#mrs. gardiner

[bethanydelleman]

...But let me observe that all histories are against you—all stories, prose and verse. If I had such a memory as Benwick, I could bring you fifty quotations in a moment on my side the argument, and I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman’s inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman’s fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men.”

“Perhaps I shall. Yes, yes, if you please, no reference to examples in books. Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.”

-Persuasion, Ch 23

“I am sorry it went off. But these things happen so often! A young man, such as you describe Mr. Bingley, so easily falls in love with a pretty girl for a few weeks, and, when accident separates them, so easily forgets her, that these sort of inconstancies are very frequent.” (Mrs. Gardiner)

-Pride & Prejudice, Ch 25

Jane Austen, taking the pen into her hands and fixing the record.

#jane austen #pride and prejudice #persuasion #men being fickle #and this isn't even to mention her other fickle men #Or deceitful men #Mrs. gardiner #captain harville #anne elliot

[roseunspindle]

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner

#Mr. Gardiner #Mrs. Gardiner #Pride and Prejudice

[thoumpingground]

So when Darcy went to fix the Lydia/Wickham situation, he first tried to get Lydia to return home, only bribing Wickham into marrying her when she wouldn't. This is sensible by modern standards, but we know from everyone else's reactions Lydia *failing* marrying Wickham would bring the Bennet family shame. Darcy knows this, and doubt he planned to leave the situation as is. So how did he originally plan to fix it?

I think Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy was gonna channel his inner Emma Woodhouse (didn't have to dig far, they're very similar people) and play matchmaker. In my headcannon Darcy checked his "Possible Husbands for Georgie" list against his "People who owe me Gargantuan favours" list and offer whoever came up money to marry Lydia.

Now, he would want to spare the Bennets of as much of the scandal as possible, and wouldn't want to take the merit in front of Lizzie, so all would most likely happen discreetly through Mr. Gardiner, while Lydia was in London, and she would move to her husbands immediatly after.

However, I wanna propose a different scenario: Lydia returns to Meryton. Scandal ensues, the Bennets are disgraced. Then, within two weeks, a random well-off man shows up intent on courting Lydia and *only* Lydia. He heeds nobodys warnings and gives no explanations. Lydia loves it. Every other mum in Meryton is furious. The Bennets are confused and paranoid. Imagine the drama. The intrige. The million questions still unawnsered long after Lydia eventually gets married and leaves. Bingley marries Jane (cause of course Darcy still told him he'd been wrong to pull them apart, and Bingley would) and Darcy's still somewhat around. Maybe him and Lizzie get together, maybe not, but every time the topic comes up he gets all sheepish and awkward and she gets suspicious and it's a thing. It's their new dynamic.

#picture a binder for “people who owe me Gatgantuan favours” #and like a few pages for “Possible husbands for Georgie” in a folder #“why would Darcy waste a good man on (ugh) Lydia?” i fear someone might ask?“ #because Darcy's a good considerate person. he was trying to save her for a bad marriage in the first place. #not saying he'd give up the top pick but he wouldn't set her up with anything less than safe and decent #also as annoying as Lydia is she doesn't deserve abuse. Austen makes a point of telling us even with Wickham she's got her family's support. #also also the top pick is probably Charles and he's taken so #jane austen #mr darcy #lydia bennet #mr. gardiner #lizzie bennet #decent guy. #pride and prejudice #classic literature

[anghraine]

I always find it interesting that no one in P&P has any doubt that Mr Gardiner could and would have shelled out ten thousand pounds to bribe Wickham.

Mr Bennet is determined (at least at the time) to eventually repay him, when he believes Mr Gardiner paid it, but he does believe that. Mrs Bennet simply shrugs off the vast sum of money that everyone believes was expended to preserve Lydia's reputation. Her justification is that she and her daughters would have inherited all her brother's money if he hadn't gone and got married and had children of his own (how dare!). His assurance that she's going to be fine is not an empty one.

Elizabeth doesn't seem to doubt it, either. And earlier, at Pemberley, she assumed that Darcy had mistaken the Gardiners for members of fashionable upper-class society—a believable mistake to make, apparently, and he is surprised that they're Mrs Bennet's relatives. (I mean. Fair.) Their summer trip is likely not a cheap one. They're doing quite well.

In any case, I do think the Gardiners' prosperity and its bearing on the Bennets' situation is kind of overlooked by the fandom.

#honestly i think mrs bennet's response to mr gardiner apparently paying ten thousand pounds for lydia to marry /wickham/ #is pretty repugnant actually #the whole thing about how she would have been his heir #and he hasn't done anything except give presents to her children so he /should/ pay for lydia is. wtf. #(this is also manifestly false since elizabeth and jane frequently stay in the gardiners' house...) #in any case the bennet women were never going to be left out in the cold by the gardiners #anghraine babbles #austen blogging #austen fanwank #edward gardiner #m gardiner #mrs bennet critical

[didanagy]

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1995)

dir. simon langton

#pride and prejudice 1995 #pride and prejudice #jane austen #costume drama #period drama #perioddramaedit #perioddramagif #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #jennifer ehle #colin firth #jane bennet #mr bingley #mr bennet #mrs bennet #lydia bennet #kitty bennet #mary bennet #mr gardiner #mrs gardiner #caroline bingley #mrs hurst #georgiana darcy #mr collins #mr wickham #lady catherine de bourgh #charlotte lucas #my gifs #mine

[ardentlyinlovedarcy]

Hey ! I have watched this movie a million times since the year 2006, but I have never noticed Mrs Gardiner's smile and look at Elizabeth until now 😱😄 A very quick non-verbal language but says a lot about the auntie's thoughts 😄... And Elizabeth shy smile to her😄

#pride & prejudice #pride and prejudice #jane austen #mr darcy #fitzwilliam darcy #prideandprejudice #elizabeth bennet #mr. darcy #p&p #janeite #keira knightley #matthew macfadyen #pride and prejudice movie #pride and prejudice 2005 #mrs gardiner

[firawren]

Pride and Prejudice Chapter 45: Darcy ditches his all-guys fishing party so he can barge in on Elizabeth at the all-girls tea party in progress at his house

View the full series of P&P chapter memes here

#p&p chapter memes #p&p ch45 #pride and prejudice memes #pride and prejudice #jane austen memes #jane austen #english lit memes #mr darcy #elizabeth bennet #mr bingley #mr gardiner #brooklyn nine nine #captain holt #my stuff

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.

"Pride and Prejudice" - Jane Austen

#book quotes #pride and prejudice #jane austen #mr darcy #elizabeth bennet #love #mr gardiner #mrs gardiner #sensible #warmth #gratitude #derbyshire #united #what a delightful book #i can't believe it's taken me this long to read it

[petratherrock]

My sister has the Pride and Prejudice: The Complete Novel, with Nineteen Letters from the Characters' Correspondence, Written and Folded by Hand (Handwritten Classics),

and so ofc I had to take pictures of the letters. I couldn't fit all of them here tho tumblr only allows 10 in a post

Caroline's letter informing Jane that they're leaving Netherfield, emphasizing Mr. Darcy is impatient to see his sister and that Georgiana Darcy is such an accomplished young lady *wink

Mr. Darcy's letter clarifying what Mr. Wickham's true nature is like after the uhh awkward proposal. They were very long letters and multiple pages of them

Lydia's letter to Harriet, a friend, where she's basically flaunting that she's with Wickham. I can't remember if this character actually is in the novel or if the writer of this version took the liberty to show Lydia's childishness

Jane's letter to Elizabeth, telling her about Lydia running away with Mr. Wickham.

Mr. Gardiner's letter to Mr. Bennet about the Lydia-Wickham situation

Mrs. Gardiner's letter to Elizabeth after the Wickham-Lydia elopement debacle and Elizabeth inquiring about what happened

Elizabeth's letter to Mrs. Gardiner, her aunt after she marries Mr. Darcy to thank her 😊

Mr. Bennet's letter to Mr. Collins about Elizabeth and Darcy's engagement and telling him to soothe Lady Catherine's wrath but also, hey, Mr. Darcy has more to give so...pick your fighter

Lydia's letter to Elizabeth in the end, unashamedly asking for the Darcys' monetary assistance in the future

#I'm gonna go read p&p now i think these letters make me wanna read em again #pride and prejudice #letters #Pride and Prejudice: The Complete Novel #with Nineteen Letters from the Characters' Correspondence #Written and Folded by Hand #Elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #jane bennet #mr gardiner #mrs gardiner #caroline bingley #lydia bennet #george wickham

[bethanydelleman]

Do you have any theories as to why Jane and Elizabeth Bennet ended up more refined than their three younger sisters (either supported by the text or just your own imaginings)? Could Mr Bennet have been more interested in their development, but grew tired of the effort by daughter no. 3? Or could they have had the influence of others outside the immediate family? It seems a fairly common trope in JAFF that it is Mrs Gardiner's influence.

Short Answer: I don’t give Mr. Bennet credit for doing anything.

Okay, this is going to start strangely, but did you know that if a parent tries to learn sign language for their profoundly deaf child, and they get a lot of their grammar wrong, the kids will actually get more grammar right then their parents? Children's brains seem to be able to focus on things that are consistent in language and filter out the noise and mistakes.

In a similar manner, I think Jane and Elizabeth are just better at filtering the information given to them. They understand that their mother is vulgar and don't take her manners as a model of behaviour. Mr. Bennet is fairly reliable, Mrs. and Mr. Gardiner are even better. We don't know everyone in the neighbourhood around Meryton, but there are probably a few other sensible examples. Charlotte Lucas seems fairly well mannered too. 

So no, I don’t find the idea that Mrs. Gardiner influenced Jane and Elizabeth that off, it seems likely. But it is also probable that Mrs. Gardiner invites Jane and Elizabeth over because they are the only two who aren’t embarrassing in company. Which is a chicken/egg conundrum.

The other three sisters have issues, Mary cannot read a room and speaks above her company, and it seems that Kitty and Lydia have taken their mother as a model for proper behaviour and refuse to listen to any correction.

As for if Mr. Bennet ever tried, I kind of doubt it. He's very indolent and doesn't seem to care about correcting his daughters at all. Elizabeth reflects that he could have helped Lydia and Kitty but he just laughs at them instead. Even with his "favourite" daughter, he more or less treats her like a loveable pet and he still calls her silly.

I really tend to favour the theory that neither parent taught much of anything beyond basic reading and writing, hopefully household management from Mrs. Bennet and how to keep accounts. Then they were basically left to their own devices. Clearly a dancing master was hired, as all the girls can dance. And it seems that at some point someone taught Elizabeth and Mary how to play piano and sing. Mrs. Bennet also probably taught her daughters how to sew, net, and trim hats etc. Mr. Bennet provides books.

Now the real mystery to me is why Jane has no accomplishments. Elizabeth indicates that they could have learned if they wanted. However given both parent’s personalities, I will venture a guess that after teaching Jane and Elizabeth how to read, Mrs. Bennet got bred and left the three younger children to Jane’s care.

#question response #elizabeth bennet #jane bennet #mrs. gardiner #pride and prejudice #jane austen #JAFF

[to-be-frank-i-dont-care]

Aunt Gardiner is really the biggest Darcy/Lizzy shipper in the whole book, isn’t she

#besides darcy himself ofc #Lizzy reads pride and prejudice #I’m almost done 😔 #pride and prejudice #aunt gardiner #Lizzy bennet #mr darcy #Jane Austen

[tenth-sentence]

"We have not determined how far it shall carry us," said Mrs. Gardiner, "but, perhaps, to the Lakes."

"Pride and Prejudice" - Jane Austen

#book quote #pride and prejudice #jane austen #summer plans #lakes #mrs gardiner

[diamondsunbursts-and-marblehalls]

Recently rereading Pride and Prejudice I came across this quote which, in my opinion, is one of the most relatable things about the book. The feeling that whatever bold choice you have made is the single most horrible, embarrassing choice that you could have made, that resulted in the worst possible outcome in the whole world.

"But Elizabeth heard not a word, and wholly engrossed by her own feelings, followed them in silence. She was overpowered by shame and vexation. Her coming there was the most unfortunate, the most ill-judged thing in the world!"

These are her thoughts when she lets her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners, take her to Pemberly, Mr Darcy's home in Derbyshire, under the assumption that he wouldn't be there, only to have him arrive just as she's leaving. Mind you, this is after she savagely rejected him with the "you are the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry" line. Brutal. Despite that, he's polite and kind, but she's stuck in her head, so embarrassed about the fact that she was even there in the first place, and what he must think. Her train of thought wouldn't be anything other than painfully relatable except for the very last line of the book. Which is:

"With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them."

I just think the idea that you can go through something that you consider the worst thing to ever happen to you, the most embarrassing thing you have ever done, and later have the perspective to realize that had to happen in order for you to get something better. Okay yeah, if she had never let her aunt and uncle take her to Derbyshire, she would have avoided "the most unfortunate and ill-judged thing in the world". I'm sure she would have seriously appreciated short-term, but I think looking back on it, she'd willingly do it over again if it meant getting to marry the man she loves.

I just think it's lovely that life has a funny way of flipping things around, so what was once horribly embarrassing and painful later becomes something you're incredibly grateful for and wouldn't change for the world.

#pride and prejudice #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #mr darcy #lizzy bennet #the gardiners #jane austen #pemberly #perspective #pride and prejudice quotes #literature #cool matchmaking aunt and uncle? #i love it when life does things like that #it's kinda tricky like that for real #i honestly think everything will make sense eventually

[anghraine]

Queuing this because it's 3:30 AM and I don't keep normal person hours any more, but I'm just thinking about how one of the reasons that Mrs Gardiner's response to Darcy at Pemberley and then in her letter is so endearing is because—

Well, the thing is, I think a lot of the characters conflate the distinction between Darcy being an asshole (sometimes true) and Darcy being reserved (often true). Sometimes other characters are responding to him being genuinely obnoxious, and sometimes people are overreacting to him being quiet and stiff in a way that people throughout the novels often respond to reserve.

And something that's really nice about the dynamic between Darcy and Mrs Gardiner is that he's actively trying to be courteous now, and he still comes off as reserved and formal, and she concludes that this is basically okay.

I joke about her deciding Wickham is hotter and then walking it back while still believing Darcy is evil, but this is part of an interesting process where she essentially thinks out loud. Her starting point is "hmm. attractive, but not as attractive as Wickham", and then she actually interrogates that reaction ("or rather...") and realizes it's not really about how perfect their features are (both have that), but more about demeanor and expression and so on.

Wickham gives this impression of goodness that goes well beyond his physical appearance and which Darcy lacks, and it's this that makes him seem more attractive to her. Yet she concludes that the kind of stiff dignity in Darcy's manner is fine, actually. It's not as engaging, but it suits Darcy, and makes him seem like a good person, too (the danger of vibes lol).

Later, in her letter to Elizabeth, Mrs Gardiner comes back to that—she really likes him, yet that lack of liveliness in his manners is something she's continued to notice about him. At the same time, she thinks this is something that will soften in marriage and just doesn't seem to find it that big of a deal. His real flaw as far as she's concerned is not being reserved but being stubborn. (Interestingly, this is what Darcy himself suggested was his main flaw long before.)

Basically, she distinguishes between "this is morally wrong" and "this is a bit off-putting" in a way that very few characters do, and even though she's sometimes mistaken about things, it's really pleasant to see someone doing that.

#tbh i think the more ... let's say. darcy-critical takes that prefer to shift the darcy/elizabeth balance of blame towards him #also conflate his reserve with his rudeness and tend to flatten the nuances in mrs gardiner's response to him #but anyway. it's nice and the gardiners-darcy relationship is one of my favorite things in pride and prejudice #austen blogging #austen fanwank #m gardiner #fitzwilliam darcy #lady anne blogging #long post #george wickham

[gotgifsandmusings]

Please tell me Alicent's posse remains consisting of cast members from the BBC's 1995 Pride & Prejudice adaptation.

#just Mary and Mrs. Gardiner chilling and shitting on Targs #hotd 1x04

[didanagy]

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1995)

dir. simon langton

#pride and prejudice 1995 #pride and prejudice #jane austen #costume drama #period drama #perioddramaedit #perioddramagif #onlyperioddramas #perioddramasource #elizabeth bennet #jane bennet #kitty bennet #mary bennet #mr gardiner #mrs gardiner #jennifer ehle #susannah harker #polly maberly #lucy briers #my gifs #mine