I have nearly finished reading “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. It’s been a unique experience for me, as I’m not used to reading books with such advanced vocabulary. However, it has also helped me learn new words and expand my vocabulary, which is fantastic. In the following quote, Elizabeth is introduced to Mr. Darcy’s magnificent estate at Pemberley.
They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound. It was a large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills;—and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place where nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in her admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something! (p. 163).
Elizabeth’s visit to Darcy’s house is a major milestone in her feelings towards him. While conversing with the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, Elizabeth catches the glowingly admiring word of Darcy’s generosity and kindness as a master. The change, however, comes when she meets Darcy himself, unexpectedly, while she is walking through the grounds of his estate, Pemberley. His former haughtiness appears to have decreased, and Elizabeth now perceives him in a different way. The elaborate description of Pemberley’s construction and grounds are a symbolic representation of Darcy’s personality. That stream is actually his pride, being natural it also represents his honesty. Elizabeth’s joy and quick realization about the pleasure of being the mistress of Pemberley foreshadow her subsequent bliss as devoted wife of Darcy.