P&P Ch. 19-2

1) "There was certainly at this moment, in Elizabeth's mind, a more gentle sensation towards the original, than she had ever felt in the height of their acquaintance...and as she stood before the canvas, on which [Mr. Darcy] was represented, and fixed his eyes upon herself, she thought of his regard with a deeper sentiment of gratitude than it had ever raised before; she remembered its warmth, and softened its impropriety of expression" (Austen 189).

In this reading, we finally see that Elizabeth's feelings for Mr. Darcy become apparent to her. Before, she merely did not dislike him, nothing more. Now, however, she is starting to get over the initial fear of seeing him after their last meeting. I feel like this quote especially is the climax of her affections. Before, she was slowly going away from her vowed hatred. Now, the emotions that lay dormant from the very first moment she saw him--before she swore to despise him--are coming back to the surface. After seeing Darcy's visage in the painting, the emotions make themselves known and from here on, she is coming to terms with them. In the words of Mrs. Potts, "There's something there that wasn't there before..."

2) "[Mr. Darcy] who, [Elizabeth] had been persuaded, would avoid her as his greatest enemy, seemed, on this accidental meeting, most eager to preserve the acquaintance...Such a change in a man of so much pride, excited not only astonishment but gratitude--for to love, ardent love, it must be attributed...She respected, she esteemed, she was grateful to him, she felt a real interest in his welfare; and she only wanted to know how far she wished that welfare to depend upon herself, and how far it would be for the happiness of both that she should employ the power, which her fancy told her she still possessed, of bringing on the renewal of his addresses" (201).

Here, Elizabeth's realization of both her emotions and Mr. Darcy's culminates. As she lies in bed, unable to sleep, she ponders her own feelings, trying to get a grip on them. She sees that Darcy still loves her. Darcy loves her so much, in fact, that he still loves her despite everything she said to him in regards to the contrary. Through everything, he still has feelings for her. As Elizabeth realizes the degree of his affections, she also sees the extent of her own. She wants to be with him, and even wants to try and warrant his proposal once more, this time so she can say yes.