Pride, Prejudice, and Coincidence

AR head shotI’ve been learning some surprising things from rewriting scenes from Pride & Prejudice from a different point of view for the P&P200 project, where a group of us are following the course of Pride & Prejudice in real time exactly 200 years after the events of the book. Here’s one example of something I see differently now.

The plot of Pride & Prejudice relies on many coincidences. It’s coincidence that Darcy and Elizabeth meet three times in three different counties in less than a year. There seem to be a lot of coincidences about George Wickham as well. Wickham happens to show up in Meryton, then he chooses Elizabeth and no one else to confide in, then he elopes with Elizabeth’s sister as opposed to any other woman, just at the precise time that Elizabeth would be able to tell Darcy about it. Hmm. That’s a lot of coincidences.

On top of that, I’ve always wondered why Wickham would choose Elizabeth of all the Bennet sisters to favor with his attentions. He seems to like women who are compliant, preferably with money, yet he picks Elizabeth, who is not as beautiful as Jane, nor as flirtatious as Lydia, and who has no money. He doesn’t seem the sort of fellow who would like a woman who challenges and teases him, yet he still chooses Elizabeth. Why?

Working on P&P200 made me realize it wasn’t a coincidence at all. Rewriting scenes from the point of view of another character forces me to break down scenes line by line to figure out the precise action. Often Jane Austen doesn’t give us any stage directions for a scene, but for Wickham’s first appearance, she gives us incredible detail, so she must have thought that scene through very carefully. Let’s break it down together.

Elizabeth, her sisters and Mr. Collins are walking down the street when they spot Denny and Wickham coming the other direction. Kitty and Lydia want to meet this new handsome fellow, so under the pretense of wanting something from a shop, they lead the others across the street. They have just reached the pavement where they encounter Denny and Wickham who have now changed direction and are coming back – an extraordinarily detailed and unnecessary stage direction, but when you play it out, it means Denny and Wickham are now facing in the direction that they will see someone riding from Netherfield in the direction of Longbourn. Darcy and Bingley ride down the street on their way to Longbourn and distinguish “the ladies of the group.” They come forward, Bingley converses with Jane, and Darcy corroborates with a bow. Then Darcy, who would have been missing Elizabeth’s presence at Netherfield, “was beginning to determine not to fix his eyes on Elizabeth,” so one can assume that until that point his eyes were in fact fixed on her. Presumably he’s paying no attention to the men in ordinary dress, but when he looks away from Elizabeth as part of his determination not to look at her, he notices Wickham.

Now let’s take the same scene from Wickham’s point of view. He is being introduced to some pretty ladies when Darcy and some other fellow ride up to the group, and Darcy’s gaze is fixed on one of the ladies. Wickham would notice Darcy’s presence right away. Observant and enterprising fellow that he is, he would also notice who Darcy happens to be staring at in his lovestruck way. Wickham knows Darcy very well, much better than Charlotte Lucas who is able to recognize Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth. Would he not see it as well, and perceive both a danger and an opportunity there?

The very next time Wickham sees Elizabeth, he singles her out and asks her “hesitatingly” about her acquaintance with Darcy. She doesn’t mince words in her reply. What an opportunity for Wickham – he can pour his poison into the ear of the woman Darcy wants for himself, and then he’s going to charm her to boot. He’d derive a lot of pleasure from making Darcy’s love interest fall in love with him instead.

After Elizabeth returns from Kent, she tells Wickham in late May that she and Darcy became better acquainted at Rosings and that she has changed her mind about him, and she is openly amused when he refers to Darcy’s supposed engagement to Anne de Bourgh. Wouldn’t Wickham, knowing of Darcy’s past interest in Elizabeth, assume that their relationship might now be romantic? Fast forward to Brighton, where Wickham out of the blue starts romancing Lydia, in whom he has never shown interest before. Is it because she’s easy or because he sees her as Darcy’s potential sister-in-law, and therefore a source of both revenge and money? Suppose, then, that Lydia happens to mention to him in late June the news that Lizzy, who was supposed to go to the Lakes, is going to Derbyshire instead. Why would Elizabeth unexpectedly be going to Derbyshire, and to a village not five miles from Pemberley? Well, duh! Wickham sees opportunity knocking, and he elopes with Lydia just over a month later on August 1. Pretty fast work on his part, I must say.

It seems likely, broken down that way, that Wickham actively targeted Elizabeth and later Lydia as a means of revenge on Darcy. So that’s the kind of thing I’m learning from working on P&P200. What do you think?

27 comments on “Pride, Prejudice, and Coincidence”

    1. Susan Mason-Milks
      I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Wickham lives by his charms and his wits – both of which he developed starting at a very early age. Wickham probably spent his entire childhood watching Darcy. He would have watched so he could copy Darcy in order to try to pass himself off as higher class than he actually is. Also, when they were growing up together, he would have watched Darcy so he’d know how best to take advantage of him. Based on this past experience, I think Wickham definitely would have zeroed in on Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth that day in the street. Thanks for the thoughtful analysis!

    1. LeslieGB
      Hi Abigail – very interesting these coincidences. I agree with you . Wickham is a conniving manipulator and his intention all along was revenge on Darcy. Unfortunately the Bennet sisters got in the way. Then again this is what makes Pride and Prejudice such a wonderful story and why after 200 years will still can’t enough.

    1. Monica Fairview
      Absolutely. I’ve thought about it, too, and came to a similar conclusion, though not in so much wonderful detail. Thank you for this, Abigail!

    1. Meredith (Austenesque Reviews)
      Excellent analysis and deductioin, Abigail! I’ve never quite thought of why Wickham chooses Elizabeth… It makes perfectly sense that he would immediately pick up on Darcy’s feelings for her. He is very quick and conniving!

    1. Nina Benneton
      I, too, have always thought Wickham singled out Elizabeth precisely because he, a childhood friend of Darcy, would have picked up Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth with a glance. One quick glance at my bestfriend and the guy she’s standing next to and I knew something’s up on her part.I also don’t think Wickham was interested in Elizabeth as much as she thought he was.But, you’ve made me rethink about Wickham’s deliberate pursuit of Lydia…

    1. BeckyC
      Abigail. I agree with your assessment completely. Wickham does not do anything without thought of how he can benefit from it. And when it comes to Darcy….Of course he would jump at the chance for any form of revenge. Elizabeth was opportunity knocking at his door.

    1. Deborah
      I think you have great insight into character motivation. This comes out in your novels, too.

    1. Monica P
      Yes! I agree. Wickham is the ultimate opportunist; he would know Darcy better than anyone and be able to read his face. He knew that she was way too smart to elope, and she had no money, but he must’ve felt like one lucky duck when she believed his story about Darcy! As for Lydia, I think she probably attached herself to him like a limpet in Brighton, now that her “competition” Lizzy was out of the picture, and he wasn’t about to turn down a sure thing. Add to that the crinkle of bank notes when he assumes Lizzy was in Derbyshire with Darcy and he sees a double-win. Too bad it turned into a double-backfire when he got stuck with Lydia and the Darcys live HEA. *insert evil, satisfied laughter here*I love how JA left these little clues to be picked up by analytical minds, or at least enough to be speculated upon. It’s frustrating that we don’t get to see everything play out but she left room for so much fun contemplation.

    1. Jakki L.
      Abigail, that is something I have often thought about. I always figured Wickham new of Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth at that first meeting, and that is why he seeked out Elizabeth, and later Lydia (the whole soon-to-be sister-in-law thing)! I do agree with Monica here. I think he knew Lydia was a sure thing and was having fun toying with her and, being the opportunist that he is, saw his opportunity when he realized Lizzy’s opinion of Darcy has changed.Very insightful! I look forward to the rest of P&P200! :)

    1. Abigail Reynolds
      Thanks for the comments! I used to think that Lydia’s convenience was the primary motive, but the more closely I read P&P, the more I realize that JA never gives us irrelevant information. If she gives a physical description of a place, an encounter or a person, she has a reason for it. If she gives what seems to be unnecessary information, she had a reason. In this case, it’s Elizabeth’s reflection that Lydia had never had any partiality for Wickham and that she would want encouragement to attach herself. Wickham’s situation isn’t desperate enough yet in August to warrant running off with Lydia – if it were, he’d have hidden himself better and not taken someone who could give him away. And he does profit quite nicely from the affair – close to ten thousand pounds to pay off his debts and a wife with a small income. A hundred pounds a year is a lot of money when it only takes 200-300 pounds a year for a gentleman to be a “man of means” who need not work for a living. It’s not in Darcy’s league, but it’s well above what Wickham could expect.Of course, that’s just my opinion, and I may well be wrong!

    1. Susan Mason-Milks
      I’ve searched the book but I can’t find anywhere that says what Darcy actually paid. Mr. Bennet says “Wickham’s a fool if he takes her with a farthing less than ten thousand pounds.” It is specific about the amounts from Mr. Bennet – 100 pounds per year while Mr. Bennet is alive and her share of five thousand pounds upon his death. I also couldn’t find any specific amounts associated with his debts from Meryton and Brighton.Mrs. Gardiner tells Elizabeth in her letter that Wickham was “reduced to being reasonable” but again no amount.Has anyone checked into this, too? We all assume that because Mr. Bennet mentions that ten thousand figure that that’s the amount Darcy paid. I like to think he outfoxed Wickham into taking much less. Opinions?

    1. Abigail Reynolds
      You’re right that Austen doesn’t give a figure. Wickham’s commission would have been fairly expensive, and his debts must have been significant. Also, he’s in a good bargaining position and I can’t see him not playing it for all it’s worth. Just my theory, but I assume Darcy pays him some sort of annual fee, since otherwise he’d have no reason not to leave Lydia after his debts were paid off. It’s also possible that Darcy didn’t tell the Gardiners how much he was actually paying. Mr Bennet’s guess may have been high, but it could also have been low since he doesn’t have the key information that Darcy’s deep pockets are involved and that Darcy wants to marry Elizabeth. Ten thousand is what he thinks Wickham could get out of Mr. Gardiner. It’s a puzzle.

    1. Susan Mason-Milks
      My thought was an kind of annuity as long as they remain married. You may be right that he didn’t tell Mr. Gardiner how much he actually paid. That would be like him. The other thing I was thinking was that Wickham may still hold out hope that he’ll get back in the fold – so to speak – after a while and get to go back to Pemberley or talk Darcy into some kind of favor. This would be based on his suspicion Darcy will marry Elizabeth and she won’t be able to say no to helping her sister. Like in a game of chess, clearly Wickham is trying to think a couple of moves ahead!

    1. Amy Z
      I agree with your analysis Abigail. I’ve always thought that Wickham knew exactly what he was doing when singling out Elizabeth and later “ruining” Lydia. Not only does Austen use these kinds of “coincidences,” very creatively as plot devices, she also uses a sort of social symmetry — both younger sisters seduced by Wickham; Jane unwilling to be overt in her feelings for Bingley while Darcy is similarly so with Elizabeth; family members about which each of them could blush again and again; etc. That’s why she is brilliant!!! :smile:

    1. Sophia Rose
      I think you’re on to something with your ‘coincidences. You caught that clue of them ‘turning back up the street’ and his pursuit of Lydia that I had not even given thought to. Mystery writing next? Kidding!Now I want to go on an Austen clue hunt myself in my fav novels of hers.Thanks!

    1. Lisa S
      Love your analysis Abigail. As for Wickham, I agree completely. His storyline I think is one that you have to read the book at least twice to appreciate. The first time, you are in Lizzy’s head and just enjoying the fact that this handsome guy fancies her and is sharing some really juicy gossip about the snob who subbed her. But then you get further along in the book and the letter changes everything. Full stop. Now you have to go back and read all those interactions again and, upon a second (or third or fourth :)) reading, you can really see that he was a conniving little bugger from the first. By the time he high tails it off with Lydia I totally thought that was to stick it to Darcy. I never thought of it as a means to profit from D though. That’s a new and interesting thought for me. I’d only got as far as to think that he knew all along that D fancied E and so he wanted to ruin her and her family in spite.

    1. Teg
      I couldn’t agree more. You have explained it excellently!Wickham was not a stupid man in spite of his immoral choices in life. Clever as his plans were, when his confidence was high Wickham did fail to consider that he would be foiled in his efforts. Not able to adequately predict consequences? Unable to follow through with his thoughts once he set one objective? Perhaps..Thanks Abigail! I always immensely enjoy reading your works.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      You make excellent points, Abigail! It is interesting how, in thinking about these scenes from another character’s POV, some other motivations are revealed. I don’t doubt you’re correct in regards to Wickham selecting Elizabeth for many of the reasons you mentioned ;).

    1. AngieK
      I found myself kind of crushing on his brother in your last book!

    1. Stephanie L
      I loved reading through all the comments. There are so many small things that add up to a brilliant novel, and reading through all this, I think I need to go read P&P again and see what else I took for granted. I also love how you lovely writer types pick up on all these things that make books so much meatier for us reader types. Just fun. Love the observations, love the “coincidences”, stuff I never thought of.

    1. Oloore
      Now it indeed makes sense! I always thought that Wickham’s choice to seduce Lydia and elope with her was rather coincidental (she seemed to be an easy pray) and rash decision. But I agree that it is more likely that everything from the moment he distinguished Elizabeth till the moment he chose her sister is guided by his desire to take revenge on Darcy. What a schemer! I don’t think Wickham could forsee how strongly Darcy felt about Elizabeth and to what extend he was ready to go for her sake, so probably Wickham thought only about crashing any possibility of marrige between Darcy and Lizzy when disgracing Lydia.I finished reading Mr.Darcy’s letter (page-turner as always), and there Wickham is more eager to profit from the possibility of Lizzy’s marriage with Darcy, than to take revenge on Darcy by ruining any chances Darcy may have. Though I think that Wickham’s belief that Elizabeth could still maintain any affection towards him after marrying Darcy is simply ungrounded self-confidence. Any close communiation between Elizabeth and Darcy would ultimately lead to exposing Wickham’s true character.

    1. Alyssa Goodnight
      Well done! You have me wanting to read those scenes over again to see for myself just what you’ve surmised. Very clever indeed of Jane.

    1. Karen Doornebos
      This is soooo interesting, Abigail. I agree with Susan–wow–and I had never even thought of this. Very insightful. Great post!

    1. rainakochan
      it is not a coincidence but the destiny, it shows that darcy and elizabeth were bound t meet even after her refusal, and taht they were menat to be for each other.i agree also on the fact that when we write something we see diffrently what we do and the situation in which we put teh character, the characterization as in cinema, I like to see it not as viewver but the point of view of the peopel behind it, it so much more interesting XD of course reading is a pleasure

    1. Regina Jeffers
      I always thought that Wickham actually held an “affection” for Elizabeth, but his need for funds always outweighed his other choices. The news of losing Elizabeth’s interest to Darcy would have created a situation that he could not tolerate.

    1. Joanna
      Yes, I was thinking along the same lines! :)

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    • Ceri on February 4, 2014 at 6:37 pm
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    I like your thinking! It had never occurred to me that Darcy must have been staring at Elizabeth when she first met Wickham, and of course Wickham must have noticed. I have read Pride and Prejudice probably more than another book but there are still details and inferences that I haven’t picked up on.

    1. Every time I think I can’t possibly discover something new about Pride & Prejudice, something new pops up. It seems like there are always new depths to plumb.

    • Carol hoyt on February 4, 2014 at 9:53 pm
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    My thoughts exactly only better said!

    • Chanpreet on February 11, 2014 at 7:58 pm
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    I thought it was because Wickham actually liked Lizzie, but knowing his devious mind it could’ve been that he saw Lydia as Darcy’s potential sister in law….

    1. That’s what I thought, too, until I realized Lizzy isn’t anything like the other girls Wickham targets – too old, too spunky, too many brains. So that made me wonder what he was after.

  1. I have never had the ability to read my fellow humans, so reading your analysis of Wickham was a real eye-opener for me. Brilliant!

  1. […] Abigail Reynolds did an interesting post about coincidences in Pride and Prejudice as they relate to George Wickham. You can read it here. […]

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