#the netherfield visit

[jupitersmegrim]

Thanks for reminding me! I added the passage in its entirety, partly because I felt (not unjustly) called out by your vaguepost, partly because my interpretation differs—at least in nuance—from yours.

Both her parents’ reactions quoted above put Elizabeth’s insistence on walking in a different light. The fact that not just Mrs Bennet finds Lizzy's idea unseemly, but also her father expects her to ride over in a carriage underlines the decision to walk through the mud as being expressly about more than exercise and seeing Jane; it's about subverting expectations. This she hints at by proclaiming

“I shall be very fit to see Jane—which is all I want.” (P&P I,7, emphasis mine)

Singling out Jane as the only person she plans to call on is simultaneously a refusal of her gesture being understood as being directed at the inevitable actual hosts.

But why does she say it? After all, her family knows all too well she barely cares for the Netherfield party. And yet she explains her refusal to comply with genteel comportment, by declaring Jane the sole recipient of her going there.

Caroline Bingle has, I believe, once again in her jealousy accidentally hit the nail on the head when she, behind closed doors, accuses Elizabeth of trying to send a message to all of them. Later in the evening, after Elizabeth has been invited to stay at Netherfield too, Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst first denigrate Lizzy's looks. When that doesn't get the desired reaction from the gentlemen, she pivots and attacks her character:

“To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ancles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! what could she mean by it? It seems to me to shew an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum.” (P&P I,8, emphasis mine)

We as readers may speculate whether the intended message in question is identical with what Miss Bingley imagines. But the core of it—that it's been about communicating a refusal to bow to the Netherfield party's idea of decorum—is central. The dirty petticoats are just one element; the coming alone and, as Mrs Bennet succinctly put it, “not [being] fit to be seen when [she] get[s] there” is the other.

It's about leaving nobody confused that she isn't yet another Bennet daughter seeking a pretense to spend time with the eligible bachelors at Netherfield because Elizabeth is demonstrably unfit to be seen by anyone.

We may still assume she heeded her parents’ advice and tempered her country manners by avoiding the very worst (“crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles and springing over puddles with impatient activity”, P&P I,7). Though I would probably say less so in an attempt to save the servants labour, and more so as not to embarrass her sister in front of her admirer.

One very subtle but speaking moment in P&P that I don't think I've ever seen anyone talk about is this one:

“Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain, and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.”

We all get caught up on the "six inches deep in mud" thing (and it is a very funny and versatile line)—but that misses the depth of the characterisation of Elizabeth that's developed in this sentence.

What Mrs. Hurst means is that Elizabeth had, at some point, been wearing her gown (this would have been morning dress) pinned up to show the bottom portion of her petticoat. This was pretty common in the very late 18th and early 19th centuries: an outer petticoat was not really considered an undergarment, but something that could be shown, at least in part. Gowns might be shorter than the petticoat; or very sheer to show a coloured petticoat; or slit up the front or sides; or entirely open in the front (called "négligée" or, racistly, "mameluke" style). A lot of petticoats were embroidered around the bottom (and sometimes in a pattern up the center as well) in a way that would be visible under these conditions. See these examples:

"Costume Parisiennes," The Ladies' Monthly Museum Vol 3 (April 1816), p. 231:

Evening Dress.—Round dress of soft white satin, made short enough to discover the muslin-petticoat underneath, which is ornamented with two full quillings of fine lace; the satindress finished at the border by four rows of scarlet velvet [...]. (see the illustration for this one here)

"London Fashions," The Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics (May 1, 1819), p. 304, plate 31:

A jaconic muslin petticoat, ornamented round the bottom with four rows of muslin trimming, composed of narrow welts finished with edging. Over this is an open robe, with a plain high body [...]. (description of left image above)

Ibid., no. 82 vol. 14 (Oct. 1815), p. 240, plate 22:

A cambric muslin petticoat, ornamented at the feet with a double flounce of French work, appliqued with a narrow heading of the same; the body, from the shoulder to the neck, gathered full into narrow trimming, corresponding with the heading of the flounce; a military collar, frilled with the French work; short French négligée, open in the iront, and trimmed entirely round to correspond. (description of right image above)

If Mrs. Hurst is correct, Elizabeth had either been wearing her dress pinned up anyway, or pinned it up specifically for the walk—and then, after she had arrived at Netherfield but before she had been announced, taken the pins out and let the skirt of the dress down to try to hide the dirt on her petticoat. This is an amount of forethought that suggests that she actually does care about how she looks, or about appearing tidy, or about what the party at Netherfield thinks of her.

She doesn't care enough to keep her from seeing Jane (“I shall be very fit to see Jane—which is all I want"), or enough to wish to avoid the walk (Mr. Bennet says “Is this a hint to me, Lizzy, to send for the horses?", which coming from him I think is tantamount to an engraved invitation to send for the carriage). But she cares just enough to briefly plan how best to minimise the damage, and decide to pin up her skirt before walking—or at least to take a moment to think about how she would appear to an observer, check her skirts, and take a step to improve her appearance slightly, once she had arrived.

Jennifer Ehle looks very cute and charming in the scene in the 95 version where she's walking to Netherfield and accidentally jumps in a mud puddle and looks at her skirts and shrugs like, oh well! But I don't think it's very "Elizabeth."

Elizabeth is sort of the Goldilocks of ladyhood. She doesn't have the rigid adherence to conduct-book logic that Mary has, or the sneering sophistication that the Bingley sisters have, or the impulsive, pleasure-seeking anarchic energy that Lydia has. She's neither very fashionable, nor completely without a sense of propriety, decency, or morality (whatever these words mean according to 19th-century mores). I think takes that emphasise only her wildness and distinctness from fashionable ladies, and takes that emphasise only her respectability, are both missing something.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield.

"Pride and Prejudice" - Jane Austen

[aniimamundi]

Pride & Prejudice - a Drarry tale

(I've been wanting to write a Pride and Prejudice inspired Drarry story for a while. I'm writing it as a full-length fic that I won't start posting on Ao3 till I have a few chapters written in full. Meanwhile, I'm posting it as ficlets here on Tumblr.

Warning: This is going to be very silly and campy. Also, I know it makes more sense to have Draco as Mr. Darcy but my heart really really wanted him as Lizzy, and so there's tremendous amount of twisting to fit that narrative 😅)

Chapt 1: Cissy & Portia

Narcissa Black was a changed woman. The tides of war had swept over her life and when they retreated, they took her husband, his significant fortune, and her desire to perch atop the social pyramid. In retrospect, those things had brought her nothing but anxiety and it was just as well that they were gone. 

These days, Narcissa lived for simple joys and her children. The actual one and all the other strays that she had taken under her wing. Oh. And for Portia as well she supposed, blushing a bit at the thought.

As if on cue, the beautiful Portia Zabini bustled into the library where Narcissa sat behind the desk with a book.

“Narcissa! Darling! You would not believe what has happened,” exclaimed the excitable woman.

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t tell me and save yourself the wasted effort.”

“Oh! Cissy!,” Portia cried, flicking her handkerchief at her, “you wicked woman! If you weren’t so pretty, I would be so mad at you.”

Narcissa couldn’t help but smile. “All right. Tell me.”

“Netherfield Park is let, at last! And you would not believe who has taken it! Ronald Weasley!"

Narcissa frowned at that information. Ronald Weasley was a child. Well, not a child technically, but a child to the likes of them. Why was Portia excited at the notion of … Her blood ran cold at the thought. Portia with her propensity to marry powerful men …

Portia flopped down on her lap and put her arms around her neck. “Silly goose, I’m talking about our children.” 

Narcissa couldn’t help but let out a bark of laughter. “Our children!”

“The Weasleys are rich now. With monetary rewards from the war and their very successful family business. The gossip through the grapevine is that Ronald Weasley has not been promised to anyone. Imagine! Pureblood. Rich. Single. What a fine thing for our boys!”

“Darling, the Weasleys hate our children! Need I remind you that Draco took the dark mark? He almost killed Ronald Weasley.”

Portia waved her concerns away. “That was ages ago –”

“Three years.”

“Bygones are bygones.”

“Are they?”

“The children are serving their sentences. The Wizengamot thinks community service is enough penance to wipe off their crimes, why should anyone else think differently?”

“Oh, Portia.”

“And even if he doesn’t want Draco or Greg or Vince, perhaps he will fancy Blaise or Theo. There might be a wedding sooner than you expect. As soon as they move in darling, we must visit them. The Parkinsons have already made plans to do so.”

Narcissa couldn’t help but laugh at her partner’s detachment from reality. “Count me out. You can visit alone if you like and convey our approval for Ronald Weasley marrying whichever of our delinquent children he likes. He can even have them all.”

Portia got up from her lap in a huff. “Must you vex me so? Oh to have suffered seven husbands only to find a beautiful woman and discover that she is no better! I will get all the children married. You just wait and see!”

Narcissa watched her lover flounce out of the room with an attitude. Her arse looked delectable in the tight skirt she was wearing. Portia Zabini was a force of nature. Perhaps the children really would all be married by the end of the year. She shuddered at the thought, before remembering her resolution to take life easy and not worry about such bothersome matters.

(read next part here)

[bethanydelleman]

How would the ending of Pride and Prejudice change if Jane had gone with the Gardiners to Derbyshire instead of Elizabeth, and met Darcy at Pemberley?

This is a very interesting question...

Let's assume everything happens the same way, Jane and Mr. Darcy meet while he's coming out of the stables. He probably would be surprised but not as embarrassed (still somewhat because he doesn't know if Jane knows about his role with Bingley). Jane doesn't know that Darcy interfered with her and Bingley, so all she knows is that Darcy proposed and the information about Wickham. She'd be very polite.

I think Darcy would still approach and he'd probably still go try to find the party later on the path and be polite with the Gardiners. I suspect he would enact his plan of checking if Jane likes Bingley earlier, instead of at Netherfield. We probably still have the visit with Darcy, Georgiana, and Bingley at the inn, and you know my boy Bingles will be so smitten and excited.

Here is the real problem: Darcy is unlikely to just stop by the inn without notice to see Jane like he did with Elizabeth. If he misses the letter about Lydia, then he can't save Lydia in time. However, this could be fixed, maybe Bingley is so excited about seeing Jane that he follows her to Hertfordshire (she leaves suddenly) and then he learns about the elopement as they weren't very good at keeping it under wraps. So then he tells Darcy and we're all good.

The other issue is that Elizabeth doesn't get to see Pemberley, which is so important to understanding Darcy's character, but Jane can tell her about it and Darcy bringing Bingley to see Jane would be very significant to Elizabeth too.

[painted-kneecaps]

More AA Pride and Prejudice thoughts-

The character roles are not exact matches. Some characters might play multiple roles in the AU, some roles might be skipped over in favor of creating one that fits better. It still follows the main plot points of P&P, but inter character relationships are more important to me than telling the exact same story as P&P.

That being said, Phoenix is our Lizzie and Miles is our Darcy. Obviously.

Apollo and Klavier are Jane and Bingley, because it’s funny and makes sense with Jane’s whole “doesn’t show her true feelings” arc.

The gist of the story is that Phoenix is a penniless lawyer in the country town of Kurain, and Lady Mia Fey takes him on and allows him to operate out of Fey Manor, in exchange for his helping to keep the place afloat and deal with the legal side of things.

Mia is killed and Maya is framed per usual, but though Mia leaves everything to Maya in her will, she also makes Phoenix as her legal guardian, thus ensuring him a place in polite society, for better or worse.

As the years go on, Phoenix continues to operate out of Fey Manor with Lady Maya’s assistance, and he also continues to pick up strays. Pearl is sent to live with her cousin when Morgan falls “ill”, and remains at Fey Manor afterwards when the three of them realize that Morgan’s illness doesn’t seem to get in the way of anything she does besides being a parent. Trucy is adopted in much the same way as she is in the games, and Apollo and Athena are welcomed into the family under the guise of being “employees”, despite business being slow, when Phoenix realizes that neither of them has any money or anywhere to go.

Money starts to run out, and there is only so much work for lawyers in a town as small as Kurain, so in order to keep the firm and the Manor afloat, Maya suggests that one of them marry rich.

Apollo suggests that they not do that, and when “Netherfield Park is let at last,” and to their great fortune, to a lawyer from the city who has brought friends to visit from his own firm, Apollo argues that instead of trying to woo him, they should get him to invest in their firm.

Of course since Klavier is Bingley, he ends up trying to woo Apollo, much to Apollo’s frustration and bewilderment.

Might change some things as time goes on and i actually play Apollo Justice (why is it 50 dollars. why) but this AU is consuming my brain and i want to yell about it

[duckprintspress]

"A Truth Universally Acknowledged": Our Fifth Teaser Post

The crowdfunding campaign for A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice is about two/thirds done, and we’re more than halfway through our teaser posts! The campaign ends December 5th, and our special Flash Backer Level (with a massive discount on all our anthologies, old and new!) ends December 2nd. We’re so close to our base funding goal – almost 90%! – so if you’ve been thinking about taking a peek, there’s no time like the present. Maybe you’ll be the backer who pushes us into officially funded!

Two of our authors, Téa Belog and nottesilhouette, opted to do related stories – not in the same settings or about the same characters, but about similar themes. In the final book, we gave the creators the option to write a paragraph or two about the inspiration behind their pieces, and Téa and nottesilhouette talk a lot in theirs about how their pieces are in dialogue with each other. As such, we’ve of course included both their teasers in the same day’s post!

Story Teaser: Téa Belog

Title: unwound thread and wilted roses

Excerpt:

It wasn’t something she ever expected, not before Bingley and his party went to stay at Netherfield. Despite all the barely disguised offers, batted eyelashes, and pointed looks, Georgiana never expected her brother would actually fall in love.

William never cared for courtship or marriage; he never had any inclination toward romance. His friends, while few and far between, were loyal and platonic and nothing more. In Georgiana’s eyes, he was never looking for romance in the same way others were. And maybe most importantly of all, he never seemed unfulfilled or restless in the way that some people did when they were searching for love. Or even just marriage. Despite the grand fortune bestowed upon him, William never mentioned looking for a wife.

And that… that had been a relief.

Art Teaser: Flore Picard

Title: Girls’ Night In

Story Teaser: nottesilhouette

Title: tell that to my tell-tale heart

Excerpt:

“So proline has restricted phi and psi angles given its 5-ring structure—you can see how it’s an outlier on the Ramachandran plot here.” Mary points to a tight ring, curled up on itself, tiny compared to the way the other amino acids sprawl out and take up space across the plane of the graph. “And that restricts its ability to bond with other amino acids.”

Immediately, Lydia blinks back tears.

She feels ridiculous, sobbing over protein folding patterns, but god, proline’s just like her for real. Bent all wrong, all sharp corners and stolen valence electrons. The way proline twists up into itself, the only amino acid to bond the protein backbone twice—it’s like it’s holding its own damn hand, no space for anybody else.

Art Teaser: mcdad arts

Title: Follies and Nonsense

Story Teaser: Em Rowntree

Title: We Can All Begin Freely

Excerpt:

“Come,” she says, “let’s dance.”

“I cannot dance,” Charlotte says. “I’ve been crying.”

“Perhaps that is the best time for it,” Caroline says, and her tone has its usual velvet sarcasm, but her expression is the most earnest Charlotte has ever seen it.

“I do not know if I can,” Charlotte admits.

Caroline says nothing, only begins the dance with a smile. Charlotte cannot help but follow, though she tries to move stiffly, tries to maintain propriety; she tries to show that she knows how odd and uncomfortable she must look, so she cannot be caught off-guard and vulnerable by a joke at her expense from Caroline. But her body has cried away its stiffness and its shame for tonight. Her body moves softly, easily. Her body asks for more.

Visit our campaign page now!

[raebiis]

Think about it: a crossover between Pride and Prejudice and The Vampire Diaries (or any other vampire media you fancy).

Mary Bennett, the overlooked and plain sister- super religious, super conformist.

Lizzie and Jane are taking up all the attention with their romance endeavors- the Mikaelsons are ‘just passing through’ and something about Mary…

She’s not particularly remarkable to them at first, serving only as a quick meal that Klaus indulges in and keeps alive for the sole purpose of her blood being particularly delightful- he wouldn’t want it to go to waste.

She’s compelled to forget and Elijah, the gentleman, offers her an escort home.

But, with the strange (to her) amount of attention she’s given by Klaus and, eventually, Elijah, she begins to truly flourish.

Mary secretly has a heart for adventure! And a desire to keep their developing friendship close to her heart, away from her family’s unkind and judgmental eyes.

She gradually opens up to these men, often meeting them while her family is pre-occupied (something she finds easy, as they often deem her ‘too boring’ to bother with). She discovers within herself a desire to experience things previously unknown to her.

She wants to ride astride a horse! She wants to fence! She wants to dress as a man so that she can visit gentlemen’s clubs freely- all of these things and so much more. And she does them all with the help of her new friends- Klaus and Elijah.

Klaus begins to fall in love with her rebellious heart, finding a sort of kinship in the cruelty of their fathers (certainly Mr. Bennett was never physically abusive but Klaus knows the pain of indifference and harsh words). Elijah falls in love with her compassion, her kindness prevailing over the neglect she faces. And gradually, with Mary’s coming into herself, she seems to grow more beautiful with every passing day, life returning to her ‘dull’ features and bringing forth a beauty that had been clouded over by a sense of inadequacy she’d harbored.

Maybe Klaus has been feeding from her this whole time, compelling away the memory of it so as to keep her as a companion. But one day, Elijah can’t take the dishonesty anymore- not in the face of such sweetness. And he confesses all.

But Mary, whether her initial reaction is anger, sorrow, or betrayal, is kind. She remembers the good that came of her relationship with the brothers- all the kindness they gave her. And maybe it’s unhealthy, but even if it was all a farce, she wants to give them a chance to explain.

So she does. And their relationship deepens on a level previously unknown to any of them.

Both brothers begin to feed from her regularly, with her permission (which started as basic curiosity). It’s incredibly intimate- they even begin feeding her their blood because of the sheer amount they consume from her.

(This would be the point that things begin to get compromising for Mary 👀)

Mary is sneaking out more and more, returning at strange hours of the night- rumpled and carrying a distinctive glow to her. Due to her family’s preoccupation with her older sisters, this remains unnoticed- until Kitty catches her.

An argument ensues but Mary convinces Kitty to stay quiet- on the condition that she spill everything. Mary does, making sure to leave out the supernatural parts.

Learning this makes Kitty pay more attention to her sister, and she begins to notice how much more beautiful and lively Mary has become- indeed, it seems as if she could steal all the attention in any room if only her mind were not already so preoccupied.

Kitty, however, is a little concerned and tries to tell their mother to watch out for Mary- she, however, gets dismissed.

Then, finally, the moment where the Mikaelsons officially meet the Bennetts, Mr. Darcy, and the Binglys. Elijah and Klaus attend the ball at Netherfield (timeline? What timeline?).

They introduce themselves- and it quickly becomes clear that they know Mary quite well, and even consider her a great friend. Everyone is immediately worried about Mary’s… situation… but Klaus and Elijah subtly assure them that their sister, Rebekah (who was recently undaggered and not at the party so she can recover) has been chaperoning.

Then, things finally come to a head between brothers- Elijah says, “Indeed, dear Miss Bennett would make a fine wife” in apparent remark of her virtues. And Klaus, in clear anger, says back “yes brother. She would.”

And it becomes clear to the others that Mary is apparently tied up in quite the love triangle.

Anyway, I’m running out of time, but the general drama ensues. Klaus and Elijah fight to be the one who marries Mary, Mary and Rebekah get along swimmingly, Mary’s family is desperately trying to play catch up (aside from Kitty, who, while not knowing everything, knows a great deal more than the rest), Mr. Darcy gets involved in some way, Lizzie despairs because she thinks Darcy is falling in love with Mary (that’s entirely up to you), and Mary herself is in the process of shedding her past life in order to embrace her new one.

Things end with Mary becoming a vampire, leaving her old family behind, and marrying one of the brothers (who it is, is entirely up to you).

Ta-daaaaa!

[sailforvalinor]

As this week is show week for Pride and Prejudice, here are some of the show's biggest hits:

This script is just 10x more chaotic in general--lots and lots of shouting and overlapping lines, screaming from Mrs Bennet, etc. This Lizzy is also 10x more awkward, which while I don't think is necessarily very true to her character, is pretty entertaining. To give you an example, the moment when she and Darcy meet is when she accidentally bumps into him and spills punch all over him during the ball.

This show uses bells for a lot of sound cues to signal different moments in all of the romantic relationships--for example, a bell rings when Jane first sees Bingley, and vice versa, and a bunch ring when Lizzy and Darcy stare at each other after she spills punch all over him. Because I'm also in the theatre production class this semester, I was involved in some of the production process, including the sound cues, and by far my favorite bell cue happens after the first ball, when Lizzy and Darcy are the last to leave the stage, and stare at each other over their shoulders before exiting, during which a boxing bell goes "DING DING DING." I advocated very hard for that boxing bell, lol.

Opening night, somebody kept wolf-whistling every time Darcy came on stage and it was so funny that I almost broke a couple of times, lol.

This version really goes ham on characterizing Bingley as a dog, to the point where it’s hilariously overt—he idly plays with a ball at Netherfield, at one point when he’s trying to send up a sick Jane her sixth round of tea, Darcy shouts at him to sit and stay, which Bingley does, and then Darcy hands him the ball and says "good boy"--but my favorite bit has to be that at one point, he starts bringing Jane a bunch of random objects to impress her. By the time the show itself rolled around, we'd settled on a ball, a pillow, a ball of yarn, and a shoe, but during rehearsals, he was just grabbing whatever objects he could find offstage, the best one being when he carried out an entire chair and put it on her lap.

Mr. Collins (played by our Bingley) is kind of made into a bit more of a creep in this version, which I can't say I was the biggest fan of? But I understand why--it's hard to make why Mr. Collins is so objectionable to Lizzy as a potential love interest is difficult to do in play format, and going over-the-top on the characterization is kind of the *thing* in this adaptation. He is still hilarious, my favorite part being during when he starts to propose:

Mr. Collins: *gets down on one knee*: "Elizabeth Marie Bennet--"

Lizzy: "--not...not my middle name."

When Lizzy goes to visit the Collinses, the scene opens with Mr. Collins singing "BING.....BONG......BING....." along to the church bells in the distance, and it has the audience in stitches.

Anne De Bourgh wears a bunch of veils, and speaks nearly exclusively in indecipherable sighs, groans, and mumbling.

The Darcy proposal scene absolutely slaps, and is the part that kept the most original dialogue. Staying true to the theme of knocking things over, though, Darcy backs Lizzy into a desk and she knocks over an inkwell, spilling ink all over Charlotte's carpet.

In the penultimate scene before Lizzy and Darcy's final romantic scene, Lady Catherine comes to confront Lizzy, Darcy brings Bingley so he can propose to Jane, and thus every single character ends up in the Bennet house, very very confused, and they just end up shouting names at each other: "'Lizzy?" 'Jane!' 'Mama?' "MR. BENNEEEET!!!' 'Fitzwilliam!' 'Darcy!' 'AUNT CATHERINE???'" It's just fantastic.

[thegreeks]

MASTERLIST: Mr. Darcy x You

A Winter's Love at Pemberley:

admiring your two children playing in the winter snow

A Dance Beneath the Stars:

enjoying a day with your busy husband and ending it with a loving dance with thanks to his sister Georgianna

A Most Unexpected Surprise:

• Part 2

telling your husband you are to be expecting a second addition to your family

A Love Beyond Time:

your lovely wedding day with your Mr. Darcy

A Dance of Words:

your friendship with Georgianna Darcy leads to the beginning of your courtship

A Heart All Their Own:

due to encouragements from friends and family, you and your husband realize it's time to expand your family

The Dance of the Swan:

playing piano and dancing to Carnival of Animals XIII The Swan with Mr. Darcy at his ball

The Heart's Awakening:

an unknown bitterness sparks when an acquaintance makes a move on your close friend Mr. Darcy

An Affectionate Rebellion:

Lady Catherine de Bourgh comes to Pemberley to scrutinize the unity between you and her nephew

• Prequel- The Warmth of Home:

the joys of an aristocratic life with your husband and son Edward

An Undisclosed Love:

Bingley!Reader; You and Mr. Darcy confront the tension of the inexplicably drawing connection, marking the quiet beginning of a romance

Love and Tenderness:

your gentle, intimate wedding night with Mr. Darcy

Confession of Broken Hearts:

you cannot bear to see the one you love show tender affection to another, thus you urgently confess

Whispers in the Storm:

• Part 2

• Part 3

an urgent calling for you and your husband to Longbourn amidst a terrible storm

Tremors of Betrayal:

• Part 2

grappling with the haunting presence of your husband's past love

The Cost of Pride:

Mr. Darcy reflects on pride that caused the greatest loss

Tender Moments: Home with Darcy:

loving moments at home with your dear husband as you reflect on your union

Gentleman's Restraint of Yearnings:

coming across you on a walk, he realizes he is not at liberty to comfort you though he wants to be

Melting Hearts:

"I felt as if I were melting inside, and I might go on and on melting" - Joanna Glenn, "All my Mothers"

Between Love and Grief:

• Part 2

"Love and grief, joy and pain. They're very close together. Or perhaps sometimes they're not even different things." - Joanna Glenn, "All My Mothers"

A Fevered Return:

Mr. Darcy returns home to Pemberley to find his wife has taken sickly

A Visit to Longbourn:

Bennet!Reader; shortly after your marriage, you receive an invitation to your family in Longbourn

Jealousy and Devotion:

"Such is my life; A minute ago I was happy, immersed in a book. Now I feel a misery only violence could cure." - Kim Addonizio, "''Round Midnight,"

Ripples of the Lake:

finding yourself in an unexpected lakeside encounter, revealing a surprising side of Mr. Darcy

A Family Announcement:

Bennet!Reader; telling your dear friends and family you are to be expecting a child

A Tour to the Lakes:

a journey to the Lake District with your dear husband

Tormented Love:

"- You don't love me? - Yes, but in torment." - Marina Tsvetaeva, from Selected Poems; "Poem of the End,"

Whispers in the Dusk:

"It is dusk. I want to know how to be close to you. Closer." - Else Fitzgerald, "Everything Feels Like the End of the World"

A Night at Netherfield:

"I was oversensitive. I'd been told this my entire life. It was a liability, my sensitivity, but it was also a power," - Suzanne Scanlon, "Committed; On Meaning and Madwomen,"

In the Stillness of Night:

with footsteps in the unease of night, your husband Mr. Darcy protects you from any danger

Ink and Affection:

"Writing to you is like kissing you. It is something physical" - Simone de Beauvoir, in a letter to Nelson Algren

---

[misscrawfords]

I've been listening to Pride and Prejudice again this week in the car - I've got as far as Mrs. Gardiner's letter - and oh, my heart! So many thoughts and feelings. (Pls ask me about P&P, please.) Anyway, one thing I've been reflecting on is how the plot is almost too neat. It's fairytale-like in that there's really no way it could have happened IRL - what are the odds that Elizabeth's best friend marries Darcy's aunt's clergyman and they all happen to be in Kent together? What are the odds that Elizabeth goes to Derbyshire and visits his estate at exactly the time he arrives back? etc. etc. In real life, none of this could have happened. P&P is as tightly plotted and sparse in its extraneous details in the same way that Emma is and Emma is possibly the tightest plotted novel ever written.

But it got me thinking about P&P "variations" as the published fanfic is called and how unlikely so much of it is. People really want to make Austen's characters do things they absolutely never would. There is zero chance that Elizabeth would accept Mr. Collins. There is less than zero chance that Mr. Darcy would compromise her and force her to marry him. (Mr Darcy? The guy who thinks staring uncomfortably at a woman across the room is flirting? As if!) These so-called variations might end up with interesting plots but are fundamentally flawed because the characters who would act in these ways are absolutely not the characters Austen wrote.

So I was wondering where you could successfully have a variation. It would have to be a scenario in which circumstances change but not characters. So here are a few I think could work (and almost certainly have been written):

Bingley meets Jane in London. Despite Darcy and Caroline's best efforts, it's not inconceivable that they might bump into each other. London's big but not that big. It's as plausible as the meeting at Pemberley. I can't imagine Bingley could be persuaded against Jane when she's actually in front of him, looking sad and ill because she missed him so much. But what of his relationship with Darcy? Surely strained at this point. And what of Darcy's relationship with Elizabeth now that they'd be thrown together much more much earlier on and in a way that ensures continuous acquaintance. What happens with Lydia? Unlikely she'd ever go to Brighton. Jane's marriage changes the Bennets' circumstances entirely. Everything is changed here but it's an intriguing AU and not implausible.

Elizabeth and the Gardiners go to the Lakes. I mean... it's only authorial dabbling that means they don't in the first place. The Pemberley sequence never happens. Big repercussions for the development of Darcy's character, Elizabeth's feelings and Lydia's reputation. How do you get them all back together? Uncertain. Another more minor but potentially interesting change in this area would be the Gardiners always intending to go to Derbyshire. The journey is brought up at Rosings. Darcy pre-proposal invites Elizabeth and her relations to Pemberley. It gives him an opportunity to be nicer earlier but how does Elizabeth receive it? What happens at the proposal consequently? What happens to the offered invitation post-refusal? Becomes even more awkward in Derbyshire.

Georgiana accompanies Darcy and the Bingleys to Netherfield. Not the AU I'd be most interested in because I think Wickham would nope out of there the second he knows Georgiana is in town because there's no way Darcy wouldn't act if his sister's wellbeing was on the line, so that whole plot would be knocked on the head. However, the possibility of a friendship being struck up between Elizabeth and Georgiana at Netherfield while Jane is ill is a cute one. (Though I think without an interest in Darcy himself, Elizabeth would take time to warm up to Georgiana - lbr the Bennet who would instantly become her big sister is Jane.)

Lydia never lets slip about Darcy being at her wedding. Not a very interesting AU because Elizabeth would find out somehow and Bingley and Darcy would return to Netherfield anyway and she's in love with him even without knowing about Lydia so....

Can you think of any more AU possibilities like this that don't involve the characters acting OOC to set up the premise?

[chesh-cat-rus]

So I am re-reading "Pride and Prejudice," and this caught my eye:

When Lizzy walked to visit ill Jane at Netherfield, she arrived there "with weary ancles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise."

Darcy "was divided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion and doubt as to the occasion’s justifying her coming so far alone," and then Miss Bingley tried to butt in:

“I am afraid, Mr. Darcy,” observed Miss Bingley, in a half whisper, “that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes.”

“Not at all,” he replied: “they were brightened by the exercise.”

I remember a similar scene from 'Persuasion' when Anne first saw Mr Elliot and her Capt got jealous, that was also after a stroll, and "her very regular, very pretty features, having the bloom and freshness of youth restored by the fine wind which had been blowing on her complexion, and by the animation of eye which it had also produced."

I think I see a theme here.

[its-toph-bitch]

im writing an adaptation of pride & prejudice so i had to summarise the relevant plotpoints, and this is what came out of this lmao

Darcy and lizzie meet, he offends her, Bingley and jane seem to like each other

Mr collins wants to marry lizzie (but just out of practicability), Wickham meets the bennets, tells lizzie darcy wronged him (leads to lizzie disliking darcy even more)

Darcy and lizzie dance at a ball, mrs bennet tells people (loudly) that bingley and jane like each other and will likely marry, lizzie rejects collins, so he proposes to charlotte (she accepts)

Darcy and bingleys sisters persuade bingley that he shouldnt marry jane (bc of the mother), jane visits her uncle (to get a meet-cute with bingley à la “oh i didnt know youre here too”), lizzie hates darcy more bc she suspects darcy is responsible for their breakup

Lizzie visits collins and charlotte, invitation to lady catherines home, fitzwilliam tells lizzie how great darcy is (“he cares so much about his friends that he saved him from a toxic relationship”), lizzie realises its jane he talks about

Darcy proposes to lizzie (bc he loves her despite her low social status), she is shocked and rejects him (“youre the last man id marry, also its not cool what you did to my sister. And to wickham”), darcy is genuinely proud that he saved bingley from the toxic relationship and ignores the wickham part (for now)

Darcy gives lizzie a letter in which he explains that wickham is an ass and tried to get as much money as he could out of him, he also says that he didnt know jane liked bingley (and that her family is problematic), lizzie is ashamed bc of her family and her prejudice

Lizzie goes on vacation to clear her head, they come to darcys home, he invites them and now she begins to like him back, in the middle of this lydia elopes with wickham, after some time wickham agrees to marry lydia, lydia gossips that darcy is the one who made wickham agree (but she shouldnt tell anyone, oops)

Bingley and darcy come back to netherfield, bingley proposes, jane accepts, lady catherine heard a rumour that lizzie wants to marry darcy and threatens her to not marry him actually, but lizzie doesnt want to promise, darcy hears that and gets new hope, so he proposes (again) and finally she accepts

[firthbetterorfirthworse]

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012)

Season 2

We're staying at Netherfield! Caroline is introduced on camera. And Bing Lee! (who is super adorable, btw)

But oh nooooooo Lizzie is trusting Caroline why

And Collins shows up, as blathering as ever, and somehow a perfect depiction of a dude I have met a few iterations of.

When Charlotte takes Collins proposal to become his business partner after Lizzie turns him down, she and Lizzie have a pretty rough argument about it - Charlotte is being practical and upset that Lizzie won't listen to her point of view.

We alsooooo meet pretty boy Wickham! He tells us his sob story. Lydia comes into the room - "you're the swimmer, right?"

"Oops! Oh my, it can't be comfortable sitting here in a wet shirt. Why don't you take that off?"

They don't spend a lot of time on the Netherfield ball party, other than Lizzie being annoyed that Wickham promised to go with her and stood her up, and she ended up dancing with Darcy.

Bing makes a TWITTER UPDATE the next morning that was like "small towns are great but back to the big city. Hello Los Angeles!"

Jane is naturally heartbroken, but soon takes an opportunity to relocate to LA for her job for a while and stay with their aunt.

Wickham takes off for a few weeks for job stuff, and Lydia comes to comfort her about him partying it up with other girls. Lizzie is like huh should I be more upset that the guy I was kinda dating is off doing stuff?

But Charlotte calls (yay!) and they make up, and she invites her to come visit. Hooray

[dastardly-homo-writing]

(Queer) Pride and Prejudice || Chapter One

I am going to rewrite the entirety of Pride and Prejudice to be lesbian (and otherwise queer). Let's be real, we need a butch Darcy. Yes, I am a dyke, and yes, I am a literature major. Who else would write this fanfiction.

I know this may have been done before many times, but I have not personally been a reader of any of these, so any commonalities will be coincidental and all props go to those writers. Get ready, this is going to be a wild ride.

_________________________________

Chapter One: The Bennets Discuss a Hot New Bachelorette in Town

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of a good fortune (and a costly, designer backpack), must be in want of a wife. 

However little known the feelings or views of such a woman may be on her first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that she is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. 

“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?” 

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.  

“But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Longfinger has just been here, and she told me all about it.”  

Mr. Bennet made no answer.  

“Do you not want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife impatiently. For a fleeting moment, her mind was overcome with memories of her butch fling as a youth vacationing in Paris. Indeed, Bella had been a responsive conversationalist. Mr. Bennet, on the other hand…

“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.” 

This was invitation enough. 

“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Longfinger says that Netherfield is taken by a young woman of large fortune from the north of England; that she came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that she agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that she is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of her servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.” 

“What is her name?” 

“Bingley.” 

“Is she married or single?” 

“Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single woman of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”  

“How so? How can it affect them?” 

“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of her marrying one of them.”  

“Is that her design in settling here?” 

“Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that she may fall in love with one of them, in which case they shall undoubtedly be married within the month, and therefore you must visit her as soon as she comes.” 

“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Ms. Bingley may like you the best of the party if she’s of the Paulman disposition.” 

“My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.” 

“In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.” 

“But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Ms. Bingley when she comes into the neighbourhood.” 

“It is more than I engage for, I assure you.” 

“But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know, they visit no newcomers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit her if you do not.” 

“You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Ms. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure her of my hearty consent to her quickly marrying whichever she chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lezzie.” 

“I desire you will do no such thing. Lezzie is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia; only her nickname suggests any remote sense of humour. Though it’s a tad on the nose. But you are always giving her the preference.” 

“They have none of them much to recommend them,” replied he; “they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lezzie has something more of quickness than her sisters.” 

“Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves.”

“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least.” 

“Ah, you do not know what I suffer.” 

“But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young, strong women of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.” 

“It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.” 

“Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all.” 

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. 

__________________________________

A/N: Stay tuned for Chapter Two, where we meet the aptly-named Lezzie.

Also going to cross-post on AO3 eventually!

[bethanydelleman]

Hi! I was reading a post about the ending of Pride and Prejudice that said something about Lizzy and Charlotte spending time at Pemberley together after Lizzy's marriage and it made me wonder:

Are Charlotte and Mr Collins of sufficient social standing to be invited to Pemberley? It'd make sense for them to see each other when the Darcys are in Kent, but an invitation to Pemberley feels like a different level of distinction.

It's been a while since I've done my own research on this, but I also wonder if the Lucases are slightly below the Bennets in terms of rank (I'm mainly basing this on the fact that Charlotte helps with housework in some capacity, and that we don't hear about the Lucases paying social calls to Netherfield, aside from Sir William calling on Mr Bingley at the beginning.)

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this 😊

Firstly, the novel says nothing about Charlotte Collins (or her husband) visiting Pemberley, so that would be pure speculation. However, I do think it is possible, even likely, especially after Mr. Collins inherits Longbourn, which would basically put him on the same social footing as Mr. Darcy (generally) and relieve him of his job as a clergyman.

As for the Lucases vs. the Bennets, they are about equal. Sir William Lucas comes from trade, but he has achieved a knighthood which would make him and his wife officially higher status than the Bennets. However, it's very clear that the Bennets are richer and they would count as "old money" (as far as we know), so they have about equal status with these factors balancing out.

As for no social calls at Netherfield, the Lucases were invited to the ball and the Bingleys were at Sir William's party, so they were certainly interacting socially.

Lastly, clergymen were part of the gentry, even if they were at the bottom. Elizabeth is childhood friends with Charlotte so I could see her being given an invitation to Pemberley. Clergymen are supposed to preach every Sunday, but Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey) has a curate so he can hang out in Bath and meet Catherine. It wouldn't be that strange, I believe, for the Collinses to visit. However, it would be expensive for them to travel all the way to Derbyshire (at least a 3 day's journey) and they may consider the commitments at Huntsford too great to leave for several weeks. Again, I think it would be more likely for them to visit after Mr. Collins inherits, they would be both richer and closer.

[anghraine]

🌤️☔

🌤️:

Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

Ooh, interesting! I have many, many WIPs, so ... let's see. I was trying to vary which WIPs I picked, but I think I'll go with the next of my Lucyverse/f!Luke Skywalker fics again. I won't give the context, but:

"Father—" Lucy's throat burned, but she seized his arm as well as she could, her fingers barely digging into the metallic cloth. "Haven't you had enough of masters?"

☔️:

Is there a fic concept you have that you’d like to just explain and share because you’re not sure you’ll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I've mentioned it before, but speaking of P&P AUs significantly involving the Gardiners, one I've thought of for years takes the simple premise that the weird Darcy/Elizabeth rumor that reaches Lady Catherine just doesn't happen. Jane/Bingley goes off as in canon, but Elizabeth and Darcy are still in their high-octane pining phase. Darcy leaves Netherfield with nothing resolved, and both have only the likelihood of their paths continuing to cross and hopes that maybe, hopefully, his/her feelings will become reciprocated over time...

The path-crossing happens somewhat earlier than anticipated, though, because a little while later, Darcy and Georgiana return to London while Elizabeth is visiting the Gardiners. Darcy pays a respectful visit only to find Elizabeth there(!!!! on both sides) and the Gardiners helpfully keep inviting him/him and Georgiana, and Elizabeth and Darcy spend the time pining, repressing burning UST, and trying to act Very Normal as they navigate their strange relationship. Eventually Darcy does piece together enough hints to get the hope to propose again, Elizabeth accepts, HEA etc.