Louisa Hurst (née Bingley) is the wife of Mr. Hurst, the sister of Charles and Caroline Bingley, and the sister-in-law of Jane Bennet.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Louisa and her siblings were born into a respectable family in the north of England, but their father made his fortune in trade. Louisa and Caroline attended one of the first private seminaries in town, where they studied music and singing,[1] and after finishing their education, they became accustomed to associating with people of rank and spending more than they ought.
She married Mr. Hurst at some point before Pride and Prejudice opens, probably because of his fashionable address on Grosvenor Street[2] and gentlemanly appearance.[3] In spite of her marriage, she is "scarcely less" engrossed by Fitzwilliam Darcy than her unmarried sister Caroline,[4] who is actively pursuing him.
In Hertfordshire[]
Louisa attends the Meryton assembly, where she dances once with Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mrs. Bennet admires the lace on her gown.[3] Louisa and Caroline initially approve of Jane Bennet[5] and wish to know her sister Elizabeth better,[6] but after a while, they come to disapprove of all Bennets because of their bad behavior and connections to trade.[4]
Caroline invites Jane to dine with them while the gentlemen dine with the officers, and when she falls ill, Caroline asks her to stay overnight. Louisa and Caroline are shocked when Elizabeth walks to Netherfield Park the next morning, and Caroline is forced to ask her to stay as long as Jane is ill. During Elizabeth's stay, Louisa goes on a walk with her, only to abandon her when they come across Caroline and Darcy walking together.[1] She later spends an evening playing with her bracelets and rings because Caroline decides against card games that night.[7]
On the night of the Netherfield Ball, Louisa and Caroline are impatient to have the house to themselves after Mrs. Bennet schemes to have their carriage arrive last, and they only open their mouths to complain how tired they are.[8] They leave for London the next day. When Jane calls on Caroline at the Hursts' house, Louisa and Caroline claim to be going out to cut the visit short.[9]
She visits Pemberley in the summer with her family. Her awkward silence towards Elizabeth and the Gardiners, compared to Mrs. Annesley's attempt to introduce a subject of conversation, shows off how ill-bred she and her sister are.[10] Her reaction to Jane and Charles's engagement, and later to Elizabeth and Darcy's engagement, is unknown, but it can be assumed that like Caroline, she is affectionate and insincere[11] to everyone in order to maintain her social cachet.[12]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 10
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 21
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 8
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 4
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 11
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 18
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 26
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 45
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 60
- ↑ Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 61