In this episode, we talk about the steps taken to find Lydia and Wickham, how much Darcy paid to get them married, the moral and social approach towards what Lydia has done, why Mrs Bennet thinks there will be a duel, the letter from Mr Collins, and Elizabeth’s changing feelings towards Darcy.
We discuss the character of George Wickham. Ellen talks about marriage settlements and marriage laws, and Harriet looks at how some modernisations of the book adapt the Lydia plot.
We also revisit the subject of enclosures, in response to some feedback, and talk about social inequality and how it’s not really addressed in Jane Austen’s work.
Things we mention:
Books:
- W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman, 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England (1930)
- Flora Thompson, Lark Rise to Candleford (1939)
- The works of Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870)
- Curtis Sittenfeld, Eligible (2016)
- Claire LaZebnik, Epic Fail (2011)
- Also two books Eszter included in her comment to us, but which we didn’t include in the recording:
- Guy Shrubsole, Who Owns England? (2019)
- Brett Christophers, The New Enclosure: The Appropriation of Public Land in Neoliberal Britain (2018)
Movies and television:
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1995) – starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
- Bestboy Pictures, Pride and Prejudice: A Latter Day Comedy (2003) – starring Kam Heskin and Orlando Seale
- Pathé Pictures International, Bride and Prejudice (2004) – starring Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson
- YouTube, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh
Creative commons music used
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Christoph Willibald Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice. File from IMSLP.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
I’ve been enjoying listening to your wonderful insights.
I was surprised that you’ve included the obscure Latter-Day version of P&P, which I saw years ago (as a young latter-day saint, I attended BYU in Provo). I more or less agree with your assessment that it’s not a good movie, but it certainly could have been worse. I wanted to add a little inside-baseball commentary to the Vegas marriage plot with Wickham. This movie was mostly filmed in and around Provo, UT, and it’s clear that Lizzy & her roommates are BYU students. The school strictly prohibits pre-marital sex, as you mentioned. When I attended during the late 80s, there was a subculture that emerged in some of the wealthier apartment complexes to circumvent the no-sex rule, which involved couples (supposedly) going on a “date” to Las Vegas, getting married, having sex, then getting divorced, thereby circumventing the rules about no pre-marital sex (divorce doesn’t carry the same stigma as in some other conservatives faiths). The school would certainly not condone this behavior if it were known, but it was a widely circulated story among the student body that it was happening (although definitely not with a bigamy or polygamy twist). Doing this kind of quickie marriage for sex would enable a student to bluff their way through a “worthiness” interview with a priesthood leader to be able to remain a student in good standing. I just thought I’d mention that weird twist to the movie. Insiders who had attended BYU around the time I did would have been very aware that this was a thing promiscuous rule-breaking people did, whether in reality, or in rumor!
Incidentally, at age 18, I did a quickie marriage in Vegas for cash to help someone get a green card, but chickened out when it came to lying in an interview with the immigration department. Because of the rumors about how easy it was to marry & divorce in Vegas, I didn’t realize it would take so much time & money to get that divorce. It took me a few years. So much for the rumor mill!
Anyway, love the pod, and I’m just getting ready to leap into your analysis of S&S. Thanks so much for providing such great entertainment and valuable insights!
Thank you for this extra insight into the background of the movie. It wasn’t a great movie, but I agree that it also wasn’t terrible. It had some bits I quite enjoyed, and some that I found interesting. And I’m pleased to have more information about nuances I missed.
I’m glad you are enjoying the podcast. We love making it!