Making Conversation
On Jane Austen & leaving things unsaid
Good morning.
This newsletter has existed for a few months, which means I’m overdue to write about Jane Austen.
I don’t remember reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I assume it happened during my early homeschooling days, around twelve or thirteen, when I was making my own literature curriculum out of the Barnes and Noble Classics Buy 1 Get 2 Free shelf1. It remains my favorite Austen by a hair, perhaps because of all her novels it’s the best balance of romance and humor, and the only people whose lives get ruined thoroughly deserve it (making it a slightly more comforting reread than, say, Emma or Persuasion). I pick it up when I’m sick, or stressed, or just when it’s been a while.
This week, I went back to Pride & Prejudice because I am fighting through writing and revising my nemesis: dialogue. What I’m looking for is not literal turns of phrase— as much as I would like to lift it directly, Regency Upper-class English would sound very odd coming out of 00’s Lancaster or Philadelphia— but the way she uses dialogue (or doesn’t! more on that in a minute) to establish character, convey information, and develop plot, all while keeping the reader engaged and often laughing. I’m in a place during this revision/redraft where I’m more focused on making sure the dialogue is actually accomplishing what the story needs it to accomplish (as opposed to simply worrying about the sound/style, which will happen more intentionally in the next round).
Here’s a passage from the opening chapter (just after the famous truth, universally acknowledged). We’re two sentences in and know absolutely nothing else about the Bennetts, their family, etc:
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?”
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
“But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.”
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
“Do not you want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife, impatiently.
“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”
This was invitation enough.
“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh, single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
“How so? how can it affect them?”
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome? You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”
“Is that his design in settling here?”
“Design? Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”
“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go—or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.”
“My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.”
“In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.2”
This short passage is about half the conversation, which goes on for about another page and is the whole of the first chapter, but already we have learned:
Netherfield Park (clearly a grand estate— big enough to have a name) has been let to someone after a vacancy, and this is remarkable enough to be good gossip [Plot]
Mrs. Bennett gets worked up easily (is almost immediately described as impatient) [Character]
The person taking Netherfield is a single, rich man named Bingley, who makes decisions somewhat impulsively [Character & Plot]
The Bennetts have five adult daughters, and marrying them off is Mrs. Bennett’s #1 priority [Character & Plot]
Mr. Bennett is not particularly invested in the conversation, and/or enjoys teasing his wife & being sarcastic (the amount he speaks relative to her, the suggestion that the girls visit on their own, for instance) [Character, a little Plot]
In the rest, we learn that one of the daughters is named Lizzy, that she is her father’s favorite, that he thinks his other daughters are “silly and ignorant,” and that her wife disagrees. There are almost no speech tags, essentially unneeded in scene with only two people, and the single adverb “impatiently” earns its real estate by contributing to our sense of the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. The chapter concludes with a few sentences from the narrator reiterating that Mr. Bennett is “odd” and “sarcastic” and Mrs. Bennett is a small-minded woman whose “business” is marrying off her daughters, but really this just makes solid what we could already infer from the way they speak to one another, and by the end of the first page we have a general sense of our setting, our players, and the conflict, all while having a great time and getting right into the style and tone of the book.
This just makes solid what we could already infer from the way they speak to one another, and by the end of the first page we have a general sense of our setting, our players, and the conflict.
As impeccable as her dialogue is, the reason I went looking for her at this particular time is Austen’s ability to summarize conversation or response, when needed, in order to streamline the conversation as much as possible without sacrificing effect3. Because I’m not comfortable writing dialogue, I tend to include WAY too much, in a misguided attempt to sound more natural. If you’ve never transcribed yourself having a conversation or interview, in addition to making yourself extremely self-conscious, it’s a great way to become aware of how much extra or filler can be done without. That pet peeve of the internet’s, people in movies and on TV hanging up the phone without saying goodbye, is the result of that cutting: as odd as it is if you think about it, no one actually needs to see Mulder and Scully say “Okay, bye” “Yeah, see you later” five times an episode if it’s not important for some other reason.
Of course, the point of literature/film isn’t to tell the story in as few words as possible. That’s just summary, not fiction; plenty of stuff that could be “done without” is essential when you consider style, pacing, rhythm— all sorts of things that make literature literature. But by abridging the conversation slightly in Pride and Prejudice, Austen prevents the conversation from getting bogged down in pleasantries and stage setting (how is your mother, would you like lemon in your tea, it’s quite chilly outside) so that what she’s does include— sometimes pleasantries, when they’re important to revealing character or plot or simply working stylishly— can really shine.
Later in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth encounters Darcy at Hunsford, on a visit to her friend Charlotte. Elizabeth & Darcy have known each other for some time now— Darcy will propose for the first time shortly— and the reader is beginning to understand that there might be more to Darcy than what we’ve seen in Hertfordshire. In this scene, Darcy has called on Elizabeth (and the Collinses):
[Darcy], after having addressed a slight observation on the house and garden to Mrs. Collins, sat for some time without speaking to anybody. At length, however, his civility was so far awakened as to inquire of Elizabeth after the health of her family. She answered him in the usual way; and, after a moment’s pause, added,—
“My eldest sister has been in town these three months. Have you never happened to see her there?”
She was perfectly sensible that he never had: but she wished to see whether he would betray any consciousness of what had passed between the Bingleys and Jane; and she thought he looked a little confused as he answered that he had never been so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet. The subject was pursued no further, and the gentlemen soon afterwards went away4.
A short but entire conversation has happened in the time covered by this section and single line of quoted dialogue: Darcy makes a polite observation, inquires after her family, and Elizabeth responds “in the usual way,” which is hilariously brusque, but effective. He answers, and the details of his answer are less important now than Elizabeth’s perception that he “looked a little confused.” Slightly later, in a conversation with Lady Catherine, Darcy is asked about his sister:
“How does Georgiana get on, Darcy?”
Mr. Darcy spoke with affectionate praise of his sister’s proficiency.
“I am very glad to hear such a good account of her,” said Lady Catherine5.
In Austen’s view, the details of Darcy’s praise aren’t necessary here. The focus of the conversation is to illuminate Lady Catherine’s personality (later in this same paragraph she will lecture about how great a musician her daughter would have been if she were healthy enough to play, and how Elizabeth is welcome to practice in the housekeeper’s quarters), as well as to show that Darcy is an affectionate brother. The particulars of Lady Catherine’s conversation are important, because her language illustrates what a buffoon she is (and is funny to read). Darcy’s particulars don’t need that kind of space in this particular moment. (The only downside to this is that I think it has contributed to the reading of Darcy as sullen and rude by some readers/Colin Firth fans; by eliding some of the pleasantries and warmer parts of his personality, it can give the impression to a modern or less careful reader that Darcy is the one who has omitted them, rather than the writer. I don’t think that’s a fault with Austen’s writing, though, so I’ll save that rant for another day.)
With love,
C
A few things I’m reading, watching, & otherwise consuming lately:
Long Live the Post Horn! by Vigdis Hjorth, the pick for the translated fiction book club I attend this month. For fans of the “woman having a slow mental breakdown/existential crisis” genre.
This lovely close reading of the opening of probably my most formative book, Anne of Green Gables, by
.The Curse, on Showtime (limited series). At times throughout the series the cringe comedy was a little too much for me— I literally left the room for two of Nathan Fielder’s scenes and covered my eyes for a few more— but the characters were so good and the extreme shift in the finale was kind of horrifyingly sublime? Still thinking about it a few days later.
First Baltimore snow day & the beautiful determination of the kids with their sleds out before a full dusting had accumulated.7
I saw Ben Loory read his story “Cold Stone Dreamery” at this month’s Hidden Palace Reading and it was so beautiful. You can hear it via This American Life here or read it in Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day.
I got Poe this cat toy for Christmas and he is obsessed with it. I am not allowed to sit on the sofa these days without at least fifteen minutes of reenacting the Battle of Yavin with Poe playing the part of the TIE fighters first.
An ode to Baja Blast on the 20th anniversary of its wide release. Come for the soda history lesson, stay for a shoutout to Lancaster’s own Intelligencer Journal (RIP) and the best headline they ever put to ink.
Lily Gladstone in sapphire Christian Siriano at the Critic’s Choice Awards8.
This interview with Todd Haynes about May December, in MUBI Notebook. (Also just generally a good place to read about movies!)
I don’t think they’re in stores anymore but those editions actually have really great introductions, footnotes, reading guide, etc with cultural notes/definitions for uncommon or anachronistic words, so as far as self-teaching goes they were really extremely useful.
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, p. 1.
The irony that is the length of this newsletter is not lost on me.
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, p. 215.
Ibid, p. 217.
She was also robbed, imo!
Thanks so much for the shout-out! I love your reading of the dialogue in the P&P scene you shared.