Mrs. Bennet and most of the women at the ball “read” the fact that Darcy doesn’t dance with anyone he doesn’t already know as a sign of what a stuck up and terrible person he is.  And in his withering comments about the girls at the dance (including herself) that Elizabeth overhears, we’re encouraged to make the same judgment about Darcy.  In your comment on this post, try out another interpretation of Darcy’s words and behavior.  Could you defend him, putting a positive “spin”, or “reading”, on his motives? Is there any other way to interpret Darcy’s behavior besides his being an arrogant snob?