2011, Form B. In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following: At
every stage in the progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the
illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize the inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating
incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity. Choose a novel or play that
you have studied and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an “illuminating”
episode or moment and explain how it functions as a “casement,” a window that opens onto
the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley—causes Elizabeth and the reader to reconsider their “first
impression” or prejudice toward Darcy. His actions and words, as well as what is said about
him by his housekeeper, reverse the prior impression built up, emphasizing Austen’s theme
of learning to look beyond prejudices and first impressions.
One mark of a scene’s power or impact in a novel is its ability to “illuminate” or shed light on
characters and themes. Edith Wharton notes that such scenes are “casements” or windows
that open up the meaning of a work to a reader. Such a scene occurs in Jane Austen’s Pride and
Prejudice, when Elizabeth Bennet visits Mr. Darcy’s estate of Pemberley, accompanied by her
aunt and uncle Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. Through this scene, both Elizabeth and the reader are
forced to revise their earlier negative impressions of Mr. Darcy, reinforcing one of Austen’s
major themes concerning the danger of first impressions. Additionally, this scene is vital to the
continuance of the novel’s romantic plot, as it sets the stage for Elizabeth’s eventual
acceptance of Darcy’s second marriage proposal.
Up until this point in the novel, Elizabeth’s, and consequentially the reader’s, initial impression
of Darcy is exceedingly negative. From his standoffishness and snubbing of her at the Meryton
ball, to the slanderous remarks of Mr. Wickham toward him, everything connected to Darcy has
been negative. Indeed, even his first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth had the effect of turning
her off rather than on to his affections, as he made it seem as if he was doing her a major favor
to propose to her despite her embarrassing family.
All of these impressions change when Elizabeth visits Darcy’s estate of Pemberley. Initially,
Elizabeth is extremely impressed by the estate itself, by its natural and unpretentious beauty.
Although Austen is not a writer who makes extensive use of symbols, we could argue that
Pemberley is a reflection or symbol of Darcy the man—elegant, handsome, impressive and
perhaps even intimidating from first glance, but welcoming and friendly when we get a closer
look. While visiting the estate, Elizabeth gets to meet Darcy’s housekeeper, a woman who has
known him from boyhood. She speaks glowingly of him and details how he is extremely fair
and kind to all who live and work on the estate. As Elizabeth listens, we can see her mind
starting to change its impression of Darcy, influenced by this woman who has known him for a
long time.
Her impression of Darcy improves even further when he surprisingly appears in the scene. The
fact that his appearance is unexpected, much like his surprising Elizabeth with his first marriage
proposal, makes this scene a natural contrast to Elizabeth’s encounter with Darcy at Rosings. In
this instance, contrary to their prior encounters, Darcy is warm and cordial. He takes time to
converse with the visitors, and is especially gracious toward the Gardiners, a sharp contrast
from his prior comments and treatment of Elizabeth’s family. Once again, as is characteristic of
Austen’s writing style, we get to “hear” Elizabeth’s impressions of Darcy as they are changing.
So much of the drama and conflict of this novel stems from mistaken impressions and
miscommunications. Austen uses numerous instances where characters are mistaken about
each others true natures or feelings in order to critique her society’s prioritizing of appearances
over essential nature. The visit which Elizabeth makes to Pemberley serves as a strong turning
point for Elizabeth, as it opens her eyes, and those of the reader, to another side of Darcy’s
character. It is interesting to note that Austen’s original title for the novel was First
Impressions, and much like her famous opening line that “It is a truth universally acknowledged
that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” the original title
was rife with irony and satire. Austen wanted her readers to realize the dangers of first
impressions and prejudices, and to accomplish this goal she needed to write scenes such as the
visit to Pemberley to serve as windows to show the characters and readers how wrong those
impressions were.