Mrs. Bennet Quotes

"But depend upon it, Mr. Collins," she added, "that Lizzy shall be brought to reason. I will speak to her about it myself directly. She is a very headstrong, foolish girl, and does not know her own interest; but I will make her know it."

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 20. When Elizabeth turns down Mr. Collins’s offer of marriage, Mrs. Bennet assures him that she will have strong words with her to make her see reason. Mrs. Bennet just wants to get her daughters married and doesn’t care who or how suitable a man they marry. Her description of Elizabeth as being "headstrong" is rather accurate and is repeated later in the story when Elizabeth clashes with Lady Catherine de Bourgh: "Obstinate, headstrong girl!"

Oh! Mr. Bennet, you are wanted immediately; we are all in an uproar. You must come and make Lizzy marry Mr. Collins, for she vows she will not have him.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 20. The ridiculous Mrs. Bennet is satirized here as she reacts to Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins’s marriage offer. In her cry for help she appeals to the man of the house Mr. Bennet to use his fatherly authority and compel Elizabeth to marry Mr. Collins, despite her vowing she will not have him. Mrs. Bennet’s sole thought in life is to get her daughters married.

An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 20. Irony is Jane Austen’s forte and she uses it here to humorous effect through the character of Mr. Bennet. He tells Elizabeth that she will metaphorically be a stranger to her mother if she doesn’t marry Mr. Collins, and a stranger to her father if she does.

The very mention of anything concerning the match threw her into an agony of ill-humour, and wherever she went she was sure of hearing it talked of. The sight of Miss Lucas was odious to her. As her successor in that house, she regarded her with jealous abhorrence.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 23. Mrs. Bennet is said to be in a "most pitiable state" over Charlotte Lucas’s engagement to Mr. Collins. Had Mr. Collins married one of her daughters, the Bennets home Longbourn would at least have remained in the family after Mr. Bennet’s death. But with Charlotte to marry the man who will inherit Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet cannot stand the sight of her.

"Indeed, Mr. Bennet," said she, "it is very hard to think that Charlotte Lucas should ever be mistress of this house, that I should be forced to make way for her, and live to see her take her place in it!"
"My dear, do not give way to such gloomy thoughts. Let us hope for better things. Let us flatter ourselves that I may be the survivor."

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 23. Mrs. Bennet is enraged that Charlotte Lucas has accepted Mr. Collins’s proposal of marriage, not for love but for security, and that Charlotte will one day displace the Bennets at Longbourn. Mr. Bennet tries to comfort his desolate wife by suggesting that he may survive Collins, who is meant to inherit the Bennets’ home when Mr.Bennet passes away.

No governess! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without a governess! I have never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your education.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 29. The haughty Lady Catherine de Bourgh reacts with shock, on being told by Elizabeth that her family never employed a governess to educate her and her sisters. Every family with young girls needs a governess, she rudely suggests. She uses a metaphor to compare Mrs. Bennet to a slave because she herself had to take charge of her daughters’ education. Elizabeth is attending dinner at Rosings Park, Lady Catherine’s residence, with Charlotte and Mr. Collins.

The situation of your mother’s family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly, betrayed by herself, by your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 35. Mr. Darcy, in a letter to Elizabeth, criticizes the behavior of the Bennet family at the Netherfield ball. It is not the position of the family that bothers him, he makes clear, but he is shocked by their bad manners. He accuses Elizabeth’s mother and her three younger sisters of a “total want of propriety.” In mentioning Mr. Bennet as one of the lesser offenders, Darcy is obviously blaming him for not keeping his daughters and their silliness in check on the night.

They were hopeless of remedy. Her father, contented with laughing at them, would never exert himself to restrain the wild giddiness of his youngest daughters; and her mother, with manners so far from right herself, was entirely insensible of the evil. Elizabeth had frequently united with Jane in an endeavour to check the imprudence of Catherine and Lydia; but while they were supported by their mother’s indulgence, what chance could there be of improvement? Catherine, weak-spirited, irritable, and completely under Lydia’s guidance, had been always affronted by their advice; and Lydia, self-willed and careless, would scarcely give them a hearing. They were ignorant, idle, and vain. While there was an officer in Meryton, they would flirt with him; and while Meryton was within a walk of Longbourn, they would be going there forever.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 37. Elizabeth reflects on the flaws of her family after reading Darcy’s letter. From her father’s judgmental sarcasm, to the flirtations of her wild youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia, to the unwillingness of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet to control their behavior – the family is beyond remedy, Elizabeth says.

Her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour, which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 42. Mr. Bennet married his wife because of her beautiful appearance. He did not see the extent of her foolishness before he wed her. It is clear that Mr. Bennet no longer has no real love for Mrs. Bennet. Their marriage serves as a health warning to those who rush into marriage for beauty and appearances alone.

Elizabeth, however, had never been blind to the impropriety of her father’s behaviour as a husband. She had always seen it with pain; but respecting his abilities, and grateful for his affectionate treatment of herself, she endeavoured to forget what she could not overlook, and to banish from her thoughts that continual breach of conjugal obligation and decorum which, in exposing his wife to the contempt of her own children, was so highly reprehensible. But she had never felt so strongly as now the disadvantages which must attend the children of so unsuitable a marriage.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 42. Even Mr. Bennet’s favorite daughter Elizabeth is critical of his behavior as a husband. She reflects on his "reprehensible" treatment of his wife by continually exposing her to the contempt of her own children. Elizabeth feels strongly that her parents are unsuited to one another and this has disadvantaged their children.

She is very young; she has never been taught to think on serious subjects; and for the last half-year, nay, for a twelvemonth – she has been given up to nothing but amusement and vanity. She has been allowed to dispose of her time in the most idle and frivolous manner, and to adopt any opinions that came in her way. Since the -shire were first quartered in Meryton, nothing but love, flirtation, and officers have been in her head.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 47. Elizabeth is highly critical of Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet and their parenting of Lydia – of lack of it! She blames her teen sister’s lack of moral integrity and fall on them. They have neglected to educate her properly on serious matters. And they allowed her to indulge herself in amusement, vanity and idleless, so that her head is filled with flirtation, love and militia officers.

Mrs. Bennet, to whose apartment they all repaired, after a few minutes’ conversation together, received them exactly as might be expected; with tears and lamentations of regret, invectives against the villainous conduct of Wickham, and complaints of her own sufferings and ill-usage; blaming everybody but the person to whose ill-judging indulgence the errors of her daughter must principally be owing.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 47. When Mrs. Bennet learns of the elopment of her favorite and youngest daughter Lydia, she erupts into tears of regret, hurls abuse at the villainous Wickham and feels very sorry for herself. She blames everybody but the person who indulged the wayward behavior of the wild Lydia – herself!

And now here’s Mr. Bennet gone away, and I know he will fight Wickham, wherever he meets him; and then he will be killed, and what is to become of us all? The Collinses will turn us out before he is cold in his grave, and if you are not kind to us, brother, I do not know what we shall do.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 47. Mrs. Bennet pleads with her brother Mr. Bennet for help after Lydia’s flight to London with Wickham. Otherwise Mr. Bennet will be killed when he fights Wickham and the Collinses will evict them from Longbourn and they will be homeless, she warns.

To know that her daughter would be married was enough. She was disturbed by no fear for her felicity, nor humbled by any remembrance of her misconduct.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 49. Mrs. Bennet can hardly contain herself on hearing that Wickham is essentially being bribed to marry Lydia – "her joy burst forth," we learn. She is totally unconcerned about her youngest daughter’s happiness, nor is she bothered by any memories of her scandalous misbehavior. Mrs. Bennet’s only focus is on marrying off her daughters.

Well! I am so happy! In a short time I shall have a daughter married. Mrs. Wickham! – how well it sounds! And she was only sixteen last June.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 49. After her previous regrets and lamentations about Lydia’s elopement and hurling invectives against the "villainous" Wickham, Mrs. Bennet is now in raptures over her daughter marrying him. Mrs. Bennet flip flops a lot between ecstacy over her schemes to get husbands for her daughters and lamentations about her personal suffering when these don’t work. After receiving her brother Mr. Gardiner’s letter that Lydia is to be wed to Wickham and her reputation saved, Mrs. Bennet suddenly reverses her opinion on the character of the fortune-hunting Wickham. Now he is fit to be her son-in-law. Here again the shallow, foolish, tiresome and vacuous Mrs. Bennet makes us laugh – but at her! The passage is another example of Austen’s fine use of ironic humor. Mr. Gardiner’s letter explains that Wickham will wed Lydia if Mr. Bennet pays Wickham a small sum of money annually to Wickham – the Bennets suspect that Mr. Gardiner has also already paid Wickham a good deal. The fuller quote of Mrs. Bennet’s reaction to this news from her brother: "It is all very right; who should do it but her own uncle? If he had not had a family of his own, I and my children must have had all his money, you know; and it is the first time we have ever had anything from him, except a few presents. Well! I am so happy! In a short time I shall have a daughter married. Mrs. Wickham! How well it sounds!"

The marriage of a daughter, which had been the first object of her wishes since Jane was sixteen, was now on the point of accomplishment, and her thoughts and her words ran wholly on those attendants of elegant nuptials, fine muslins, new carriages, and servants.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 50. Instead of concerning herself with her youngest daughter Lydia’s moral behavior, Mrs. Bennet worries about carriages and servants and expensive wedding outfits – without regard to whether Lydia and Wickham can afford all this.

Mrs. Bennet had been strongly inclined to ask them to stay and dine there that day; but, though she always kept a very good table, she did not think anything less than two courses could be good enough for a man on whom she had such anxious designs, or satisfy the appetite and pride of one who had ten thousand a year.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 53. Mrs. Bennet, who is proud of her good table, invites Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to dinner at Longbourn in a few days time. She wants to impress the man she has designs on her daughter Jane – Bingham – and also his ten thousand a year friend Darcy. That means pulling out all the stops with no less than two courses.

Good gracious! Lord bless me! only think! dear me! Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it? And is it really true? Oh! my sweetest Lizzy! how rich and great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane’s is nothing to it – nothing at all. I am so pleased – so happy. Such a charming man! – so handsome! so tall! Oh, my dear Lizzy! Pray apologize for my having disliked him so much before. I hope he will overlook it. Dear, dear Lizzy. A house in town! Everything that is charming!…Ten thousand a year, and very likely more! ‘Tis as good as a Lord!

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 59. A giddy Mrs. Bennet rhapsodizes over Elizabeth’s engagement to Mr. Darcy, hardly able to believe her ears when her daughter announces the good news. She is ecstatic that Elizabeth is going to be rich, even richer than Jane. Her previous dislike of Mr. Darcy all of a sudden vanishes. The person she once described as "a most disagreeable, horrid man" is now "charming" and "handsome." Of course Darcy’s considerable wealth buys a lot of credit with Mrs. Bennet, it is his ten thousand a year income that she finds most attractive in him – "as good as a Lord!" For Mrs. Bennet, pin-money, jewels and carriages are what make Darcy and her daughter a good match. At the beginning of the novel we learned that the business of Mrs. Bennet’s life was to see her daughters married. Now with three of them finding husbands, one of the novel’s most mocked characters has achieved much of what she set out to do.
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