madam", the rule is a little different, but not terribly so. These should be capitalised if they are part of a title (eg. "Sir David Attenborough" or "Madam Pomfrey"), but should otherwise be left uncapitalised.

"May I present Sir William Lucas?"

("Sir" in this case is part of William Lucas' official title, and should be capitalised)

"I did not mean any offence, sir."

(in this example, "sir" is not part of a formal title, and does not need to be capitalised, even if the person was speaking to Sir William Lucas)

Madam Pomfrey was chronically overworked and underappreciated,

"I saw a young madam by the lake not long ago, she looked to be stressed."

There are so many other tidbits related to this, so many that I think I may even have to do another post further explaining all the nuances and finer details. Honestly, I could do an entire part just explaining when and how to capitalise family titles. There are a few things I've missed here, and more than likely exceptions to the rules that I've failed to mention, but I hope that this basic guide will help at least a bit.

[bethanydelleman]

2005 Pride and Prejudice is honestly a terrible adaptation, whoever wrote the script does not understand Austen. In the introduction of Darcy in the script, it says "a man whose shyness gave him the appearance of arrogance" or something like that. In this quote:

"i fought against my better judgment" is wrong, Darcy fought against his feelings for Lizzie, he never fought against his better judgment for her.

The actor looks pathetic and sad not reserved and arrogant like in the book, i read in interviews that he thinks Darcy is afraid or an awkward ten. The script writer also said she was scandalised that Keira Knightly was cast because Elizabeth is plane with a good personnality even though Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Lady Catherine, Mr Collins, Sir Williams Lucas said that she was pretty. Let's not mention the almost kiss.... Why did that happen ?

I really don't understand how professionnels involved in 20 millions production could fail to understand the story to this extent. The whole movie is no Pride and Prejudice.

You are right and you should say it. Also, whomever thought Keira Knightley wasn't pretty was clearly smoking something... The almost kiss is very weird.

P&P 2005 has many flaws, but it did some things well. I like the attempt to humanize Mary Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, and even Mr. Collins (though it also somewhat misses the point, Mr. Collins was not actually in love with Elizabeth). I love the cinematography and the way that everyone kind of stands in tableau.

There are people who read Darcy as just shy/awkward/neurodivergent and not an arrogant jerk at all, which I think is a serious misinterpretation of the text and 2005 added to that perception. However, the movie did bring me to Austen, so I guess it did it's job?

Here are some posts I have made about it.

[diioonysus]

men's fashion + art