Is anyone else fascinated by the politeness in Pride and Prejudice?

[Cricket]

I just watched the last part on PBS. That scene where Mr. Darcy comes upon Elizabeth Bennett right after she finds out about Lydia. They are so incredibly polite to each other in the midst of this crisis! I wish there was a little more of that today. :)

[Laura Corin]

I just watched the last part on PBS. That scene where Mr. Darcy comes upon Elizabeth Bennett right after she finds out about Lydia. They are so incredibly polite to each other in the midst of this crisis! I wish there was a little more of that today. :)

All that suppressed passion.

Laura

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'd like pleasantness but too much politeness can be a bit stifling in my opinion. It makes me feel stilted - like I'm constantly dressed up and in high heels. But I could definitely use more pleasant interactions in my life (not at home - we're a pretty pleasant bunch). But people can be so rude nowadays! And mean!

[Elinor Everywhere]

I just watched the last part on PBS. That scene where Mr. Darcy comes upon Elizabeth Bennett right after she finds out about Lydia. They are so incredibly polite to each other in the midst of this crisis! I wish there was a little more of that today. :)

Whenever I watch those kinds of movies (or read her books) I think the same thing. Gee, maybe I could start by practicing a bit of that myself!

I think the same thing when I watch "Princess Bride". Love that movie! :)

[Mrs. Readsalot]

It is just well...nice. Mr. Darcy seems a bit out of his element, how do I deal with a distressed female, but then he has is stellar pleasant/formal manners to fall back on and he does it very well.

[readwithem]

I also like how Mr.Bennett says "I don't have the pleasure of understanding a word you are saying!" :)

[Linda in NE]

Elizabeth cannot observe the action. She's wiping her eyes with the handkerchief and looking down. It struck me that Darcy is fighting the urge to touch her. He appears to feel an almost overwhelming need to offer her physical solace, but the manners at the time do not permit him to touch more than her hand. It's such a great scene and so well done by the actors in this production.

I own the DVD, and just watched the whole thing yesterday. The other scene I really like is where Elizabeth is a guest at Pemberley, playing the pianoforte and singing for Darcy, his sister, Elizabeth's aunt and uncle, and the Bingleys. Darcy is absolutely mesmerized by her, both then and a little later in the scene when Elizabeth is turning pages as Georgiana plays. The looks Darcy and Elizabeth exchange are so telling. It's absolutely wonderful.

I was not aware that Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth had a personal as well as a professional relationship during the filming of P&P. I read an interview Jennifer Ehle gave recently. When asked about it, she commented that she and Firth were "together" for almost a year and that it was a "blessing" that the relationship ended prior to the release of the film. It made me rather sad to think that the feelings those two were portraying as Elizabeth and Darcy could actually have had some basis in fact at the time, but failed to endure. They are both married to others now with families of their own. It's clearly none of my business, and I don't usually follow or care about celebrity gossip, but yesterday, after watching the film again, that information made me unaccountably blue. I'm reminded of an old song, "What's Forever For?"

What's the glory in living?
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore?
And if love never,
Lasts forever,
Tell me, what's forever for?

[Beth in Central TX]

I just love that era of history. The dress, the politeness, the dignity, the modesty... I told my DH that I wouldn't mind living then. Of course, he had to burst my bubble and tell me that I probably would have been a maid. Humph, I was extremely vexed!

[Kinsa]

Oh, yes. Most definitely. I so wish there were more of those types of civilities in today's society.

I, too, have been watching and recording the Complete Jane Austen movies off Masterpiece theater. I havning thus far read four of her six novels, I was not impressed with a few of the movies, but P&P is so exceptionally well done. It is by far my favorite.

Last night I pulled out my Random House Book of Etiquette and started reading up on how polite society operates. There are so many nuances that we just don't get anymore, especially here in America where we are dominated by a huge middle class and missing the gentry class.

In two weeks I am going to be sent to "charm school" in Illinois, courtesy of Uncle Sam. I am very curious to discover what I will learn while I'm there. The viewing of P&P has sparked a keen interest in etiquette in me.

[Kinsa]

I had another thought -

Remember the scene when Lydia and all the girls start walking into the house, and Lydia says "No, Susan, you walk behind me. I'm a married woman now," and Susan obliges? I never noticed until that scene that there was always an order to their going in and coming out of the front of the house. It makes me wonder what other nuances of etiquette are in the movie that I never notice...

[Sugarfoot]

I'm right there with you. I love the politeness, manners, and etiquette. It's just so civilized:)

[Liz CA]

I just love that era of history. The dress, the politeness, the dignity, the modesty... I told my DH that I wouldn't mind living then. Of course, he had to burst my bubble and tell me that I probably would have been a maid. Humph, I was extremely vexed!

have died an early death because their medical knowledge was not what it is today and I had a few visits to the hospital.
But the simplicity of life is enticing, just think - no TV, no Computers, not even cars, just horses and buggies or Landau's as they were called.
As maids, however, we would have worked from sun up to sun down and likely beyond for very little and no unions to do our bargaining - :rolleyes:.

[Valerie(TX)]

didn't anyone notice all the terribly practiced ways to be disrespectful and cutting, all phrased in the nicest possible of words?

This is going to sound snarky, and I truly do not mean it that way, but maybe it doesn't come through as clearly in the movie as in the book (we read it for TOG 3 several years ago), but I remember thinking I would have been at such a loss, not knowing either decent manners OR how to insult or retort with any kind of class! ;)

Valerie