Pride and Prejudice
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Mrs Bennet was a great mum. :p
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Yeah a great mum, not mom though as the novel is English...
I love her! I find her hilarious with her nerves and you know in the 2005 version: "everyone behave naturally!" :D Yeah she's a great schemer! although I don't think she planned Elizabeth's petticoat getting 6 inches of mud on it ;)
Alice wrote: "Yeah a great mum, not mom though as the novel is English..."Good catch! Thanks Alice for the reminder, corrected. :)
Natasha wrote: "I love her! I find her hilarious with her nerves and you know in the 2005 version: "everyone behave naturally!" :D Yeah she's a great schemer! although I don't think she planned Elizabeth's pettico..."I liked her when she said "We are saaaaaved!" when Jane got the invitation from Netherfield. ;)
I have a love/hate relationship with her. I love how devoted she is to her daughters, but her overall silliness and lack of concern for social correctness gets on my nerves at times. Honestly can you say that it was her scheming that brought them together? She didn't care the least bit for Darcy, and was completely unaware of Lizzy's feeling for him once she found out the truth. If anything Lizzy walking to go see Jane showed more of her stubbornness and devotion to her Jane. Why would she willingly let Lizzy be brought in front of Darcy when all that would do is allow them to criticize her and basically the way Mrs. Bennet raised her.
Jane I will give her credit for, but like Lizzy said in the movie, "I don't think you reasonably can take credit for making it rain". Still it was smart for her to be on horseback, in case there was rain. Plus, Jane getting sick while there gave her an excuse to go gaze at a rich man's house when she went to check on her (and what a flashy affair that was why she was there).
no she's not, i wouldn't even have her as a mum
She is an amazing mother. She lives for her children and would do anything to advance them in life which in that day and age is marriage. She would never do any intentional damage against her children but sometimes does not realize that how she acts can hurt them. She is one of the best mother that anyone can have, but perhaps a little silly!
Her care and love for her daughters made her a cute Mother but she is like every real Mom who wants her daughters to get married soon as possible!
Jacqueline wrote: "She has to be the most horrible mother ever. She is so self-centred and has no care for what her daugthers want as long as she gets rid of them. Also, she's always going on about her nerves, and ap..."Yes, that was the silly side of her. :)
She's a ridiculous creature, but you can't deny that A. she is devoted to her children, even if she doesn't understand half of them and B. she is a complete exaggeration of people with such traits.
She is very annoying but I do love that she wants the best for her kids and will do anything to help them achieve happiness and wealth.
Being willing to do "just anything" to advance your kids in life hardly makes one a good mother. After all, the road the hell is paved with good intentions. Desire for the good of another must go hand-in-hand in with prudence and respect for the other. Mrs. Bennet is the antithesis of prudence and the nadir of self-absorption. Furthermore, it is questionable whether Mrs. Bennet cared for her kids in any deep way. She seemed more interested in outdoing Mrs. Lucas. That is why she could go from hating to adoring Mr. Darcy in one afternoon. It wasn't about what she thought was best for Elizabeth, it was about his money.
We gave my mom the nickname Mrs. Bennet, and we didn't mean it as a compliment. I'm probably going to hell.
Sandy wrote: "Natasha wrote: "I love her! I find her hilarious with her nerves and you know in the 2005 version: "everyone behave naturally!" :D Yeah she's a great schemer! although I don't think she planned Eli..."People so often criticise her as being vapid and silly, but what a burden, having to get your 5 daughters married off! From an economic perspective, she had to, there was no way round it. If she and Mr Bennett had died and left the girls to the mercy of Mr Collins, who knows what might have happened??
If she was my Mum, she would really irritate me and I feel for poor Mr Bennet having to have put up with her 'nverves' all those years BUT I can see that she lives for her children and perhaps just wants them to have a happy and wealthy life. I didn't like that she clearly had favourites though, I know most parents do (although wouldn't admit it) but she made it quite clear even after Lydia ran away that she was the favourite.
Mrs Bennett's children were her modern day pension pot. Her only interest in marrying her children off were that they would then provide a home for her once her husband died. Any attention towards her children was for selfish gain apart from Lydia who was more like minded than the rest and provided lively distraction. She did approve of Jane only because of her beauty and thus could feel superior to any other women in the area. I therefor do not conclude Mrs Bennett was a good mum as she could not have cared otherwise about any of her daughters.
Yes the ultimate end to Jane riding the horse was for herself and Bingly to become closer as she recoverd at the house. From a mothering perspective though, it was foolish. At that period of time, Jane may well have died from her fever! How much of a good mother would that have made her then?
She had good intentions, I think, but was so overzealous she was overbearing and came across as unfeeling. She was too desperate and made her daughters look desperate as well. For example, Jane would never have gone on horseback to Mr. Bingley's through the rain of her own volition. That was all Mrs. Bennet. And whenever Mrs. Bennet was upset, she started blaming her daughters and her husband for upsetting her nerves and hiding away in her room and then bothering them from there. If she had been really sick, that would have been fine, but she was trying to make a scene and attract attention to how bad she felt.I don't think a good mother would have put beauty and riches above her daughters' happiness, at least not willingly or happily as she did. She shoved Lizzie into the lion's den (Mr. Collins' proposal), left her there, and shunned her when she survived. Didn't she hate Mr. Collins in the first place? Whatever happened to "don't mention his odious name"? And then always comparing her daughters to each other (Saying how Lizzie would never be as pretty as Jane: there's a self-confidence boost which should attract a husband) and spoiling Lydia by giving her free rein to do whatever she wanted, never realizing the cost.
Overall, she might have had good intentions, but she went about it the wrong way.
Steph wrote: "At that period of time, Jane may well have died from her fever! How much of a good mother would that have made her then? "
Are you serious?
"People do not die of little trifling colds."
We have to remember the times. Like she said in the 2005 movie, the most important concern of every mother who had girls was seeing that her daughter married well. However, we must remember when she thought Mr. Darcy had slighted her daughter, she didn't care how much money he had, she treated him with the disrespect he deserved. No doubt this was the reason Liz and Jane had so much character. I think she was an honorable mother.
She was an alright mother, but generally an annoying figure (* her constant whining and lack of shame did her in for me.)
Sandy wrote: "Steph wrote: "At that period of time, Jane may well have died from her fever! How much of a good mother would that have made her then? "
Are you serious?
"People do not die of little trifling co..."
Lol, yes i know what she said, but in all seriousness they DID die from colds and fevers.
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She was just as silly and witless as her youngest daughter, who couldn't understand why she couldn't have a big wedding at home when she got caught eloping with Wickham, then expected everyone to bow down to her when she visited as a "married woman".I think Mum probably threw herself at soldiers when she was younger also....I wonder what Mr. Bennet ever saw in her to begin with. I think he was secretly a little silly himself, but pretended otherwise.
Josh wrote: "Being willing to do "just anything" to advance your kids in life hardly makes one a good mother. After all, the road the hell is paved with good intentions. Desire for the good of another must go...We gave my mom the nickname Mrs. Bennet, and we didn't mean it as a compliment. I'm probably going to hell. "Hahaha!
She (Mrs. Bennet) drives me crazy. She also resembles her younger daughters, Lidia and Kitty in character, she has no control, and is always complaining about "her poor nerves!" Nope. Not a good mum.
I feel both affection and a shuddering revulsion in considering Mrs. Bennett. There is something so marvelously transparent, so exaggerated, and so predictably omnipresent concerning her personal flaws, that as a reader I have to chuckle along with Jane Austen whenever she steps into the spotlight. On the other hand, I would not want to have been a daughter of hers or even, probably, too near a neighbor. She seems to have a generally good heart burdened by a small mind and very narrow outlook: she lives within the basics of ego; and her personality cannot help reflecting it.All three of my dogs possess a quixotic array of quirks which, however pointless and even silly they may seem from my POV, are engaged by them with of course dogged determination. Which charm and delight me to no end. And I have a little something of that with Mrs. Bennett also: her very ridiculousness, so habitual and without prospect of ending, has a certain beauty to it (for me). But preferably at a distance in her case ....
Mrs. Bennet may be considered a good mother as long as we regard her strong interest in finding good matches for her daughters - because that is the same as assuring her children would be well fed and kept. On the other hand, she is clearly partial when it comes to Lydia, as the youngest is the one who ressembles her more.
I laughed whenver she appeared on the book. She was so exagerated, so unpolished (even though she thought that she was as polite as can be), and oh so embarrasing for her family; she didn´t knew what countenance was, what proper behaviour was, but she cared about her daughters, alright! When Darcy slighted Lizzie, she despised him, not matter how much money he had, so i have to give that to her.She is a bit whiny, but that was her way of getting some attention around the house, since Mr Bennett chose to stay in the study as long as he could, while around the house.
Maria wrote: "I laughed whenver she appeared on the book. She was so exagerated, so unpolished (even though she thought that she was as polite as can be), and oh so embarrasing for her family; she didn´t knew wh..."I don`t think that Mrs Bennet in affection, was being kind to Elizabeth after she heard Mr Darcy had slighted her but rather that she thought not one of her girls had the slightest chance of gaining him through marriage that all hope was lost and she could be as rude about him at every opportunity. Therefor she sided with Elizabeth without much thought of love for her daughter.
Kirsteen wrote: "I don`t think that Mrs Bennet in affection, was being kind to Elizabeth after she heard Mr Darcy had slighted her but rather that she thought not one of her girls had the slightest chance of gaining him through marriage that all hope was lost and she could be as rude about him at every opportunity. Therefor she sided with Elizabeth without much thought of love for her daughter. Yep, that could be it, too. If she thought that all hope for him was lost, she might have though "what the heck?" and sided with Lizzie on that.
Well, at least she tried to do what she thought was right- even if sometimes she was a bit interfering.
Completely agree. She was doing everything she could to see that her daughters made fortuitous and advantageous marriages. Okay, so she was slightly misguided in her approach at times, but she meant well.Mr. Bennett on the other hand...
You may think that from a distance, but then YOU try having her as a mother!
I think she was as good a mother as a silly, unintelligent woman could be. If her daughters did not marry someone -- anyone -- they would end up homeless. She was being practical when she hoped that Lizzie would marry Mr. Collins, as insufferable as he was. Mr. Bennet, as much as I like him and his wit, was very negligent toward his daughters' future. It is funny but a good friend of mine had parents exactly like them.
Wouldn't it be so interesting to view Pride and Prejudice from her point of view? How she really felt about Elizabeth turning down Collins or her young daughter running off? As much as she seemed to be only silly, I believe there was a deeper person inside with doubts, feelings of loneliness, etc. Maybe she was fueled by not having a son into over emphasizing her daughters. Maybe that was her defense, always being on offense so that no one would pity the Bennet family for having only girls. Emphasizing their good points (like putting down Charlotte) was maybe her way of saying that her daughters would make good marriages without a son from her. Because if she did have a son, nobody would have had to marry Collins, and I highly doubt she would worry so much about having her daughters married (brothers bring friends) So maybe taking it out on Lizzie was her way of showing frustration (although wrongly). I can imagine her frustration with her marriage because honestly, who would want to be married to Mr. Bennet if he ignored you all the time, thought you were silly (even if you were), and spent a lot if not all of his free time basically hiding from you?
Mrs. B was indeed silly, she showed favoritism and acted horrifically about Lydia, and I in no way condone a lot of her actions, but I think we more or less viewed her only from Elizabeth's outlook.
Just my thoughts:)
Monique wrote: "Wouldn't it be so interesting to view Pride and Prejudice from her point of view? How she really felt about Elizabeth turning down Collins or her young daughter running off? As much as she seemed t..."So basically, what you are saying is that beneath that aparent shallow behaviour, she was only seeking out to make her girls shine? That could be so, indeed. By not having a son, she had to be their PR.
Interesting take.
In the times that the novel was set, there was no alternative for an upperclass woman but to marry, become a nun (not for everyone), or become a governess. Since there were no brothers, they could not have lived with their brother as the maiden aunt. Therefore, Mrs. Bennett had little alternative but to actively plot an excellent marriage for at least one of the girls. The she does so so maniacally adds to the humor. I once heard that all of Austen is about real estate. I can agree based on Mrs. Bennett.
I am not sure most men would enjoy the book as it is written from a young womans perspective and quite insulting and assuming that most "men are in want of a wife." There is little love/romance in the book but despite that both Jane and Elizabeth find it. Mrs Bennet is quite mercanary about marrying her daughters and is more of a hinderance than a help but I must admit I find her amusing although I would have hated her for a relative. She is quite desperate to secure a home for herself if her husband should die and that is why I think she quite happily throws Lizzie at Mr Colins as, previously, she quite detests the man and is no fan of her second eldest daughter as she is a favourite of her husbands.
I don't think Mrs Bennet was a good mother.She had good intentions, but her actions harmed her children. Jane and Bingley's relationship almost falling out was partly her fault, as her gold digging behaviour would drive most men away, even without any encouragement from their family and friends.
She never stopped to listen to what her children really needed or wanted, she just pressured them for what she thought was best for them.
The worst thing she did is the way she raised Lydia and Kitty. Her encouragement to their reckless behaviour lead to Lydia's eloping with Wickham. Mrs Bennet never taught her daughters to beware of such men and on top of that, even after what Lydia had done, she never realized her mistakes as a mother.
However, in her defense, I think of Mr Bennet as a worse parent than his wife. Even though Mrs Bennet was disastrous, she had her daughters' best interests at heart and honestly, she didn't know any better.
Mr Bennet, though, was a sensible man, who understood fully the way his younger daughters behaved, yet he wouldn't be bothered to spend even little of his time to improve his own children's character. On top of that he took pleasure in ridiculing them.
Mrs Bennet might have wanted the best for her daughters, but she didn't do her best for them. She wanted her daughters to make good marriages, but she didn't ensure that they had the proper upbringing and education to achieve that. Mary had no conversation, and Kitty and Lydia had no self-discipline, no accomplishments or intellectual interests and very likely no housekeeping skills, given how Mrs Bennet reacted to Mr Collins asking which of the girls had cooked the dinner. They didn't have much to recommend them except youth and good looks. We're told that's what initially attracted Mr Bennet to the young Miss Gardiner, but his infatuation didn't last, and we're told it didn't last with Lydia and Wickham either.
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I know most of you don't like her but, her design of Jane's going to Netherfield on horseback pushed Jane further to Mr. Bingley, meanwhile, Elizabeth's dirty petticoat caught the eyes of Mr. Darcy.
Both Jane and Elizabeth's happy marriages were Mrs Bennet's masterpieces. :p