Mrs. Bennet (née Gardiner[1]) is a character in Pride and Prejudice. Together with her husband, Mr. Bennet, she has five daughters: Jane Bennet Bingley, Elizabeth Bennet Darcy, Mary Bennet, Catherine Bennet, and Lydia Bennet Wickham. She has two siblings, Mrs. Philips and Mr. Gardiner, and is the sister-in-law of Mrs. Gardiner and the paternal aunt of their children. She is also related to William Collins through marriage.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Mrs. Bennet was born to an attorney and his wife, and has two siblings, Mrs. Phillips and Edward Gardiner. Her first name is never said, but many readers assume it was "Jane" (Jane Austen typically named the eldest daughters in a family after their mothers; cf. Elizabeth Stevenson and Elizabeth Elliot, Fanny Ward and Fanny Price, Maria Ward and Maria Bertram, etc.). "Fanny" is sometimes used in fanfiction.
Motherhood[]
Mrs. Bennet's father left her a settlement and dowry of £4,000, and though it was a good sum, it was still insufficient to ameliorate the deficiency of her husband's fortune.[2] Both husband and wife were also incautious with money - they never practiced economy as they always believed that they would have a son who would, when he came of age, break the entail on Longbourn, and provide for Mrs. Bennet (in the event she was widowed) and any younger children that they might have. Instead, they had five daughters, and ultimately gave up all hopes of producing a male heir. Unfortunately, by then, it was far too late to start saving - Mrs. Bennet had no economical skills, and though Mr. Bennet ensured the family did not exceed its income, he also did not take any measures to increase his wealth. The very worst thing was that, without a son to break the entail, Mr. Bennet's cousin, Mr. Collins, would inherit Longbourn upon Mr. Bennet's death. As Mr Collins was not a close enough relation to expect much generosity, this meant that Mrs Bennet and her daughters would be forced to live in impoverished circumstances or off the generosity of relatives. Hence, Mrs. Bennet was obsessed with marrying off her daughters as means of providing support for herself - and them - following her husband's death, as she and unmarried daughters would be able to expect to stay with a prospective son-in-law.
Bingley's arrival[]
Mrs. Bennet learns that Netherfield Park is let at last from her neighbor Mrs. Long. Mrs Bennet excitedly relates that the man who will take possession of it, a Mr Bingley, is rich (with 4-5 thousand pounds per year), and single. She tries to convince her husband to go introduce himself to Mr Bingley, but he refuse — much to her chagrin.[3] When she learns that her husband was just making a joke at her expense and he does go to meet Bingley, she is excited again.[4]
At the assembly room, She introduces her daughters in haste to Mr. Bingley. She is pleased when Mr. Bingley immediately takes a liking to Jane asking her to dance, however, displeased when Mr. Darcy slights Elizabeth refusing to dance. She dislikes Mr. Darcy and regards him as “too proud”. She is seen gossiping at the dance in regards to how he mistreated Elizabeth.
At Lucas Lodge, she is seen talking to the other ladies about Mr. Bingley admiring his fortune and his charming personality. She is later called by her daughter Mary in the middle of the party apparently wanting to play certain mellow piano tunes as opposed to Lydia wanting her to play more upbeat tunes so everyone can dance. Mrs. Bennet takes Lydia’s side and embarrasses Mary and her other family; to the amusement of Mr. Bingley’s sisters.
After the Novel[]
Mrs. Bennet was not much improved by the marriages of three of her daughters. She continued to be silly, which continued to entertain her husband.
Mrs. Bennet often visited Mrs. Bingley and talked of Mrs. Darcy after her eldest daughters' weddings. Her vicinity to Netherfield was part of the reason why the Bingleys moved from Netherfield and bought a house in a county neighboring Derbyshire.
Her daughter Mary later married one of her uncle Mr. Phillips's law clerks and moved to Meryton, and her daughter Catherine later married a clergyman near Pemberley.
Appearance[]
"I certainly have had my share of beauty..."
"...captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour..."
In her youth, Mrs. Bennet had been a beautiful woman whose charms gave her the illusion of being good-humoured as well. Mr. Bennet once teased her for being as beautiful as any of her grown-up daughters[3], which indicates that she had retained some of her beauty, despite having been married for twenty-three years when the events of the novel commenced. However, her exact age was never revealed or confirmed.
Personality[]
Mrs. Bennet is described as "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper" who fancies herself nervous when she is discontented. She openly favors Jane and Lydia over her other daughters because of Jane's beauty and Lydia's high spirits. Her sole purpose in life is marry off her daughters to wealthy men, and when unsuccessful, she consoles herself with visiting their neighbors and gossiping.
Role in the novel[]
Mrs Bennet's main desire, and the driving motive of her actions, is to see at least one of her daughters married well. She is depicted as a foolish and vulgar woman, who shares too much and participates in local gossip. Her position in life isn't very secure, considering that when Mr Bennet dies and Mr Collins inherits Longbourn, she and her daughters would be forced to leave and live on the generosity of relatives (Mr Collins is not a close enough relative to expect to stay at Longbourn) or in impoverished circumstances. As such, Mr Bingley's arrival was seen as an important opportunity for Mrs Bennet, and even a lifeline, as Mr Bennet didn't share her urgency and wouldn't venture very far in order to see his daughters married.
Mrs Bennet deeply annoys and embarrasses Elizabeth several times throughout the novel, and often sets herself up to be antagonistic to her second daughter's happiness. Elizabeth is not one of her favorites, and she outright favors Jane and Lydia, the former for her beauty and the latter for her demeanor. When Elizabeth refuses Mr Collins' proposal, Mrs Bennet vows to never speak to her daughter again, as she's all too prepared to have Elizabeth sacrifice herself and her happiness for their security. Mrs Bennet only really changes her opinion about Elizabeth when she learns about the engagement to Mr Darcy.
Relationships[]
Mr Bennet[]
Married for over twenty years, Mr and Mrs Bennet do not frequently see eye to eye. He is often sarcastic with her, although the jokes often go over her head.
Elizabeth[]
Mrs Bennet's relationship with her second daughter is frequently strained. She is annoyed that her husband favors Elizabeth so much, and makes no attempts to hide her feelings on it.
Family[]
Immediate[]
- Mr. Bennet & Mrs. Bennet
Extended[]
- William Collins (cousin through marriage)
- Mr. & Mrs. Gardiner (brother and sister-in-law)
- The Gardiner Children (nieces and nephews)
- Mrs. Philips (sister)
Gallery[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ "Gardiner" as her maiden name is just conjecture as although her brother is Mr. Gardiner, he could be only her half-sibling.
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Volume I, Chapter 7
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pride and Prejudice, Volume I, Chapter I
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 2