Test "proposals"
Merci d'envoyer votre plan détaillé avant 18h . Bon courage
1 LLCE/
Meetings/ Impossible matches
Compare the two documents to explain to what extent
they illustrate unexpected proposals and misunderstandings.
A) An excerpt from Pride and Prejudice, Jane
Austen, 1813
Mr Darcy’ s proposal
[…] she saw Mr. Darcy[1] walk
into the room. In an hurried manner he immediately began an enquiry after her
health, imputing his visit to a wish of hearing that she were better. She
answered him with cold civility. He sat down for a few moments, and then getting
up, walked about the room. Elizabeth was surprised, but said not a word. After
a silence of several minutes, he came towards her in an agitated manner, and
thus began –
"In vain have I struggled. It
will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you
how ardently I admire and love you."
Elizabeth's astonishment was
beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent. This he
considered sufficient encouragement; and the avowal of all that he felt, and
had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well; but there were
feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more
eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. […]
In spite of her deeply rooted
dislike she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man's affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an
instant, she was at first sorry for the pain he was to receive; till, roused to
resentment by his subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger. She
tried, however, to compose herself to answer him with patience…
"In such cases as this, it is, I believe,
the established mode to express a sense of obligation for the sentiments
avowed, however unequally they may be returned. It is natural that obligation
should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude,
I would now thank you. But I cannot -- I have never desired your good opinion,
and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have
occasioned pain to any one. It has been most unconsciously done, however, and I
hope will be of short duration. The feelings which, you tell me, have long
prevented the acknowledgment of your regard, can have little difficulty in
overcoming it after this explanation."
Mr. Darcy, who was leaning against the
mantlepiece with his eyes fixed on her face, seemed to catch her words with no
less resentment than surprise. His complexion became pale with anger, and the
disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the
appearance of composure, and would not open his lips till he believed himself
to have attained it. The pause was to Elizabeth's feelings dreadful. At length,
in a voice of forced calmness, he said --
"And this is all the reply which I am to
have the honour of expecting! I might, perhaps, wish to be informed why, with
so little endeavour at civility, I am
thus rejected. But it is of small importance."
"I might as well inquire," replied
she, "why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you
chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and
even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if
I was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You
know I have. Had not my own feelings decided
against you -- had they been indifferent, or had they even been favourable, do
you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man who has been
the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved
sister?"
As she pronounced these words Mr. Darcy changed
colour; but the emotion was short, and he listened without attempting to
interrupt her while she continued --
"I have every reason in the
world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse the unjust and ungenerous part
you acted there. You dare not, you cannot deny that you have been
the principal, if not the only means of dividing them[2]
from each other -- of exposing one to the censure of the world for caprice and
instability, the other to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving
them both in misery of the acutest kind."PLAYING
She paused, and saw with no slight indignation
that he was listening with an air which proved him wholly unmoved by any
feeling of remorse. He even looked at her with a smile of affected incredulity.
"Can
you deny that you have done it?" she repeated.
With assumed tranquillity he then replied,
"I have no wish of denying that I did everything in my power to separate
my friend from your sister, or that I rejoice in my success. Towards him I
have been kinder than towards myself."
[1] Mr Darcy is a rich gentleman
[2] them refers to Elizabeth’s sister and Mr Bingley, the best friend of Mr Darcy
B) Mr Collins' proposal
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