These will all have spoilers, sorry the book is 250 years old or something. Also, more fun to discuss foreshadowing.
It's amazing how much set-up Jane Austen manages to pack into this chapter considering that 1. this is the only novel where she doesn't begin with exposition and 2. it's a very short chapter. There are only two characters, Mr. & Mrs. Bennet and yet we learn so much.
We know their favourite children, Elizabeth and then Jane & Lydia respectively. We know who Mrs. Bennet views as her main competition: the Lucas family. This will be a running theme with her. We are introduced to Mrs. Bennet's gossip network.
The conversation a perfect encapsulation of their married relationship, even without the description from the narrator at the end. Mr. Bennet antagonizes his wife; she doesn't clue in. She always answers straight even when he's clearly being sarcastic:
“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!"
It's been 20 years, she does not get it. Yet, she's totally correct here: "You take delight in vexing me." He does! He intends to visit Bingley and yet he lets his wife believe he won't. He gets her worked up for his own amusement, which is the opposite of a healthy marriage but that's what we have. To borrow a line from Emma, it is clear that Mr. Bennet's wife "could not meet [him] in conversation, rational or playful," so he settles for riling her up.
Of course we must discuss the opening line:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
It's funny because while this line is clearly ironic, all the young men of good fortune (Bingley, Darcy, and even Mr. Collins) do end up in want of and eventually in possession of a wife.
I've discussed recently how I think the discussion in this chapter about Mrs. Bennet's beauty does probably mean she's a MILF
“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.”
Cast a hot Mrs. Bennet you cowards! But it's actually quite structural to the story as well. Mr. Bennet married this woman for a reason and Jane's beauty and Mrs. Bennet's confidence that Jane can marry well, come from somewhere.
Interesting thing I noticed for the first time, the only daughters named are Jane, Elizabeth, and Lydia. Those will be the three who are the main focus and the three who will marry. Kitty and Mary have their place, but a careful reader can pick up which sisters are the most important.
Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married: its solace was visiting and news.
In this context, "nervous" means "a disorder of the nerves." This was a sort of health trend for the time, so I think Jane Austen intends to see Mrs. Bennet as a ridiculous hypochondriac. As we see throughout the novel, Mrs. Bennet's "nerves" or health complaints appear and disappear according to her moods. She is unwell when she is unhappy, she's cured the second the problem goes away. However, she is attended to seriously by her daughters, well Jane at least, and does get the attention she seems to desire.
We also get a good insight into Bingley's character, even though we have yet to meet him:
“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"
Mr. Bingley is impulsive and, to an extent, easily persuaded. He rents an estate after one visit. What Darcy says about him later ties into this:
“Your conduct would be quite as dependent on chance as that of any man I know; and if, as you were mounting your horse, a friend were to say, ‘Bingley, you had better stay till next week,’ you would probably do it—you would probably not go—and, at another word, might stay a month.”
Mr. Bingley easily came to the neighbourhood, but he may just as easily depart from it. Capturing that single man with a fortune won't be easy!
Comic Retrospective: The Riddler: Year of The Villain
After yesterday's six-part epic I am in the mood for something shorter, so let's dig into a Riddler story from 2019's Year of the Villain.
This issue opens up with Riddler and, from Batman 66', King Tut eating at a diner. And it does not surprise me that Mark Russell has decided to bring back the campy King Tut to a mainstream DC comic. Glad Mark is having fun, just wished it continued throughout the issue.
This villainous duo is discussing two things. Firstly, Riddler is talking about how Lex Luthor is handing out weapons/upgrades to all the villains...except to King Tut and Riddler.
Meanwhile, King Tut doesn't care that the Legion of Doom is disrespecting him, he is just annoyed about how easily he lost to Batman in their last encounter. The two villains hug it out as Riddler goes to back to his lair.
Only for Apex Lex (Lex is called that because he made a deal with creator of the universe for power as long as he turned the world's future towards villainy) to finally show up in Riddler's lair.
Riddler asks Lex for his gift, only for the big bald mastermind to tell Nygma that he is disappointed in him. For all his brilliance, Riddler is trapped in a childish "game" with Batman; trying to make a big score when he could be so much more. Lex's "gift" is a call for Nygma is more of an intervention.
And personally, I think that sucks. The reason why Riddler works is that he is willing to play childish games to prove that he is smarter than everyone else. If you get rid of his desire to be the smartest, you just get another Joker, and we are barely okay with one Joker we got.
I am just tired of people not who write Riddler stories that try to turn him into something else (this is a Tom King callout). But back to this tale were King Tut calls Riddler to offer a team-up to take out Batman once and for all.
And this is the part of the book where Mark Russell's humor comes out. There are some jokes that Tut is spending a dead relative's inheritance on crocodile and other Egyptian themed traps for the Batman and the fact that Tut lives in a sphinx.
Batman gets a note summoning him to the trap at a Gotham PD Station, and minor digression, WHEN DOES THIS TAKE PLACE?
Because I know enough about Year of The Villain, that Bruce having free time to spend with Commissioner Gordon doesn't work. YOTV takes place at about the same time the Justice League is fighting across space and time, City of Bane is happening, and Gordon was Jokerized by the Batman Who Laughs. The timing is off for this dumb tie-in.
Anyways, Batman goes to the warehouse King Tut is set up at, and the hero survives many Egyptian themed traps. Fun action stuff with okay art by Godlewski.
But at the same time, Riddler is having some flashbacks about his past, doubting his villainous career. And it comes to an end with Edward deciding to quit being the Riddler as Batman corners King Tut. The story ends with Edward throwing his Riddler gear away until James Tyrion puts him back to the status quo 6 months later.
This is a one forgettable tie-in. It would be if this story was named Year of the Villain: King Tut after the best parts of this story; but that wouldn't have sold as well. Riddler isn't his fun usual self and the status quo this issue tries to establish is bad. But most of all this issue is just forgettable, as noted by the fact that I struggled to remember the plot as I was writing this.
Fingon <3 going into hell and when he can't find his boy Maedhros he starts a little tune on his harp. The fact he was ready to end Maedhros to end the torment show his strength of character, and also how much he cares because wouldn't it be another kinslaying? then he's decisive on cutting his hand. He wasn't leaving without his cousin >:[
I hate john gauis so fucking much. it's not even any of his crimes, his vibes are just abhorrent. quirk chungus acting mother fucker. everytime he opens his mouth he either lies or comes in with some "well that just happened" quip. He has the evil obnoxiousness of lin manuel miranda and taika watiti combined. I bet he was a millenial. I bet he was that guy on dating apps looking for a third for him and his gf. I bet his favorite movie was the avengers. I don't care what his reasons are, I don't care if he's the most justified person in the whole entire series, I hate his ass and nothing will change that. I just know he is not handsome at all and has the most dumb ass dorky looking face and receding hairline. stupid whore can't keep it in his pants and acts suprised he's got a kid, sleeping with his subordinates that he calls brothers and sisters the creepy fuck. I bet he would groom his partners into doing weird kink shit they weren't comfortable with, if he was a teacher his relationships with the awkward girls who try really hard at school would be borderline innapropriate. No I haven't read Nona the Ninth, that will not change my mind, I don't care if we find out he's was a veteran firefighter who defeated robo-hitler, his vibes are still ghastly and i want him gone.
