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What is the meaning of the quote: “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun?”

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“I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun” were Mr. Darcy’s words during their engagement with Elizabeth at the end of the book. She asked him when he first noticed that he fell in love with her. Mr. Darcy simply answers that he did not notice the moment until he mas madly in love.

Detailed answer:

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice pictures one of the greatest stories of love. The romantic relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth becomes more intricate with each chapter. At the end of the story, as the characters get engaged, they open up about their feelings. Elizabeth gets in a playful mood and decides to find out how Darcy fell in love with her.

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago,” he said apologetically. “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun,” he follows. He confesses that it does not matter as he started loving her more when they decided to be together. Elizabeth is flattered, even though she responds to the revelation ironically. She reminds him of how rude she was to him and wished him pain. After that, they continue discussing the early stages of their relationship and how embarrassed they were at first.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "What is the meaning of the quote: “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun?”." September 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-quote-i-was-in-the-middle-before-i-knew-that-i-had-begun/.

1. IvyPanda. "What is the meaning of the quote: “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun?”." September 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-quote-i-was-in-the-middle-before-i-knew-that-i-had-begun/.


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IvyPanda. "What is the meaning of the quote: “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun?”." September 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/q/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-quote-i-was-in-the-middle-before-i-knew-that-i-had-begun/.

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