"Miss Bennet I am shocked and astonished. I expected to find a more reasonable young woman. But do not deceive yourself into a belief that I will ever recede. I shall not go away, till you have given me the assurance I require."
"And I certainly never shall give it. I am not to be intimidated into anything so wholly unreasonable."
(Volume III, Chapter 14)
Today in class, not only did we enjoy a delicious tea party (complete with Phil's homemade scones) but we were also privileged to see the 'Lady Catherine challenged Elizabeth' scene acted out by two students. In their vivacious portrayal of the defensive Elizabeth and the feisty Lady Catherine, they effectively translated the ways in which Lady Catherine fails and Elizabeth walks away as the victor in the debacle - Lady Catherine not only threatens and demeans Elizabeth, but she does not get her to move from her stance. Elizabeth refuses to promise that she would never accept a proposal from Darcy if he were to make one to her, regardless if her status threatens his along with his networks that make him so valuable. Lady Catherine walks into the argument feeling so entitled, expecting to get what she wants, but she has no idea who she is dealing with...
The difference between the reading that O.B. and S.O. gave us and the A&E movie version was quite startling to me. The A&E Lady Catherine seems to score a pretty strong victory, leaving Lizzy, though defiant, somewhat shaken. I liked S.O.'s more headstrong Lizzy better.
ReplyDelete