Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

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Austen’s most famous novel introduces us to the Bennets, a family of daughters all in need of a husband. Mrs Bennet uses all her energy trying to engineer good matches for them while Mr Bennet subtly undermines her. The girls (aside from Mary, who gets very little page time) are excited at the prospect of balls and the soldiers who are staying nearby. When Mr Bingley rents a local estate there are high hopes that one of the Bennets will catch his eye, but with his unfriendly companion Mr Darcy by his side there may be unexpected complications. Will Mrs Bennet succeed in securing good matchers for all five girls, and will they marry the men they want or be stuck with a man merely for his position?

Austen builds the world humorously, focusing in on the relatively small lives of her characters. Ignoring the world of politics and war that was raging around them, she allows us to be sucked into the world of the Bennets, where an invitation to a ball is much sought after, not receiving a letter from your beloved is a tragedy, and the wealth of your family has a huge impact on your prospects. Coming in to this book I had expected it to be mainly about Elizabeth and Mr Darcy so was surprised to discover that although they do get a little more time than others, it is really about the whole family. There are many love stories, and I actually found theirs one of the least convincing. Darcy is rude and unfriendly to begin with, and although we do see from quite an early stage that he is developing feelings for Elizabeth, against his better judgment, there is little affection from her for the majority of the book. Indeed, most of the characters think poorly of him throughout, and although she does learn information that begins to move her to a more sympathetic attitude, knowing that someone isn’t entirely a terrible person isn’t the same as falling in love. Toward the end of the novel when news of their relationship is revealed to her family she is questioned on her affection for him, it coming as a great surprise. Her quip that she saw Pemberley, and that was enough, doesn’t seem all that far from reality. Her thoughts when she first sees the gardens there are that she wouldn’t mind being mistress of such a place. Her anxiety in getting approval from her father feels genuine and well drawn but otherwise her feelings aren’t well developed. Perhaps because it’s such a famous story, even if you know none of the details you know that theirs is the central love story, it shifts how you approach it, but without that foreknowledge I think I would have been quite surprised by her sudden desire to marry Darcy. Coming to the book with the perception that is it a love story and with the modern idea of romance colours your expectations. Elizabeth slowly grows in affection for Darcy as she comes to know his true character and in doing so realises that he could make a suitable life partner, and one whose wealth will keep her comfortable. 

Jane’s love story feels more heartfelt. We see her pining for Bingley, and suffering from his absence. You hope that things will work out for her. Lydia’s elopement is one of the more exciting sections of the novel with the family galvanising to get her back safely. We see the suffering of those left behind waiting for news, and the concern for what sad outcomes might result. Austen’s final say on each of the marriages also adds a sense of reality to it all, this isn’t a happily ever after book, marriages work but the first flushes of affection don’t remain the same. These girls are very young, teens and early 20s, and have no experience of romantic relationships before they’re married. 

The characters are largely quite memorable. There is humour and flaws in them all. Mrs Bennet from the off is depicted as being overly concerned with marrying her daughters off, with her husband being somewhat exasperated and bored by the whole thing. Much as she may go too far, it is completely understandable that she would want her daughters to be in a financially secure position when their father dies. This was not a time when women were generally able to support themselves, especially those who had grown up in genteel surroundings. Readers will laugh in slight horror at her willingness to send Jane off deliberately into the rain, without a carriage, so that she will be forced to stay with Bingley. Her mother is little concerned that she falls ill as a result, and once assured that it is not a serious ailment her priority is to keep her at Bingley’s for as long as possible, against the wishes of both Jane and Elizabeth, who has gone to tend to her. Darcy comments later in the novel in a moment of unguarded honesty, that her mother’s behaviour is off-putting to potential suitors. Mr Bennet manages to be a likeable character despite his not always being kind to his wife, a fact that is remarked upon later in the novel. He doesn’t do anything outrageous and he is interested in his daughters making decisions based on what they want, rather than what is deemed a good match. Nonetheless, he should probably be more concerned with ensuring their wellbeing when he is no longer around. We are constantly told what a good-hearted woman Jane is, and although she doesn’t do anything wrong I’m not sure that we are shown her demonstrating this all that much. Elizabeth is strong-willed and opinionated, but also kind and concerned for the wellbeing of her sisters. She feels quite modern.

I have read some Jane Austen previously and admit I was never much of a fan, but am glad to have given her another go. Pride and Prejudice is an enjoyable read which made me chuckle multiple times throughout. Although written over two hundred years ago, and set in family life and society that is different to that most modern readers will relate to, the characters and their hopes, dreams and flaws, all feel very relatable and timeless. The writing is easy to get in to and although the story is quite gentle there is plenty to keep your interest.

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The Enchanted April, Elizabeth Von Arnim

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When Mrs Wilkins sees an advert for a castle to rent in Italy for ‘those who appreciate wistaria and sunshine’ she is overtaken by an unexpected desire to take up the property and escape from her dreary life for a month. She sees another woman, Mrs Arbuthnot, notice the advert and senses in her the same longing. Completely out of character for them both they decide to enquire, and on finding the rent rather steep, seek two more women to share the cost. Before they know it they are arriving in Italy and acquainting themselves with the castle which is to be their home for the month of April. Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline arrive separately to Wilkins and Arbuthnot and there is an ongoing silent battle over who should be in the role of host. Lady Caroline wants to be left alone, worn out by London society and the attention her good looks bring. Mrs Fisher doesn’t appear to have any great aspirations for the holiday but puts herself in the role of ensuring decorum is maintained. She finds Mrs Wilkins entirely too excitable and informal.

There is not much in the way of plot in this novel, it is merely a gentle meditation on the lives of women in the 1920s, on marriage and expectation, on finding your own desires. As the novel progresses we see each woman come to realisations about themselves. Mrs Wilkins is the most immediately and obviously changed, feeling the weight and drudgery of life float away. She spends her days on long walks, picnicking by herself in the landscape around the castle. Her heart is so lightened by the experience that she invites her husband to stay with them. Lady Caroline fears that the other women will want to be her friend and ruin her peace, but she soon finds that actually she wishes Mrs Wilkins would bother her more. She spends her days thinking and realises that she has been mean and shallow. Throughout she is frustrated by the fact that when she tries to be unpleasant to others they don’t realise - her voice is so sweet and her looks so pretty that they are merely enchanted. We come to see in Mrs Arbuthnot a longing to be important to another person. Before she left London we saw that her marriage was not a happy one. Her husband makes money in ways she doesn’t approve of and marriage has made her pious and judgmental. When her husband arrives he is reminded of who she was before they were married, a similar experience to that of Mr and Mrs Wilkins, and you feel sad for them that they have spent so long being unhappy in their marriages.

Our first impressions of Mrs Arbuthnot and Wilkins are positive. Mrs Wilkins seems fairly innocent in her enthusiasm and looks forward to preparing the castle for the other two women, wanting to see their pleasure when they arrive. Lady Caroline and Mrs Fisher show no such signs of conviviality, taking the best rooms for themselves and moving unwanted furniture into the rooms Mrs Wilkins and Arbuthnot will inhabit. Certainly I felt great affection for Mrs Wilkins, and Mrs Fisher’s dislike of her, ignoring her as much as possible, feels unkind. The castle does eventually work its magic on them all however, and they see the good in each other that perhaps they couldn’t at the beginning. Mrs Fisher generally approves of Mrs Arbuthnot, but unaware that she sees herself as the host, is confused by her constant response to being offered tea or food being to offer it back. This is the kind of gentle humour littered throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were characters that you related to from the start, others that were harder around the edges. There was a real innocence to Mrs Wilkins and Arbuthnot planning the trip, the descriptions likening their feelings to that of having been with a lover. These are women who have become trapped by their domestic lives, and whose courage to do something different frees them from those invisible shackles, allowing them to discover themselves once more.

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Bruges-La-Morte, Georges Rodenbach

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Hugues Viane lost his wife five years ago and moved to Bruges, a city he considered decaying and melancholy, in order to fully indulge his grief, seeing his deceased wife reflected around the city. He lives alone with only the company of his servant Barbe. One evening, having been to Church to reflect on his loss, he encounters a woman who he believes resembles his wife almost exactly. What follows is an unsettling affair in which he tries to turn her into the woman he loved while increasingly realising that it is an illusion. He never speaks to Jane, his new beau, about his former love and she is unaware that his obsession with her is based on her resemblance. Putting her up in a home separate from his, keeping their relationship a secret, this is not a healthy situation. When they fall out he has to consider whether he has fallen for Jane for herself or if it is merely the illusion of his former wife that sustains them. Her eventual demand to come to his home leads to the climax of the book. 

Jane as a character is not particularly developed. We see her through Hugues’ eyes, and it is only approaching the climax of the novel that we begin to see more of her mindset. Tired of his strange behaviour she has begun to consider whether it is worth continuing the relationship merely to benefit financially - he is older than her and she suspects it would not be too long before she could inherit. For the most part you feel quite sorry for her but her behaviour in his home becomes quite uncomfortable, although we are left once more feeling that she is a victim of Hugues’ obsession.

Hugues begins by being quite a sympathetic character. Yes, he seem to indulge in his grief, but his emotions are painful and you feel for him. However, his behaviour toward Jane is frequently unacceptable and unhealthy. The power balance between them is uneven, although she does possess power in the chance resemblance to his wife - he would not want to lose her. This is not a love story however, it is one of dangerous obsession and the fetishisation of the dead. A sense of melancholy hangs over the whole book and Rodenbach works hard to bring the city itself into the mood of the book. In the original he published photographs alongside the text, and this has been replicated with more recent photographs in the current edition. These depict empty streets and canals, offering a somewhat haunting sensation very different to the experience of a modern visitor to the city. Locals are said to have been unhappy with the novel when it was originally published, depicting their city as a place of death and decay when they were attempting to revive it as a place of industry. 

An interesting book that modern readers may find somewhat overwritten. The introductory essay by Alan Hollinghurst and essay ‘The Death Throes of Towns’ give us an insight in Rodenbach’s fascination with Bruges and his perspective on it as a city of faded glory. A strange, disturbing novel which evokes a very particular time and mindset. 

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