Pride & Prejudice, ch. 8: Be Our Guest

Credit to Amanda Enright. I couldn't resist adding this. It's too cute!

We don’t get a good sense of the Netherfield crowd’s true personalities until this point in the novel. The narrator has briefed us about the Bingley sisters’ refined but empty manners and Mr. Hurst’s general uselessness, but we don’t feel the effect until they all start to pile on Lizzy. At least we can still like Bingley.

Miss Bingley right away makes me want to take back the credit I just gave her for being a decent hostess. In trashing Lizzy for “scampering about the country because her sister has a cold,” not only is she being disrespectful to a guest, but she’s also revealing the extent of her own sisterly affection in front of her own sister! Who herself seems to agree! What a family. But of course Caroline is motivated not just by casual snobbery, but also by Darcy showing interest in Lizzy in the first place.

By contrast, look at how Darcy engages with Caroline. He only answers when directly spoken to and only offers short replies. Though his criticisms about Lizzy have been harsh, they were about her physical characteristics and not her actions. Internally, he’s struggling over whether or not Lizzy’s walk was justified, but he doesn’t mention that out loud. He admits that Lizzy’s “fine eyes” were “brightened by the exercise,” halting the conversation. Once the topic turns to Jane Bennet’s “vulgar relations,” Darcy doesn’t speak unless he’s stating a fact … or, you know, what he regards to be fact. Just wait for another 25 chapters, Darcy, and then we’ll reexamine your thoughts on the Bennet girls’ “chance[s] of marrying men of any consideration in the world.”

And, hey, Caroline … you invited this woman over why? ’Cause it’s sounding like you’re getting more out of mocking her than actually hanging out with her. And didn’t your father create your family’s wealth through trade, which is the only reason why you’re able to afford all these nice things and pal around with Darcy? And doesn’t Mr. Bennet actually own land, which is more than your brother can claim?* But of course these are all the reasons why she puts down Jane and her family.

That evening, Lizzy makes an effort to appear social, joining the snobs (and Bingley) in the drawing room. Since they’re playing cards and betting, like, real money, she grabs a book and starts trying to read. Mr. Hurst is catty for no reason (although the subtext might be that he’s highlighting her lack of funds to play with) and then Caroline openly mocks her for reading. I think she intends to play it off as a joke (we’ve all had that encounter with some jerk justifying her insults with an “I was just kidding!”), but going by Lizzy’s response, there’s not much of a joke there. Meanwhile, Caroline does a complete 180 and chides her dad/her brother for having a dismal book collection and deftly (/s) steers the conversation toward Darcy’s estate, Pemberley. Both she and Bingley are impressed by Pemberley, which draws Lizzy’s attention. Nice going, Caroline???

Caroline continues the compliment parade by fawning over Darcy’s sister Georgiana (Miss Darcy if you’re … no, I can’t make this joke, she’s too damn precious. More on that later). This leads to a spirited conversation about an “accomplished woman”: Bingley claims that every woman he meets is accomplished, Darcy says that there’s no way that’s true, and Caroline comes up with more than a half-dozen requirements for a woman to earn such a title. Curiously, they all correspond with the lessons that Caroline herself would have learned at the “private seminary” that she and her sister have attended. Darcy (who admires the intelligent gaze of a pair of “fine eyes”) adds “extensive reading” to the list, in a move that not only speaks to his high standards and value for substance, but also differentiates him from Caroline while aligning himself, albeit subtly, with Elizabeth. 

Lizzy rejects both of them, in a way, by declaring that such a woman does not exist. I feel like this can be read in a couple of different ways. Number one: Lizzy’s observation shows how small her world is (she’s never been to a London finishing school or shown any interest in socializing with those of a higher status). Number two: Lizzy is pointing out, in a subtle way, that Darcy and Caroline are putting too many expectations on women. Notice that the ideal woman they are describing would in theory have more advantages in London than in a place like Meryton. Which leads to number 3: Lizzy might feel as though they are slighting her and other young women who didn’t have access to such schools—or to a variety of books, for that matter. Darcy, in his response to Lizzy, gives some truth to point number one and/or indicates that he has kid sister Georgiana in his thoughts (minor spoiler, I guess).

To go along with point number two, let me direct you to this blog entry which breaks down the number of hours that a woman would need to devote to obtaining these “accomplishments.”

Once Lizzy exits to check on Jane, Caroline accuses her of trying to “recommend [herself] to the other sex by undervaluing [her] own.” Darcy shuts her down by alluding to the hypocrisy of Caroline’s accusation. Come on, Caroline. Flirting with Darcy is fine, he’s fair game—but trying to trick him? How well do you know this guy? As if to underline Caroline’s two-faced personality, the narrator points out that she chooses to entertain the company after dinner rather than worry about Jane’s health. At least Bingley’s got that covered.

Chapter the next: Mrs. Bennet visits, Elizabeth figures out what makes Bingley tick, and Lydia makes a bold request.

*Obviously the wider context is that Caroline Bingley can’t do anything for herself because she’s a single woman who is hampered by a system that treats women as commodities. But that’s the difference between her and Lizzy: Caroline goes along with it, while Lizzy refuses to be treated that way.