Why were Mrs. Bennet, Kitty and Lydia fond of officers?

[Sandy]

Was it because they lived in the country and seldom did they see red coats?

[Amy]

Mrs. Bennet had 5 daughters that she had to worry about marrying off before she (and they) became too old. The only way a woman had a secure place in life is through her husband or very rich father. They loved the officers because being an officer was a respectable (and almost always life-long) employment.

[Hadjer]

I think that they love them because they're attractive and not out of their reach ; the girls don't have a so big dowry and officers don't require much. Besides , it's a truth universally acknowledged that women always have a crush on men in uniform , probably because they symbolise protection and power ..

[Kristen]

Also, if nothing else, they provided amusement to them. They got to meet new people, possible future husbands, hear new gossip, and it seems that social events usually followed when regiments came to town. So if nothing else, it they could provide entertainments to three characters who really only found entrainment through social interactions.

[Sandy]

Thanks All.
I found this webpage:
http://penigma.blogspot.com.au/2011/0...

"They (the militia) were often thought to be superior patriots and were generally held in high regard."

[Alexandra]

There is also the advantage that they change fairly frequently, as new officers are billeted in the area.

One of the great disadvantages of living in a society that is quite rigid regarding who it is appropriate to marry, particularly before the era of mass travel, is that if you did not fall in love with your childhood sweetheart, by the age of eighteen you have probably decided whether or not any of the "eligible" members of the opposite sex are even bearable as a possible spouse.

If you have not spotted "the one", then your chances of meeting someone new, who you consider desirable (by whichever set of criteria matter to you), are not good. The arrival of a regiment provides a sudden influx of fresh possibilities.

Regular officers have the disadvantage of being sent away for long periods, and a high probability of returning damaged, or not at all. Millitia officers, on the other hand, acquire similar "respectability/eligibility" through perceived patriotism; but, being a defence force, they are at much less risk, and likely to remain somewhere in the county.

[HJ]

Alexandra wrote: "There is also the advantage that they change fairly frequently, as new officers are billeted in the area.

One of the great disadvantages of living in a society that is quite rigid regarding who it..."

I agree with all you say. They were new people of an acceptable social class.

[Claudia the Night Owl]

Men in uniform are hot.

[MaryAnn]

Cause everyone loves a man in a uniform. :)

[Codee]

I agree with all of you, and I just wanted to add that I think Kitty and Lydia especially liked the attention the officers gave them. Their characters can both be unbearable at times, a fact that surely hadn't escaped the notice of the rest of the town's eligible bachelors, so I think the constantly changing officers gave the two of them more opportunity to flirt and be flirted with.

[☯Emily]

Same reason some women find policemen and firemen attractive. They love the uniform.

[Robyn]

Amy wrote: "Mrs. Bennet had 5 daughters that she had to worry about marrying off before she (and they) became too old. The only way a woman had a secure place in life is through her husband or very rich fathe..."

Exactly!

[Brolie]

I live in a military town and the infatuation with militia is still very present today. Think about that whole army wives show and what not. Women are stupid when it comes to military. Doesn't matter if they beat them or waste all their money gambling (Wickham), or whatever, it gives women this sense of pride and importance. I find it ridiculous personally, and I think Austen did too since she has the most shallow silly characters with their panties in a twist over a group of soldiers. They are in love with the idea of soldiers, not the actual people themselves.

[Kirsteen]

Mrs Bennett loved soldiers for the same reason two of her daughters did for in her youth, they provided distraction, parties, gossip, dance, lots of young men and the feeling of importance, as in any other company the three would have been relatively ignored by suitors. There was no real thought of marrying a soldier, even including Lydia, just the enjoyment of being surrounded by youth in splendid colour.

[Constance]

Officers were young men who were physically fit, which is always a good start. They were then away from the confines of their families, which meant that they only had regard in respect of their behaviour of the other young men around them (no overbearing mothers telling them how to behave, or fathers talking about what is 'right' and 'proper'). They would be looking for entertainment, so would be at most of the balls, parties and other social engagements - always ready to make up the numbers. I would imagine (for all of the reasons above) they were also inclined to flirt with anything in a skirt - helped, of course, by the fact they wouldn't be posted in an area for too long, so they could flirt without being too concerned about the repercussions.

Of course, on the side of the girls, a lot of young women wouldn't realise that the men weren't serious. They would like the attention. Many mothers would keep their daughters in line against the approach of such men, but Mrs Bennett was quickly set up as a silly woman who had married before she'd got over that whole thing and never figured the world out. So, the daughters obsess and the mother tries to relive her youth that she feels 'tricked' out of by marriage. Something that still happens today!

[Navjot]

Emily wrote: "Some women just find men in uniform attractive."



Haha, this is so true in modern times. Deceiving they look, don't they!

[Cynthia]

In that time period, one of the few ways to rise in class or at least to have the opportunity to was to enlist in the Navy. If one's family was on the down slide, it was an easy way to stay in the class you were in with a great opportunity to marry across or up.

[Anna]

Mrs. Bennet and Kitty and Lydia LOVED attention. And they got it from officers. Officers were away from home and looking for companionship. For the girls, the idea that they wouldn't be in town for long made them temporary amusements.

[[deleted user]]

I think they loved Officers because of what they could offer: wealth, marriage and respectability. For the short term, the also gave them the opportunity to flirt, have balls and dinners in the quiet neighbourhood. Lydia usually followed her mother, and Kitty followed Lydia. Therefore, they were all on the one quest to get a husband who could provide them with the future they felt they deserved as a gentleman's daughters.
Also, we can't forget that, as young women, they had very little to do with their time. Spending so much time with Mrs Bennet, having little to employ their time, being kept indoors, Kitty and Lydia were very spirited girls. Marrying into the army would be a very romantically dangerous prospect to them, probably.

[Carolina]

Hadjer wrote: "I think that they love them because they're attractive and not out of their reach ; the girls don't have a so big dowry and officers don't require much. Besides , it's a truth universally acknowled..."

That was quite an explanation! :-)