Pride and Prejudice
question
What does this phrase mean? “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”
She is tolerable = she looks OK
But not handsome enough to tempt me = but she isn't that hot, I have higher standards
I am in no humor at present = I am not in the mood
to give consequence = to take seriously
young ladies who are slighted by other men = no one else seems to be interested, so why should I be?
But not handsome enough to tempt me = but she isn't that hot, I have higher standards
I am in no humor at present = I am not in the mood
to give consequence = to take seriously
young ladies who are slighted by other men = no one else seems to be interested, so why should I be?
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She's okay looking, but not good enough for me. Besides, why should I pay any attention to her? None of the other guys in here seem interested.
(Modern language. ;) )
(Modern language. ;) )
“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”
Lots of good definitions but I've got a couple of other suggestions.
"To give consequence to" is a little stronger than to 'pay attention to' or 'to take seriously'. I've always taken it to mean 'to treat as though she is of importance to me and by so doing increase her importance in the eyes of society'. All eyes would be on Darcy and any woman he addressed would be noted and remarked upon.
"Slighted" - this is a word that had meant something extreme but the meaning had diluted over several centuries. In this context it means to be ignored or passed over, but the original meaning dates back to the Civil War where fortresses were destroyed by fire and explosion to make them indefensible. To be slighted [ignored] by all the men present would be devastating to a young woman so Darcy is showing that he is so proud that he doesn't care if he is contributing to Elizabet's emotional pain. No wonder she abhors him.
Lots of good definitions but I've got a couple of other suggestions.
"To give consequence to" is a little stronger than to 'pay attention to' or 'to take seriously'. I've always taken it to mean 'to treat as though she is of importance to me and by so doing increase her importance in the eyes of society'. All eyes would be on Darcy and any woman he addressed would be noted and remarked upon.
"Slighted" - this is a word that had meant something extreme but the meaning had diluted over several centuries. In this context it means to be ignored or passed over, but the original meaning dates back to the Civil War where fortresses were destroyed by fire and explosion to make them indefensible. To be slighted [ignored] by all the men present would be devastating to a young woman so Darcy is showing that he is so proud that he doesn't care if he is contributing to Elizabet's emotional pain. No wonder she abhors him.
I agree with Elin. Darcy outranks everyone else in the room and whomever he dances with is therefore given a degree of prestige or 'consequence'. At the ball the book says Lizzie was obliged (from the scarcity of gentlemen present) to sit out for 2 dances. Darcy therefore feels it beneath him to dance with someone who doesn't seem to be in demand by others.
I agree with the others. "She's okay, but not hot enough for me, and I am not in the mood to dance with someone that is being ignored by other guys."
One definition of slighted is to "treat with inattention" and I believe that was the implied meaning. Elizabeth was sitting down, not dancing. The women had talked about how few men there were in attendance that night and many ladies had been sitting down. In those days, if a woman was without a dance partner, it could mean that she wasn't attractive or desirable. The most beautiful women danced every dance and were never without a dance partner. You could view the fact that she was without a partner as a slight, or insult, indicating that she was not as attractive as the women who were dancing.
I personally think that Darcy at this point hadn't really paid much attention to Elizabeth and just wanted Bingley to leave him alone. He didn't want to dance with someone he didn't know. So he said something rude and shocking because he knew that would make Bingley leave. I think he would have said that, or something similar, about anyone in the room. I don't think anyone that night was "handsome enough to tempt" him, because he simply didn't want to dance.
One definition of slighted is to "treat with inattention" and I believe that was the implied meaning. Elizabeth was sitting down, not dancing. The women had talked about how few men there were in attendance that night and many ladies had been sitting down. In those days, if a woman was without a dance partner, it could mean that she wasn't attractive or desirable. The most beautiful women danced every dance and were never without a dance partner. You could view the fact that she was without a partner as a slight, or insult, indicating that she was not as attractive as the women who were dancing.
I personally think that Darcy at this point hadn't really paid much attention to Elizabeth and just wanted Bingley to leave him alone. He didn't want to dance with someone he didn't know. So he said something rude and shocking because he knew that would make Bingley leave. I think he would have said that, or something similar, about anyone in the room. I don't think anyone that night was "handsome enough to tempt" him, because he simply didn't want to dance.
She is sort of pretty, but not enough to make me go her way.
The "slighted" might also refer to her social position, as she was a gentleman´s daughter, but only the 2nd of 5 daughters of a small income estate, so she could be slighted by other men, not only because she was not conventionally beautifull, by the standards of the time, but also that other men slighted her because of her " poverty".
The "slighted" might also refer to her social position, as she was a gentleman´s daughter, but only the 2nd of 5 daughters of a small income estate, so she could be slighted by other men, not only because she was not conventionally beautifull, by the standards of the time, but also that other men slighted her because of her " poverty".
Sadly, today it would probably mean, among men, that if a woman is considered a "dog" who was hard to get along with by friends, she is not worth pursuing even if she is somewhat good-looking.
I don't mean to be sexist, because it would probably mean the same in women's circles.
I don't mean to be sexist, because it would probably mean the same in women's circles.
"to give consequence to" means "to attach importance to".
So yes, this could mean that Darcy is saying he is not in the mood to waste time on a woman already rejected by the other guys.
But, more charitably, it can be interpreted in another way:
Darcy is (very) well aware that he is of high status - so much so, that some prestige will attach to any woman he dances with. Normally, he would consider it his noble duty to dance with every woman and spread the largesse equally - so the plain, rejected girl mention gains importance in the eyes of others. However, he is not in the mood, today, to be so generous.
So yes, this could mean that Darcy is saying he is not in the mood to waste time on a woman already rejected by the other guys.
But, more charitably, it can be interpreted in another way:
Darcy is (very) well aware that he is of high status - so much so, that some prestige will attach to any woman he dances with. Normally, he would consider it his noble duty to dance with every woman and spread the largesse equally - so the plain, rejected girl mention gains importance in the eyes of others. However, he is not in the mood, today, to be so generous.
I pretty much agree with everyone's "translations."
And remember when Elizabeth describes the situation later? She says there was "More than one young lady sitting down," (That is, more girls than guys at the dance, so all the women wouldn't have had a dance partner the whole time, anyway.) So she might not have been as "slighted" as Darcy assumed she was.
And remember when Elizabeth describes the situation later? She says there was "More than one young lady sitting down," (That is, more girls than guys at the dance, so all the women wouldn't have had a dance partner the whole time, anyway.) So she might not have been as "slighted" as Darcy assumed she was.
I love this line, it totally justifies the initial stages of Elizabeth's predjudice,but it also allows us to see Darcy regretting that statement. I also love the fact that by writing this first off it shows Darcy's attraction to Elizabeth (when he admits it to himself)goes deeper than her looks.However,That's probably my own over romantic take on it!
“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”
She is all right looking, but not gorgeous. As Darcy, the speaker, is the wealthiest man in the room, by the standards of the time, any woman he danced with would be considered "elevated" in the views of the rest of the people. Since no other men are asking her to dance, she is being slighted by them. Not insulted, but closer to ignored.
She is all right looking, but not gorgeous. As Darcy, the speaker, is the wealthiest man in the room, by the standards of the time, any woman he danced with would be considered "elevated" in the views of the rest of the people. Since no other men are asking her to dance, she is being slighted by them. Not insulted, but closer to ignored.
how I took it - she was pretty but not really beautiful (in the classical society way) and as such, he (Darcy) isn't going to pay attention to her, just because other men ignored her
The thing about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth is that they both drive each other crazy pretending not to care, and they kind of like to argue or at least debate, and that is what attracts them in spite of how they think they feel about each other.
It means the speaker is a chowderhead.
She's awright but she ain't all that and a bag of chips, and I don't feel like paying attention to a woman who's been dissed by other men.
I actually think this phrase is more precisely interpreted as He thinks she isn't so attractive that he wants to associate with a woman who is snubbed by, and perhaps is even the recipient of rude behaviour from the other men in his peer group. Snubbing is stronger than just ignoring, and rude behaviour may amount to insult in some cases.
Good comments. I took "slighted by other men" as meaning she had been offended by other men and was sullen. Other-men-not-interested-in-her makes more sense. One of the reasons I like classic literature is the differences in word usage. The use of "slighted" seems to be one of those examples to me. I interpreted it as "offended" instead of "ignored".
she's ok, but not really pretty, and i'm not in the mood to give attention to women who are ignored by other men.
Sorry about that Elin, but you can't use a definition of "slighted" that originates from the Civil War 1860's American Victorian period, for a book written in the British Regency period. Then again perhaps you are refering to either the War of the Roses or the English Civil War of Royalists vs Parlimentarians? Your data needs to be expanded upon.
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