Question

Read the following excerpt from chapter 2 of Pride and Prejudice. Then rewrite the dialogue in your own words. Describe which parts of the dialogue changed. What meaning was lost in the translation? Was anything gained?

"Don't keep coughing so, Kitty, for Heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces."
"Kitty has no discretion in her coughs," said her father; "she times them ill."
"I do not cough for my own amusement," replied Kitty fretfully. "When is your next ball to be, Lizzy?"
"To-morrow fortnight."
"Aye, so it is," cried her mother, "and Mrs. Long does not come back till the day before; so it will be impossible for her to introduce him, for she will not know him herself."
"Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Mr. Bingley to her."
"Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted with him myself; how can you be so teasing?"

Answer 1

“Stop coughing, Kitty. Please! You're getting on my nerves.”

“Kitty doesn’t have the sense to time her coughs for our convenience.”

“I am not coughing for fun,” replied Kitty sounding annoyed. “When's your next ball scheduled, Lizzy?”

“In two weeks.”

“That’s right!” cried her mother. “But Mrs. Long won't be back till the day before the ball, and she won't be able to introduce him because she won't have met him.”

“Then you should volunteer to introduce her to Mr. Bingley as a good friend.”

“Oh, don't be silly, Mr. Bennet. How can I when I haven't met him myself?”

The main change in the reworded dialogue is the tone: the more modern wording is more direct and less subtle. However, you can still get the sense that Mr. Bennet is mocking his wife and that she’s oblivious to it. It's also a little hard to imagine this conversation actually occurring in a modern family, so something about the time is lost in the change in language.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sample answer for Edmentum

Answer 2

“Stop coughing, Kitty. Please! You're getting on my nerves.”

“Kitty doesn’t have the sense to time her coughs for our convenience.”

“I am not coughing for fun,” replied Kitty sounding annoyed. “When's your next ball scheduled, Lizzy?”

“In two weeks.”

“That’s right!” cried her mother. “But Mrs. Long won't be back till the day before the ball, and she won't be able to introduce him because she won't have met him.”

“Then you should volunteer to introduce her to Mr. Bingley as a good friend.”

“Oh, don't be silly, Mr. Bennet. How can I when I haven't met him myself?”

The main change in the reworded dialogue is the tone: the more modern wording is more direct and less subtle. However, you can still get the sense that Mr. Bennet is mocking his wife and that she’s oblivious to it. It's also a little hard to imagine this conversation actually occurring in a modern family, so something about the time is lost in the change in language.