“IT TAUGHT ME TO HOPE,” SAID HE, “AS I HAD SCARCELY EVER ALLOWED MYSELF TO HOPE BEFORE.” – Mr. Darcy
So was hope used in this sentence as an action, an occurrence, or was it a state of being? I think it was all of the above. It taught him to hope, meaning action. And since he had never hoped before, it was an occurrence, and finally, he admitted he had never been in this state before.
So why this fascination with hope? One wonders what would have happened if Elizabeth Bennet never came to tour Pemberley? Would Darcy ever have pursued her? Would he have followed his loyal but aching heart and offer himself to her? I would like to think he would eventually, but since Jane Austen never wrote it any other way we only have to wonder and hope.
In Mr. Darcy’s Promise, Elizabeth is forced to marry Mr. Darcy without ever being informed that he loved her. She slowly learns of his admiration and she thinks to herself, “Dare I hope?” She then thinks of a quote that says, “Hope feels the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”
This week I felt like Elizabeth. I have officially hired an editor, Camie Schaefer, a PhD Creative Writing student. I have been bursting with excitement that the first big hurdle in getting my book published has really happened! And all those months of writing, editing on my own or with help from volunteers or family, was nothing compared to the elation I felt in seeing a real light at the end of the tunnel. I admit It has scarcely been a year, but making this step in hiring a professional editor, has taught me to hope like I have ever allowed myself to hope before. My dream really will come true! This dream has been somewhat invisible, intangible, and felt impossible, but isn’t that what hope conquers? It is a state of being and much more than wishful thinking. It is an action that alters one’s very being. So for all those who have dreams, act on it. Hope on it. Be in that state of being. Hope is real and powerful and I am here to say, it is a powerful state to be in.
Jeanna Ellsworth
Hey Lady Publications