2 – Pride and Prejudice #2 w/ Amanda Faye

We’re back with another episode of Pride and Prejudice! We’re continuing on with even more chapters, so if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice yet, please be sure to do so before listening to the episode so you don’t get spoilers.

Socials

If you want to follow me, check me out at barelybookish.com/connect

If you want to check out my wonderful guest Amanda, please find her at all these links:

IG: instagram.com/amanda_faye_books/

FB: facebook.com/amandafayebooks

Web: amandafayebooks.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Faye/e/B07T7HYMLW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1601935884&sr=1-2 

Transcript

Rachel: Hey, hi, hello everyone welcome back to Barely Bookish. Thank you all for joining me for episode two. I am so excited to have you all. Just so you all know, in case uh this is the first time you’re checking out these are spoiler inclusive and you should go in order otherwise, you know, you start in the middle of the book. This set of chapters starts on chapter 11 of Pride and Prejudice so if you haven’t read up to uh through chapter 11- through most of the book truly, you should read the book first and then come back and join us because I don’t want anyone to get spoiled. But I am so excited um just some quick housekeeping things, we also have a Barely Book Club, so if you want to join and read A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown with us, we would be more than happy to have you join us. It’s on Discord you can find us by going to barelybookish.com/connect and it’s a lot of fun. It’s pretty new on Discord but I absolutely love that it’s on Discord now. It’s a lot more inviting I guess it’s a- it generates a lot more conversations. So, we would absolutely love to have you.

Rachel: So the reason it just jumps in on this one is because I accidentally recorded the first episode way too long so I am once again joined by Amanda Faye. She’s not here for the intro for us but you will hear her right again as soon as we start the episode. So, I hope you all enjoyed this episode of Pride and Prejudice on Barely Bookish.

(Intro Music)

Rachel: So, chapter 11. Jane is well enough to finally come downstairs and Bingley is pumped he’s like, “Yes. This is my time to shine. She’s been in my house for days and now I get to see her.” Bingley is literally only talking to Jane the entire time and Elizabeth is like very happy about it she’s like, “Yes, this is what I want. I want them to be happy and in love.” and Bingley’s like not able to notice anybody else and it makes me happy and then Caroline is doing the absolute most to try and win Darcy at this point. She’s just like will not stop talking to him I think this is the time where she does the quote “turn about the room”

Amanda: Yes.

Rachel: -no she does that in the other part with when he’s writing the letter I think.

Amanda: Yeah, yeah. That’s when they do… no well he’s not writing the letter when they do- in the movie they do the turn about the room when he’s writing the letter but in the book it’s when everybody is sitting down and supposed to be reading because Hurst is wanting to play cards and everybody’s like no we’re having a peaceful, quiet night and Miss Bingley’s like, “Oh yes I love being peaceful and quiet. Is there anything better than spending the night reading?” and it lasts all of two seconds before she’s like “Let’s get up and walk” because she can’t sit still because she can’t read or something like that.

Rachel: They really up-played that turn about the room how awkward it is. Like, already in the book I’m like “How big is this room?” Because like it doesn’t seem like that’s a normal thing even in that time. It seems really weird.

Amanda: Yeah,

Rachel: ‘Cause I’m like you walk two steps you turn around you walk the other two steps you’re done that’s the room, you know? I’m like is this like a ballroom-size library or like where are they walking to?

Amanda: Pretty close I mean it’s it’s certainly bigger than any of our rooms.

Rachel: True. I know but I was like reading itand then I like look up and I look at myroom and I’m like “If I’m gonna walk this, it’s gonna takeme less than a minute.”and I just I was like this must bereally awkward and then like in themoviebecause you know he quotes he’s like “Icould only see the only reason you  wanting thisis for me to look at you as you do this.” Iwas like okay he’s full-on just readthem.

Amanda: Yes, yes. But he’s so smooth about it he’s like “If that’s what you want, I can sit right here and just enjoy the show.”

Rachel: You know, it was so good and I justbecause that is literally what she wantsand then she gets mad– like Miss Bingley does- that he says thatand I’m like okay but like that’sliterally all that you want so I’mconfused.

Amanda: Yep.

Rachel: So,chapter 12. Mrs. Bennett saysuh they won’t have the carriage untilTuesdayso they can’t possibly leave even thoughElizabeth wants to.Miss Bennett is really trying to makethem out stay their welcome. Darcy isdoing his absoluteutmost to make sure Elizabeth doesn’tthink he likes her andI’m like you could just make this somuch easier on yourself by like,planting the seed now but he’s like “Nope.There’s no way, she’s not allowed to knowthat I like her. Like,absolutely not. Illegal.” and I just thinkit’s funny.

Amanda: She’s just so far below himthat in every way shape and form. I feelbad, I mean the struggle is real poorDarcy.

Rachel: Elizabeth and Jane finally make it home at the end of that chapter. So, chapter 13 Mr. Bennett is bringing someone to dinner. Turns out that it’s Collins, who is the distant cousin who is supposed to inherit the Bennett estate when he dies and kick the daughters out on the streets. But now he’s a clergyman which the entire time I was like is that like… I guess that’s like a pastor, right?

Amanda: Yeah.

Rachel: Yeah. So, I just I don’t understand the dynamic between him and Lady Catherine. Like, do pastors just live on her property?

Amanda: He does live on her property so the way it works, at that point in time, was in her county or her parish she is like the reigning, you know, she’s the queen of her community which I think Collins made very very clear and so the living or the parsonage the clergy at that point in time because remember they’re not Catholic so it’s run through the state so that was her position to give out. So, she gave him she gave him the clergyman’s position but she is so she is so all up in everybody’s business that where in most communities he would be like the pillar to whom everybody looks for she he would give her advice and not the other way around. Like you hear Darcy when Darcy was talking about it Wickham was going to be their pasture you know? (Rachel groans) Exactly. But so they give the living because it comes with a house and a stipend and stuff, it comes with money. So, they give a living to whomever they so choose and then they’re done with it until they have to give it away again um because it’s something that at that point in time was basically owned by whoever had the biggest the biggest money and homes in that community but in Collins’s position she so acd- or ocd that and I think that’s probably why Collins got it because a man of stronger character would not have tolerated a woman like Catherine being all about his business like that.

Rachel: I know and I was surprised even that Charlotte was able to tolerate that because oh I could not do it.

Amanda: Tolerate Lady Catherine?

Rachel: Yeah.

Amanda: Yeah but look what she gets out of it.

Rachel: That’s true.

Amanda: And you have to think at 27 she was very pragmatic by this point in time.

Rachel: It’s so weird because it’s like I’m thinking about I would have to have been married, right now. Like it’s so weird thinking about you’re like “Oh I don’t like that…”

Amanda: Well Lydia was congratulated for being wed at 16. Even though she went about it you know horribly wrong. Still she was congratulated for getting it done so young in life.

Rachel: I know I’m like (fake vomit sound). It sounds- at that point I was like “Sounds like he’s pretty pumped about getting the estate anyways”. And I was like “this is really weird” like I don’t really seem to like this guy. Turns out he’s the worst.

Amanda: The worst.

Rachel: And then I only have one note for chapter 14. It says “So the cousin is kind of a dirt bag. Also, I think he’s sexist.”

Amanda: I do not particularly care for Mr. Collins I just want to kick him in the balls, I really did.

Rachel: Yeah.

Amanda: He’s not a very nice person.

Rachel: I think he’s trash and also um he’s just he doesn’t value anyone’s opinion besides Lady Catherine’s and his own.

Amanda: That is a true statementand the only reason he cares about LadyCatherine is because she’s so muchhigher ranked than him.

Rachel: Yeah he like worships her like she’s a god though. Um chapter 15 “Ew. Collins is trying to marry one of his cousins.” That is my exact note. And then once he realized Jane was taken he immediately moved to Elizabeth because he doesn’t care which cousin he marries, it just has to be a cousin because in his mind you have to keep in the family. (Rachel makes a vomit sound)

Amanda: Well I think actually the reason he’s moving- he’s marrying one of the cousins… First of all I don’t think it’s like a true cousin they, you know, I mean they’ve never met before. I think it’s distantly you know a second or third cousin-

Rachel: He thinks it’s easy too. Like I think for him it’s easy.

Amanda: He thinks by keeping it in the family he’s he’s doing right by them because the girls are… He’s inheriting the estate so if dad dies before all the girls are married off then they’ve got no place to go. They’re essentially homeless. So, he thinks by marrying one of the girls he’ll be justified, you know? He’ll be able to keep them in the home with them you know. He thinks he’s doing a benevolent thing by trying to marry one of the Bennett daughters in his mind, at least.

Rachel: I guess I just I think there was also like “Oh it’s really easy” because he doesn’t want to search for a wife, he doesn’t want to put in effort either.

Amanda: Yes.

Rachel: So gross.

Rachel: Poor Charlotte. I know I… it’s just a loveless marriage. All the Bennett girls and Collins decide to go for a walk and then they come across a handsome officer named um Mr. Denny and they’re talking to him and then Wickham comes up and that’s when they uh cross paths with Darcy and Bingley and somehow Darcy and Wickham know each other. Which for quite a long period I accidentally wrote Wickerham in my notes… So I…

Amanda, correcting my pronunciation: It’s actually Wickham.

Rachel: Oh, Wickham? Yeah, you’re right. I always like I don’t know why but every time I read it, I put the er on it like a wicker basket.

Amanda: That’s funny.

Rachel: So it’s like I thought I got it all and I just saw a part my notes it says Wickerham.

Amanda: Oops.

Rachel: I’ll have to change it later. I’ll have to go through all those again. So, in chapter 16 everyone is going to dinner at their aunt’s house and this is the point where you start seeing that Wickham… (correcting the pronunciation) Wickham. Wickham. There we go. Has an interest in Elizabeth and Collins is starting to realize that none of his cousins are interested in him and he’s like he’s like “Oh no.” like “I wanted them to marry me”. So Elizabeth really wants to figure out how Darcy and uh Wickham know each other. Oh, there’s another time I wrote Wickerham. I really thought I got all of these and now it’s like an entire- my entire chapter 16 notes say Wickerham.

Amanda: That’s adorable.

Rachel: Whoops. This is what you get when you have like a little bit of dyslexia and you start trying to write notes as you’re reading. Wickham has been connected to the Darcy family since birth and this is kind of the point where um he tells his sided of the story which is that he was a really good friend um to Darcy’s dad. He doesn’t really like Darcy and he feels that he was disgraced by Darcy’s father. Uh, no. He feels Darcy disgraces his father and disappoints his hopes in Darcy and then uh Wickham says that he was driven away by Darcy, which we all know is false.

Amanda: Yes.

Rachel: But listening to his side of the story I’m like wow he really like I don’t even know if he knows that it’s his fault or if he legitimately thinks he’s the victim.

Amanda: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Wickham was, in his mind, is 100% the victim and even though he knows he’s in the wrong in everything, he’s lying through his teeth. I think he honestly believes that everything that happened is still Darcy’s fault because if Darcy would have just given him what he wanted and none of this would have happened to begin with.

Rachel: Yeah I just ugh I hate Wickham. Like not as much as I hate Mrs. Bennett but like, we’re getting there you know? It’s so trash. This is where uh Wickham says that Darcy’s dad um was going to leave something to Wickham but it wasn’t clear in writing. So apparently in Wickham’s mind Darcy disregarded everything. So uh Wickham says that Darcy is jealous of him because Darcy’s dad liked Wickham better and that’s exactly what he says. Which I don’t…  Did you think that he his dad actually thought liked Wickham better or that that’s what Wickham thinks?

Amanda: No, I think that’s what Wickham thinks. I think that’s what Wickham thinks. I do think that um I do think that he thought of Wickham as a son, so he tried to provide for him as best he could with, without you know overstepping his bounds. But yeah, I mean he paid for his education he set him up with the living you know so he could have the parish on the property. So I most definitely, I mean they were raised as brothers until Wickham threw that all away.

Rachel: Yeah Elizabeth says she doesn’t understand how Darcy’s friends Bingley when Bingley is so nice, and it got to a point where every time Elizabeth uh talk trash about Darcy I’m like “That is your husband. Um. Please don’t.” Like it’s like when you… Uh… What show was I just gonna say…? It’s like when you read Harry Potter and every time in the first few chapters that Ron talks trash about Hermione, I’m like “That’s your wife. Like I know you’re a child and you don’t know, but that’s your wife.”

Amanda: Had you seen the movies before you read the books?

Rachel: Yeah, I did. So, I got that context of being like “Okay I know exactly what’s going to happen, but I want more detail.”

Amanda: Oh, you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen those books really went off scripts in some places.

Rachel: That’s true. I know, it’s like you I thought that the movies were amazing. I love the movies and then like I read the books and I’m like these movies are like American cheese and there’s other cheeses out there that you experience in the books, you know? You don’t just have to settle. Like it’s just the books are so much better that like now I watch the movies and I’m like okay this is like a little taster but like I need more.

Amanda: Yeah, I have to I have to think of them separately. If I think about movies as a representation of the books, I get all wanting to throw things um so I have to think of them as two separate series- they’re two separate entities that just happen to have some things in common.

Rachel: It’s like Pride and prejudice I wanted to blow by blow. I wanted absolutely everything that happened in the book to happen on screen. Like I wanted to see all of it and of course we can’t get that because we can’t have a 10-hour movie but…

Amanda: I know but I mean we could, and we would watch it.

Rachel: Yeah, we’d watch it. It would have to be like one of those um Netflix short series. Like I’d watch it, I’m just saying at Netflix, let me know.

Amanda: Well I mean the Lord of the Rings trilogy, if you… Have you watched the unabridged version of the movies?

Rachel: We only own the unabrid- like the director’s cuts versions.

Amanda: Yeah I mean the unabridged versions of the movies are like five inches- five hours long a piece. So, you could do it. You can do it, you just have to be dedicated to the art.

Rachel: I know I want to see it. I’d love it because 2005 did not give me nearly enough.

Amanda: No, no.

Rachel: Yeah so this is the first time we find out about Lady Catherine

de Bourgh, right?

Amanda: Yep, De Bourgh.

Rachel: Yeah, uh which is Collin’s employer and then we find out that it’s Darcy’s aunt. So, everyone thinks that Darcy and Lady Catherine’s daughter will marry and unite the two estates. Gross.

Amanda: And they are direct cousins. There’s no-

Rachel: Yeah, yeah.

Amanda: They’re as cousin-y as cousins can get.

Rachel: I know. It’s like I know that that was a thing that happened but I’m still like (fake vomit sound) So chapter 17. As Elizabeth uhsays what she found out to Jane, Janethinks it’s probably a misunderstandingbecause they don’t know the full story.Which,this is the one-time Jane was correct inher niceties.The rest of the time I’m like “No you’rebeing way too nice to these people thatare trash.”

Amanda: I absolutely agree.

Rachel: So then the netherfield ball is hosted by Bingley is coming up on Tuesday and Collins claimed Elizabeth for the first two dances of the night and Elizabeth’s like “oh no oh no” and then she has to say yes. I think she got shocked into saying yes actually? She was so surprised that she said yes but she’s like “oh no I don’t want to do this.”

Amanda: Yeah I mean she said yes before she really realized what was going on.

Rachel: Yeah. Collins is such a creep.

Amanda: Crazy that is an excellent description he’s super creepy.

Rachel: Yeah he’s just- he’s gross. So uh MissBennett likes the ideaof Collins and Elizabeth but Elizabethis not into it and I do not blame herbecauseCollins is the worst.

Amanda: He’s gross.

Rachel: So, chapter 18 we’re finally at the ballElizabeth hasdressed to the nines trying to lookextra nice because Wickham and he’s not even there. So…

Amanda: Which of course she blames Darcy for.

Rachel: Yeah Collins is a terrible dancer and Elizabeth was incredibly embarrassed. Which I can feel that like if you go somewhere and you’re realizing that the person you’re like- you go to a fancy restaurant and you realize that your date is like a terrible, messy eater like ugh like I can’t even imagine. She’s like “I’m not gonna dance with anybody for the rest of night because that was terrible.”

Amanda: Yep.

Rachel: And then uh Darcy asked Elizabeth to dance and she was so surprised that she said yes and I was like finally the romance.

(Both laughing)

Rachel: I was like there’s gonna be hand touching and everything!

Amanda: They get to stand within two or three feet of each other!

Rachel: And like I forgot until I saw the movie what the type of dancing they were doing was and my brain was like ballroom dancing, you know? Like slow dancing ballroom dancing and I looked at it I was like “nope that’s not what it was, that’s not what I thought it was at all.” I completely forgot that it’s like that line and they like go close to each other like. And then because she made something about how they uh she wants to talk to her dancing partner I’m like “how do you talk when you’re four feet away from the other? Do you just scream and let everybody else hear your conversation?” Because it’s like you’re only next to each other for about three seconds as you pass by. So I’m like how you supposed to have a conversation like that?

Amanda: Well, they make it work they make it work they’re not, I mean because it’s a fluid dance. So you know they make it work.

Rachel: I just think it must be so awkward to like talk and dance like that because it’s not like you’re close to each other the entire time.

Amanda: Very true.

Rachel: They begin um dancing really quietly and Elizabeth makes a comment and he replies goes silent again and she tells him he needs to make conversation now. which is my favorite part of this entire thing she’s like “Well I already talked so it’s your turn to talk.” Like you have to start the conversation and he’s like “Well what do you want me to say?” Like I thought that’s so funny.

Amanda: It’s like the modern-day conversation couples have about dinner. “Well I picked dinner yesterday so now you have to pick dinner today.”

“Well then what do you want?” “Well that’s not the point of this. The point of this is I said you have to pick.”

Rachel: That and then you say Chipotle and they’re like “We had Chipotle yesterday.” and you’re like “Well then you have to say something.” It’s such like an like long-term relationship type of conversation that they’re having right now. It’s like I already- no I changed the kids diapers yesterday you have to do it today. Like…

Amanda: Yes yes that is so funny. So true.

Rachel: And then um at this point Elizabeth because she has no chill hints that she knows what went on between uh Darcy and Wickham and I was like “Oh way to ruin a night Elizabeth.” Like terrible.

Amanda: She’s just poking the bear.

Rachel: I know, she’s like hey you know what would be fun? If I brought up this trauma for you.

Amanda: But she doesn’t realize it’s trauma yet she’s trying to throw his bad behavior in his face-

Rachel: and she thinks he’s bad-

Amanda: Yeah, she doesn’t realize what she’s just done to him.

Rachel: Yeah. I like after knowing his side of the story this part makes me so upset.

Amanda: I know it’s so much of both of their behavior, hers especially, is so cringy when you get to the end of the book because you’re just like “Oh you behaved so bad and you really, really shouldn’t have.”

Rachel: and it’s like you know that um she is one of those people that like lays awake at night and this entire conversation she’s like “Oh I hate myself.”

Amanda: Yep.

Rachel: Um Darcy says that she shouldn’t judge him when she doesn’t know him, which is a fact. And then Miss Bingley says that… So after they are done dancing Miss Bingley comes up to Elizabeth and says that uh Wickham is actually in the wrong here and that what was left to him was conditional only. And then at this point I put the guess in that the condition was that Wickham had to marry Wickham yeah had to marry Miss Darcy who he does not seem to like which was not a fact but I still had to that was my guess for what the condition was. Jane really likes Bingley which I think is super sweet because I just- every time that there’s reference to them being together I just have to make a note of it. And then in this moment is when Collins finds out that Darcy and his employer are related. So Collins goes up and starts paying his respects to Darcy as obnoxiously as humanly possible.

Amanda: Oh it’s so… and what makes that even worse is that was at a point in time where you could not walk up to a stranger. It did not matter if you had seen that stranger half a dozen times. If you had not been personally introduced to them by somebody else, then it was the deepest faux pas and as his aunt’s ambassador, Collins, as Mrs. Catherine’s ambassador Collins should have known that it was the deepest faux pas and it was an insult to ours to Darcy in his position to go up and address him like that. And he just did it in front of everybody. It was so uncouth.

Rachel: And it was just like no, please no. Don’t do it, please. And he’s like I’m gonna do it and everyone’s like ughhhhhh.

Amanda: And then of course who pays for it but Elizabeth? Because Miss Bingley is all like “What interesting relatives you have.” And Elizabeth is like just die just die.

Rachel: Oh yeah and he does it so loudly and like at that point Darcy’s in the center of the room it’s not like he pulls him aside he’s like “Oh hey,” you know like “I found out you’re here…” You know? He doesn’t in front of every single soul.

Amanda: Everybody. Yeah it’s miserable I just want to smack them.

Rachel: Yeah and then after that Collins follows Elizabeth around for the rest of the night so she couldn’t dance with anyone else because he’s already a territorial.

Amanda: Stalker.

Rachel: Yep and then um this is when it’s announced that Bingley is going to go to London for a little while. So chapter 19 I thought Collins was leaving that day but actually he was leaving in a few days and is asking for a private word with Elizabeth. Collins tells Elizabeth that he selected her as his wife which is disgusting.

Amanda: Which is like it’s like ah you’re just- I’m laying such an honor on you. Like ugh.

Rachel: You’re like oh that’s romantic thanks. Like I love it.

Amanda: You Should try not to shudder in front of them.

Rachel: Yeah and then Collins talks all about the benefits of marriage for himself not even weighing in Elizabeth’s feelings at all. And then in his proposal he constantly refers to Elizabeth as his cousin and while it’s true it’s so gross.

Amanda: So gross.

Rachel: I’m like just say Elizabeth like ew. So Elizabeth says no and Collins says it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept which how come in the 1800s men still didn’t realize no means no.

Amanda: Uh we’re in the 2020s and men still don’t realize no means no.

Rachel: I know things have not improved and it makes me sad.

Amanda: I mean…

Rachel: So gross and then so after Elizabeth very clearly says no thank you and she is not even a little interested, Collins says that he hopes she will be nicer next time he asks. Disgusting. So chapter 20. Mrs. Bennett is going to talk Elizabeth into marrying Collins and I think this is very well done in 2005’s movie to be honest this whole conversation.

Amanda: Yes, yes! And I love- I mean in the books I hate Mrs. Bingley not Mrs. Bingley, Mrs. Bennett she’s my least favorite character. But in the movies I’m such a fan of the actress who played her and how she brought her across that it almost makes me want to like her because she looks like she’s just she’s so stressed out over Elizabeth telling him no. She’s like what in the world is wrong with you child.

Rachel: Literally. I thought it was hilarious because she’s just she’s like “Oh my gosh this daughter’s never gonna get married. She’s gonna become an old maid like Charlotte.” Is basically what I’m assuming her thought process was. Mrs. Bennett at this point runs to Mr. Bennett to tell him to make Elizabeth marry Collins and Mrs. Bennett tells Elizabeth she’ll never see her again if she refuses to marry Collins and Mr. Bennett says he’ll never see you again if she does. And this I loved I was like yes because I- we all hate Collins.

Amanda: And that I mean you have to think about in that day and age because I always forget some, well not always but this was written you know 200 years ago by a woman who had never been you know she’d never been in a relationship or anything because you don’t have relationships that day and age and so to present Mr. Bennett this way is such this is such a modern thing to say to Elizabeth because in that day and age if your parents told you to get married, you got married. So, for her to be proposed to and it would have it would have saved the family. I mean the house, the property would have then gone to Elizabeth and for her dad to say “Uh not only do you not have to marry him but if you do I’ll disown you” it’s such a liberal thing for her father to say that I think that’s one of the reasons why this story resonates so well is even 200 years ago you know it’s it was saying things that that were just out of place for its time.

Rachel: Yeah it honestly had a lot of modern cues like even dealing with um Lydia running away and going off to marry someone like that’s very modern of this book to discuss. Like that’s not both mostly my frame of reference for classic literature at this point is like Gone With The Wind because that’s the last one which is a terrible, terrible, horrible book that I don’t recommend anyone read if they don’t absolutely have to.

Amanda: And it’s not I mean it’s Gone With The Wind though I guess technically is classic literature it’s not-

Rachel: Like it’s not that old.

Amanda: Yeah I mean it’s not even 100 years old yet.

Rachel: Yeah so it’s like my understanding of like the way society functioned is from that book and like that book is so horribly racist I can’t. I can’t handle it.

Amanda: We also have to remember that was, what 1920s Georgia?

Rachel: Yeah.

Amanda: 1920s the south. Whereas Pride and Prejudice is in the early 1800s in Britain.

Rachel: Yeah I feel like Britain too didn’t have as many- like they had rules but it seems like in America those rules were very strict for the way society behaves. Whereas in Europe they still were like people are people in a way so they still allowed certain things like while things were not necessarily great they still were like okay these are still things that happen. Whereas like in America it seemed like you know if your kid runs away not a single soul will discuss that publicly. You know? So I think it’s kind of weird and I do like that Pride and Prejudice isn’t like afraid to discuss that but that is something that happens.

Amanda: She was, she was such a modern area a modern person for her time. It was fantastic.

Rachel: I know and that’s what makes the book so good is that it doesn’t feel like it’s stuck in the past where a lot of classic literature does. It feels very stuck.

Amanda: Yes it aged so well.

Rachel: Yeah, I definitely think so and it’s not like there’s not so much like while there’s classism it shows like overcoming classism instead of being like classist necessarily. You know? So I think that’s what I really liked about it. So okay back to the chapter. Miss Bennett- Mrs. Bennett says that she’s going to keep her word and never talk to Elizabeth again. Which is like, being raised with sisters, threats like this I always find funny in books because it’s so like it happens all the time and it’s like I’m never going to speak to you again you ate the last cookie in the fridge and how dare you.

Amanda: And she’s I mean she doesn’t even last half a second before she’s already off and lecturing her some more.

Rachel: I know. I think it was like an hour she lasted.

Amanda: Right? Probably not even it’s crazy.

Rachel: So chapter 21 Collins will not look at or speak to Elizabeth and he’s now talking solely to Miss Lucas because I think um Elizabeth had said “hey can you like distract this guy because he’s annoying the living day lights out of me.” She’s like “sure!” and then turns out uh you know they end of getting married. So, all the girls go over to the aunt’s house to see if um we’re going uh to see Wickham and he says he couldn’t bear to be in the same room as Darcy. Which is already suspicious because this is where you start seeing holes in his story because it’s like if his side of story was true Darcy would be hiding from Wickham but he’s not so…

Amanda: Yep.

Rachel: Um apparently the Bingley family and Darcy have gone to London and have no intention of returning anytime soon according to a letter written to Jane and Miss Bingley shadyly implies that Bingley will marry Darcy’s sister in her letter as well. This made me so salty. And then they told um Mrs. Bennett that the Bingleys are leaving but not about Darcy’s sister which is smart in my opinion.

Amanda: Yes it’s very smart because they don’t- I mean they don’t want to have to deal with their mom anymore than they already have to, you know? No need to poke the bear.

Rachel: So chapter 22. Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte is now going to marry

Collins and I immediately put a question mark. I was like, what? Because it really did came and come out of the blue like it was like they’re casually talking to now they’re engaged.

Amanda: Well she was super- I mean she was super sneaky about it too. She saw that opportunity and she- I think I don’t think enough credit is given to Charlotte in this book because Elizabeth is all like “what a bad choice. What a bad decision.” But Charlotte worked that so well, she saw an opportunity she used it to herself all throughout the book she manages to push off Collins. She gets him out of her face. She encourages him go outside, do this. She agrees with everything he says to stop the ranting. You know? Elizabeth looks down on Charlotte for agreeing to marry Collins but I think in reality Charlotte played that so well she manipulates the crap out of him and now she’s in a nice home she’s taking care of herself she’s not underneath her parents thumb anymore. They don’t even sleep in the same room, you know? She’s very has to do very little to appease him and now she’s got like this great new gig out of it.

Rachel: Yeah she basically got a casual roommate.

Amanda: Yeah I don’t think enough credit wasgiven to Charlotte.You know? How smooth she made that happenfor her.

Rachel: I do think that charlotte just did not ever want to get married and she’s like, “Okay I know I have to, so I’ll just marry this guy and I’m not gonna allow him near me.” But…

Amanda: I’ve always wondered if maybe deep down Charlotte wasn’t a lesbian.

Rachel: I wonder that too that’s why I was like you know I- not to like put modern- not to like put my perspective on her but I was like I wonder if that was like Jane Austen’s cueing into not all people are happy and like not all people want to be in straight relationships but you know that just might be my perspective putting on that onto her.

Amanda: Well I mean homosexuality is not a new concept.

Rachel: Yeah.

Amanda: It’s not something that just popped up in the last, you know 40 decades or 40 years or whatever. They’ve had homosexual- you know at one point time it was common you know in the roman empire it was it was they thought that the only way you could truly be of one mind was with a person of the same sex. So it certainly wasn’t something that was talked about at that day and age but they they had lesbians and they had gay  people you know, but they did it on the down low.

Rachel: I think I said that the wrong way I meant it as more of like I didn’t want to say that like I’m putting that perspective on her because of like you don’t really write that in books at that time but like I definitely knew there was lesbians because what’s in an um I might be wrong but I know there was a famous author I think it was Mary Shelley… Wasn’t… I might be wrong. I know Shakespeare’s was gay, right?

Amanda: Shakespeare um bi, most definitely.

Rachel: Okay and then I feel like I heard something about Mary Shelley. I feel like I heard that she did orgies and that she might have been gay but I don’t… I don’t know if that’s a fact I might just be spreading rumor here.

Amanda: It sounds like a fun rumor!

Rachel: I just I remember seeing something about that and I was like that hits right.

Amanda: Mary Shelley’s married to the dude who wrote Frankenstein, right?

Rachel: Uh I thought- No Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein.

Amanda: Oh Mary Shelley wrote, well I’m stupid. Why didn’t I know that was written by a woman?

Rachel: I think she had to put it under a fake name when it was published.

Amanda: Ah well that makes more sense then.

Rachel: Yeah because Jane Austen also published Pride and Prejudice anonymously.

Amanda: That I did know.

Rachel: Yeah okay so back to the book. Uh chapter 23. So, Mr. uh Lucas comes over to announce Charlotte’s engagement and everyone in the family thinks he’s lying because Jane just- uh Collins just proposed to Jane three days ago and Mrs. Bennett is not happy at all and Elizabeth is so disappointed in Charlotte and it’s putting a damper on their friendship. Which yeah it’s kind of sad but I mean I get it. I think in Jane’s- or in Elizabeth’s mind she’s like you’re marrying so below your status, you know? Like in him because he’s not a good or interesting person and Jane wants her to be with someone that’s like awesome but I don’t think Charlotte if she was given- even if she was given Darcy or Bingley she’s not interested in them she doesn’t want a man.

Amanda: Well I think at this point in time she’s at the point where beggars can’t be choosers.

Rachel: That’s true.

Amanda: She needs to get out of her parent’s house and so and she knows I mean she’s old at least for that point in time. She’s not pretty, she’s got nothing to recommend her. um so she’s basically telling you know Elizabeth that you know you’re being you’re being stuck up when this is what’s best for me and you should be a good friend and be happy for me instead of sticking your nose up at a situation that just because you’re good enough to tell him no doesn’t mean that I am in a place that I can.

Rachel: Plus I think charlotte secretly kind of enjoys the fact that she can push Collins around whereas like she doesn’t she doesn’t want someone that’s going to tell her what to do all the time she wants someone that like is going to just exist so it looks like she has a man in her life.

Amanda: Yep yep. She has him wrapped around her little pinky.

Rachel: Yeah and I mean I get it and I respect it. Like Charlotte totally pulled a power move at that point.

Amanda: Yes she did and I thought it was awesome.

Rachel: And then uh Collins says he’s going to be returning rather soon and not a single soul in that Bennett household is happy about it and I guess they’re hoping to get married very quickly because what’s the sense of a long engagement when you don’t love the person you’re marrying.

Amanda: Very true.

Rachel: So um chapter 24. Bingley is stuck in London for the winter with the Darcy family. Jane says she’s decided to move on from Mr. Bingley, which is a lie, but you know. Elizabeth uh thinks drastically less of Charlotte for lowering herself to agree to marry Collins because he is trash. Elizabeth and Jane essentially agree to no longer talk about Bingley at all and… Oh my gosh I wrote Wickerham again. Wickham is uh calling on the Bennett family more and it’s public knowledge that he doesn’t like Darcy. At this point he has told the entire town what he thinks of Darcy, which is not great.

Amanda: Elizabeth is just taking people off left and right man.

Rachel: I know she does not do well in these first few chapters like-

Amanda: She is very opinionated.

Rachel: Yeah so um chapter 25 Mrs. Bennett’s uh brother and wife come for a visit to spend Christmas with them and um Mrs. Bennett’s sister came as well so I couldn’t figure out um I guess I did say Mrs. Bennett’s brother but everybody refers to them like Mr. Darcy and um Mrs. not Mr. Darcy- Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Bennett both referred to him as brother they don’t say brother-in-law it’s the entire time I was like whose like sibling is this?

Amanda: Well they didn’t really consider things as in-laws at that point in time. So the siblings their blood-related to um their blood-related to Mrs. Bennett to the girls as moms but at that point in time it wasn’t brother-in-law and sister-in-law it was when you got married these were your- now your siblings, you know? I’m now your sister they didn’t use the term in-law at that point in time.

Rachel: Yeah that’s what confused me. So we got so used to seeing like in law that I was like who are you related to?

Amanda: Yep they all belong to they all belong to Mrs. Bennett, the one and only.

Rachel: So at that point Jane’s I’m gonna go to London with her aunt for a bit for a change of scene and I was hoping that she would run into Bingley even though she’s going to try not to. And then this is the point where we find out that Darcy’s first name is Fitzwilliam.

Amanda: I love that.

Rachel: It’s just- it’s something about like seeing last names for so long that I just assume that they don’t have a first name. So, it’s like it’s like when you learn someone’s first name after you only know them by like their nickname for a while you’re like oh that’s your first name?

Amanda: Well and I mean you think you know 200 years later, all throughout history he’s still only known as Darcy. Well people don’t refer to him as Fitzwilliam and one of the reasons that is because his first name is his cousin’s surname so Darcy Fitzwilliam but then his cousin is Colonel Fitzwill- I mean Fitzwillam Darcy but then his cousin is Colonel Fitzwilliam. So it’s like a family name but it’s a family name that’s already used by someone else in the book.

Rachel: Yeah it was like finding out that Bingley’s first name was Charles I was like… Mmmm…  I don’t like it. So chapter 26, Elizabeth uh tells her aunt that she’s not in love uh with uh Wickham currently, which…

Amanda: Liar.

Rachel: Yeah I know. Charlotte is now a day away from getting married and asked Elizabeth to visit her uh and Jane has now gone to London. So, Charlotte was married and then immediately went to Kent from the chapel doors. She didn’t even go back home, she didn’t go to the bathroom, she immediately walked out and was like all right time to go to Kent. Which is wild cause I was like was the carriage fully packed and just waiting? Oh my goodness can you imagine going in your wedding dress and driving halfway across the country?

Amanda: Their wedding clothes were designed to be able to hop in the carriage and head off to their husband’s house.

Rachel: Like I know Kent realistically from London is not that far but like imagining it in a carriage it must have been like a couple hours at least.

Amanda: This is one of the hardest things I struggle with when I read European literature is when we think of the country when we think of a country, we think of the United States. So I’m going from Florida to Seattle, you know, that’s a five-day car drive if I’m traveling and a buggy a carriage, you know, that’s five months but England the whole country of England is smaller than the state of Texas. So it’s when we think you know they’re traveling all over the country and we’re thinking oh that must take months. In reality it only takes hours because you can, you could get from one side of England to the other in a car in a matter of like, six hours, you know?

Rachel: See I had the advantage I went to London for a study abroad for a month so I like lived there.

Amanda: Oh cool!

Rachel: Yeah, so I have like an understanding of it but I’m trying to remember how long like in the tube which is basically it’s pretty direct it goes pretty fast it I think it still took like an hour to get like I’m trying to remember because now it’s been a couple years. But I only went to Kent once while I was there but it still took a while so I’m like okay if they’re outside of London like how long does it take to possibly get there?

Amanda: I think I think I think it’s a four-hour drive from London to where they’re at.

Rachel: Feels right. That’s still wild to me. So Jane wrote a letter to Elizabeth saying that she visited uh Miss Bingley but didn’t see Mr. Bingley and the visit was very quick. Like Miss Bingley didn’t want to see her so this is our first que in that something’s wrong.

(Amanda laughs)

Rachel: So uh Jane’s no longer friends with Miss Bingley and sees that she’s been fooled thank goodness because Jane is way too trusting. Also the Bingley family may be selling their house near them and then Wickham is officially admiring someone else which is annoying. So, chapter 27. It’s March now and Elizabeth is going to see Charlotte she uh goes to do a pit stop and sees Jane on her way which I thought was really nice and Elizabeth is going on a road trip with her aunt and uncle over the summer. So, that’s kind of all that happens in chapter 27 but like it sets up like that road trip I don’t know why I didn’t think people did that like I just thought that was wouldn’t be a thing that happens very often but I was like I like to see it like that’s very modern, you know?

Amanda: Yes, well they called they called it tours back then. They took a tour of the city or a tour of the whatever it was so yeah it’s like my favorite part of the book.

Rachel: I know I like that I was like that’s like a fun little thing to do but I also like that they go see Pemberley so…

(Outro Music)

Rachel: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for joining for me for this episode of the Barely Bookish podcast. I am so happy that you all are enjoying it so far. Um yeah thank you so much for listening to this latest episode if you want to find Amanda Faye she is on Instagram as Amanda_faye_books. She’s on Facebook as facebook.com/amandafaybooks. She’s on the web as amandafaybooks.com. She’s also a wonderful author so make sure you check out her books on Amanda Faye on amazon I will have all of these in the show notes as well so they’re very easy for you to find. So make sure you check those out if you want to find me anywhere it’s at barely bookish on pretty much everything. I have Instagram, I have Facebook, I’ve got a twitter I even got a TikTok where I make videos that I think are funny. So you know if that’s what you want to see, hop over to TikTok and find me. Yeah as I mentioned in the beginning we also have the Barely Book Club. So, if you want to read books with a lot of very cool people, make sure to go ahead and check that out, we would love to have you. We also suggest books at the end of each reading, so if this book isn’t quite up your alley still feel free to join the Discord by going to barelybookish.com/connect make sure to check it out and then you can suggest a book uh right when the they open back up again and if you want to keep in touch just make sure to follow me on Instagram that’s where I am most of the time um yeah that’s it. My logo was designed by my wonderful little sister Sarah, the theme song is called video game block buster by Rafael Krux on freepd.com and that’s all I have for you guys I will catch you in the next episode. Bye!