My apologies -- I will be late getting the Group Read up this week. I'll try to get it up soon, but I'm not sure how soon "soon" will be.
If you are interested in joining the Group Read, why not take the opportunity to catch up and join us? We'll be discussing Chapters 25-32 this week. Click on the big Group Read button, there on the left sidebar, to catch up on previous weeks.
The next Group Read will be next Monday, on Chapters 25-32.
This week, we're discussing Chapters 19-24. We eagerly await your comments and discussion! (We are avoiding spoilers.)
Chapter 19: Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth. Elizabeth declines, but Mr Collins does not believe she is serious.
Chapter 20: Mrs Bennet tries to settle the situation -- she takes Elizabeth's refusal seriously, but hopes to persuade Elizabeth to accept Mr Collins. She appeals to Mr Bennet, who settles the question (in the inimitable Mr Bennet style) in favor of Elizabeth. Mrs Bennet keeps working on Elizabeth, while Mr Collins grows more and more grumpy. The house is in an uproar, when Charlotte Lucas comes to call.
Chapter 21: In spite of his disappointment and resentment, Mr Collins does not curtail his visit to Longbourn. The girls takes a stroll to Meryton, where they meet their acquaintances among the officers, including Mr Wickham. The officers walk the girls back to Meryton, and Elizabeth introduces Mr Wickham to her parents. Jane receives a letter from Netherfield -- Caroline Bingley has written to tell her that the entire party has gone to London and will certainly stay there for the winter. Jane is particularly saddened by Caroline's confiding her hopes that Bingley will propose to Mr Darcy's sister Georgiana. Jane and Elizabeth differ in their interpretation of Caroline's motive in sharing these hopes.
Chapter 22: The Bennets dine with the Lucas family, and once again Charlotte takes the brunt of conversation with Mr Collins upon herself. Elizabeth thinks Charlotte is doing her a favor, but not in the way she expects. Charlotte's plan works better than she hopes -- Mr Collins sneaks out early the very next morning and proposes. Charlotte accepts, but asks Mr Collins not to tell the Bennets. Mr Collins is about ready to pop with pride, but he keeps the secret. The next day, after Mr Collins has returned to Hunsford, Charlotte calls on the Bennets and breaks the news to Elizabeth in person. Elizabeth is shocked, as Charlotte knew she would be.
Chapter 23: That evening, Sir William Lucas shares his happy news with the rest of the astonished Bennet family. They each digest the news in their own way. Elizabeth is still stunned at Charlotte's decision. The family receives Mr Collins's thank-you letter, written with all the grace and delicacy they have come to expect from him. Meanwhile, Jane is saddened by Bingley's continued absence. Elizabeth is suspicious of the Bingley sisters. Two weeks later, Mr Collins is back in town and stays with the Bennets, although he spends almost all his time with the Lucases.
Chapter 24: The news is confirmed: Bingley will not be returning at all for the winter. Jane concludes that Bingley had never really liked her, and consoles herself with the thought that she had not risked exposing her own feelings for Bingley. Jane and Elizabeth talk over human nature in general; Elizabeth confesses her growing cynicism, fueled in part by Charlotte's marriage to Mr Collins. Mr Bennet shares his own sardonic take on the matter. Meanwhile they see a good bit of Mr Wickham, who cheers them all up. His tale of woe at the hands of Mr Darcy is now general knowledge in the community. Only Jane continues to insist that there must be some kind of extenuating circumstances somewhere.
Chapter 13: We meet Mr Collins, first by letter and then in person.
Chapter 14: Dinner with Mr Collins.
Chapter 15: The girls take a walk to Meryton, with Mr Collins in tow. They meet up with their aquaintance Mr Denny, an officer in the regiment; Denny in turns introduces Mr Wickham, a fine looking young man who has just accepted a commission in the regiment. Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy ride by. While Bingley chats with Jane, Elizabeth notices a curious exchange between Darcy and Wickham. The Bennet girls and Mr Collins visit the girls' Aunt Philips (Mrs Bennet's sister); she invites them to come the next evening for cards and supper.
Chapter 16: Supper with the Philipses. Elizabeth is pleased to see Mr. Wickham, and is even more pleased that he seems to be interested in her. Wickham asks if she knows Darcy. She keeps the topic on Darcy, and finds that Wickham is a font of information -- he has been connected to the Darcy family since his childhood; his father was the late Mr Darcy's man of business. Wickham tells Elizabeth that old Mr Darcy had educated him for the church and had promised him a living, but that when the living became available, "our" Mr Darcy would not give it to him, and that Wickham was left to find his own way in the world. Wickham also reveals another connection to Darcy: Lady Catherine deBourgh is Darcy's aunt (she is his mother's sister) and believes that Darcy is to marry her daughter.
Chapter 17: Elizabeth shares Wickham's story with Jane. Jane is sure that there must be some mistake, somewhere. Mr Bingley and his two sisters come to call, and invite the Bennet family to a ball at Netherfield. Elizabeth is delighted at the idea of dancing with Mr Wickham. To her dismay, not only does Mr Collins decide that he will also come to the ball, but he also asks her for the first two dances. She also realizes that Mr Collins may actually be courting her.
Chapter 18: The Netherfield Ball. Although the other officers are present, Wickham is not; Denny drops Elizabeth a hint that Wickham timed his out-of-town business to avoid Darcy. Elizabeth is disappointed -- and annoyed with Darcy. She is so taken by surprise when Darcy asks her to dance, though, that she accepts before she can come up with an excuse. Elizabeth fishes for more information on Wickham. Bingley and his sisters have a poor opinion of him, but Elizabeth thinks that it's because they are naturally taking Darcy's side. Elizabeth has other concerns when the rest of her family starts forgetting their manners.
Pansy and Peony: The Two Sleepy Mommies
