So today is Valentines day and I thought, what a perfect day to blog! All the added excitement of lovers giving each other gifts of affection like flowers, home-maid cards, and chocolates just makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Comparing the people in Pride and Prejudice to people today, they seem to act a great deal different in the past then now when expressing feelings. In the book their means of affection and telling of one's feelings seems incomparable with that of today. I know ways of expressing emotions to one another have changed over time but I can't comprehend why people would seem so "distant" back then.
This last week when the class watched and compared the videos of the two different Pride and Prejudice movies. I thought the movie that most caught my attention was the one featuring Keira Knightley. The way Elizabeth, Keira Knightley, an Mr. Darcy where talking in the rain as Darcy confessed his love (in a not so positive way) was intriguing. The closeness they had, to me, showed there was real chemistry going on. I kind of wish I was there just so I could push Elizabeth's and Darcy's heads together so they would just kiss already.
On the other hand the older movie, with Colin Firth, I thought portrayed a more factual image of how times where. In that same scene Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were a distance away from each other, which I guess can add some suspense and yearning for one another. Still I feel the other scene shows the same, if not a great deal more desire in Elizabeth's and Darcy's relationship.
This was a great book for this class and I'm glad I took the time to read it!
I assume the reason why people were not so affectionate towards one another was because of how society was set up back then. Everyone was so proper and I am assuming that to express one's feeling towards another was not to be done in public. Plus you have individuals like Lady Catherine or Mr. Bingley's sisters who gossip about whatever they set their minds to. I also agree with how you talk about wanting to take Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's hands together. That kind of impulse or urge you have when you read or watch the movie is a good feeling. I don't know how to express why, but the way Austen portrayed their itching love is interesting and frustrating to modern readers. I guess love has become too common and that is why we want to rush things a bit too fast. I feel that love as of Austen's term has some pro's to it verses how love is viewed as today. :)
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree that "love has become too common" I think people still rush into "love" or confuse love with lust all to often. It is only through an honest look in the introspective mirror of oneself, that people find who they are and what they want and are willing to wait for it and will choose being alone rather than conforming to societies pressures to settle down and get married.
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