PxP Ch. 7-10

1) "'Oh! certainly,' cried his faithful assistant, 'no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved'" (Austen 29).

Here, we see what passes for an "accomplished" woman in the story. She must indeed be a true "Renaissance Woman", as she must have knowledge of almost everything, plus the way she carries herself and the way she acts. This is what must be done to ensure or even improve a woman's reputtion in the novel. It seems almost idealistic in its description. I don't know whether anyone can do ALL of that at once, woman or man. Still, though, we now know what passes for a great woman in the text, which will probably play out further somehow.

2) "'Nothing is more deceitful,' said Darcy, 'than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast'" (35).

One of the key concepts of the novel is pride, and this quote has something to do with that. humility is the antonym of pride, and here Mr. Darcy says there is nothing worse than false humility. I get the feeling false humility is actually some type of pride, in a way. The person would make it seem he is humble rather than actually being so, most likely to invoke feelings of affection or friendship from others. The person has knowledge of his humility, but real humility would pass by unnoticed. Darcy here is speaking to many character in the novel, including Miss Bingley. She especially is a perfect example of this. She makes it seem she is humble and kind when really she despises Elizabeth and everything related to her. Not only does pride play a fair role in the text, but its impersonator as well.