dance

dull, tiresome

Jane Austen clearly presents a generally unfavorable impression of Darcy. However, unlike other characters, Darcy's first appearance is not described by the author's own voice but rather through the eyes of the community. This suggests how fickle people can be when it comes to first impressions.

the general opinion of him was accepted.

a county in the northern half of England

produced a distaste or dislike

gentleman often meant someone who is wealthy enough to not work or be in a profession that is considered genteel, such as a military officer or clergyman.

this amount makes Mr. Darcy among one or two hundred of the richest men in England. Since he also has a lavish house and property, he may have at least three times the wealth of Mr. Bingley.

high social standing or the expected elegance and demeanor of upper class society.

elegant, refined

This passage shows the inaccuracy of the rumors about Mr. Bingley's party gives the first glimpse of the unreliability of local gossip, something that will occur frequently in the novel. It serves as an example of...

is the county in England where the Bennets live. It has not been mentioned until now because it is unimportant to the story. Jane Austen does not put as much emphasis on setting as other authors. Her main consideration seems to how its geographic position, particularly its closeness to other locations, moves the plot. In this case, Hertfordshire, which is north of London, allows characters such as Bingley to travel easily to and from the capital.

London

this does not refer to Mrs. Bennet doing actual housekeeping such as cooking or cleaning (which would be done by servants) but to her planning of it and supervising the servants.

Owning a horse was a sign of wealth and those men who used them did so for local transport. Carriages were more effective for longer distances.

blue was fashionable. It was during this period that darker colors were becoming preferable for men.

The women may be upstairs to remain away from the visitor, who shouldn't see them if not introduced. But they may also prefer staying upstairs because they can observe him more discreetly.

As a man, Mr. Bingley would call upon the father of the family; it would then be up to the father to decide whether to introduce the visitor to the others at this time. Custom ruled that introductory visits be fifteen minutes long. This is the second meeting of the two men and thus, it could be longer but Mr. Bennet's dislike of conversation has kept it to a minimum.

Libraries were often a standard feature of wealthy families' homes during the eighteenth century. They often functioned as sitting rooms as well as places for reading.

with courage or determination.

form an opinion on the basis of incomplete information; speculate.

thoughts

copy out passages from books. This was a common practice, especially among female readers. Passages of poetry were frequently copied; in Emma one character complies an album of verse riddles.

duty, service to another.

take their chances, accept what happens

two weeks from tommorrow

The speaker is probably Mr. Bennet. Such a question seems too calm to come from the irritated Mrs. Bennet and, unlike her husband, she would probably know when the next ball is since she enjoys balls.

Jane Austen often omits explicit identification of the speaker at other points of the novel. She commented on this practice in a letter about Pride and Prejudice: "a 'said he' or a 'said she' would sometimes make the Dialogue more immensely clear - but I do not write for such dull Elves'" (Jan. 29, 1813). Her quotation alludes to a concluding passage from Sir Walter Scott's poem Marmion: "I do not rhyme to that dull elf, / who cannot image to himself, . . ."

helping or being useful

trying to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.

I have no good opinion of her. Mrs. Bennet is afraid Mrs. Long will not introduce them to Mr. Bingley in order to save him for her nieces.

to do something that is beneath one's dignity.

During the 18th century, assemblies were popular social gatherings with dancing and other amusements. They were generally public, open to whoever could afford to buy tickets or subscriptions.

It should be noted that because assemblies are public, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters can attend without Mr. Bennet.

decorating a hat, typically by adding feathers, ribbons, or some other embellishment. This was a common practice among women during the time.

called upon

inferior intellect, judgment

This indifference is a sign of Mr. Bennet's humor but also a foreshadowing of what is to come. Mr. Bennet is an irresponsible father. Mrs. Bennet's might have an obsession with finding wealthy husbands for her daughters but she has good reason to. There are unfortunate consequences for women who fail to find husbands (preferably those of good wealth) as it is revealed later, the Bennet daughters will inherit almost nothing.

Michaelmas is a Christian feast day of the Archangels – especially St. Michael the Archangel and is celebrated on September 29. St. Michael is seen as the greatest of the archangels and a mighty defender of the church against Satan. The mention of Michaelmas gives us a good idea of when the story is taking place – the very last days of summer. In addition, people were usually hired on a yearly term from Michaelmas to Michaelmas. At the end of the year, farm workers, servants, and laborers would go to the hiring fairs holding a symbol of their profession. It can be assumed that Mr. Bingley has come to the country on Michaelmas because it would be much simpler to hire extra servants for his new household on that day.

Lizzy's prominence in the novel is set here. She is the first to be mentioned and later in the story, the first to speak. This sentence also reveals the favoritism her husband has for Lizzy, whose "quickness" makes her preferable to their other daughters.

suffering from nervous disorders

gossip of the neighborhood, not national news

discover or understand

Mental and emotional character. The word had less of a purely intellectual implication than it does today.

qualities

Many diseases or illnesses at the time were believed to be associated with nervous disorders or nervousness hence "my poor nerves" became a popular self-diagnosis for people like Mrs. Bennet who complained about their health.

In this society, there are strict customs for visiting someone you do not know. Since Mr. Bingley is male, Mrs. Bennet suggests that Mr. Bennet should meet him first (so that she can introduce him to her daughters).

give up; abandon

marriage

William Lucas was knighted so he is called "Sir" and his wife, "Lady." Knighthood, unlike many other titles, cannot be inherited.

"Four or five thousand a year" is Mr. Bingley's annual income in pounds. A pound in Jane Austen's lifetime would be forty pounds today. So Bingley's income must be around £150,000 to £200,000 a year in pounds or around $250,000 - $300,000 a year in U.S. dollars. However, the average income in this period, even when adjusted for inflation, was much lesser than in our time. So Bingley's income was a sharper deviation from the norm of his time than of today's equivalent.

In addition, the Bennets earn a respectable income of two thousand pounds a year. This stands in contrast to Bingley's income which makes him a very desirable man for marriage.

How do they know such supposedly confidential information? Local gossip played a huge role in this society, assisted by servants in the household who often revealed this information to other servants or townsfolk.

Servants often had to prepare a house before their master arrives.

A "chaise" is a enclosed, four-wheeled carriage that carries up to three people and is pulled by "four" horses. A driver would be mounted on one of these horses.

A chaise was a popular vehicle used for traveling long-distance and was typically pulled by only two horses. But Mrs. Bennet cares to mention that the man's chaise was pulled by four horses, which indicates that he is a very rich man.

Netherfield Park is the name of a fictional estate three miles from the Bennets’ home and located in Hertfordshire, England. It was not uncommon for large estates to be given a name such as “park” to indicate their attractiveness and luxury.

One of the most famous opening lines in literature achieves two main purposes. One, it indicates the novel’s core subject of marriage and the financial deliberations that come along with it. Two, it sets the novel’s tone of irony as it is the single women in society who are truly in want or need of a wealthy man.

The sentence could also be an reference to David Hume’s Of Liberty and Necessity (section VIII, part I):

"It is universally acknowledged that there is a great uniformity among the actions of men, in all nations and ages, and that human nature remains still the same, in its principles and operations"

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