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Belinda Grant's avatar

Love this reflection!

I think it's really powerful that the first person we hear disparage Mr Bennett is Mr Darcy. Up to that point we have enjoyed him so much as a character, and adored him a little because of Elizabeth's bias. Now we see him from a cold, outside perspective. Like Elizabeth we maybe aren't ready to hear the critique. But now our eyes are open for the rest of the book.

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Christina Entz Moss's avatar

I'd not realized that the 1995 line about "it will pass, no doubt more speedily than it should" was an addition, it's such a good one that absolutely captures Mr. Bennet!

I remember a talking head saying once that Mr. Bennet was the most like Austen herself out of all her characters--holding himself apart from everyone else and just making droll, wry observations. I'm not sure this is entirely fair to Jane, perhaps he is simply what she feared she might become if she indulged her worst tendencies.

I do think one recurring secondary theme both of the book itself and some of my favourite reinterpretations of it (including, most recently, The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow) is learning the difference between a sort of caustic wit that holds itself apart from all or most others, and wit that is tempered with kindness. The former is obviously bad for the targets of the caustic wit, but also for the wisecrackers themselves, who lose out on the better relationships they might have if they learned to look for the best in people.

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