Caroline Bingley never won Mr. Darcy’s heart—but she certainly earned her place in Jane Austen’s beloved classic Pride and Prejudice. Quick to speak and eager to impress, Caroline delivers some of the most revealing (and entertaining) lines in the novel. Here are a few of my favorites.
“How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
My take: Caroline Bingley’s performance of dignified refinement—pretending to read, praising reading, and declaring her need for a library—is laid bare by her obvious disinterest in the book and her focus on Mr. Darcy. Her words sound cultured, but the narration reveals them as shallow, exposing a woman desperate to impress, yet utterly unaware of how little she is impressing anyone. Is there any wonder some readers do a double take when coming across this iconic quote?
“Oh! certainly, … one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved.”
Here: Caroline Bingley sets a standard so high and specific, it no doubt flatters her by implication—or at least reflects how she wishes to be seen.
“I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you. I mend pens remarkably well.”
Is it just me: I find this line hilarious. Hmm… I wonder why?
“Oh! shocking!” cried Miss Bingley. “I never heard anything so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?”
My stance: Caroline’s feigned shock is little more than her attempt to further engage Mr. Darcy in the conversation—a recurring scheme of hers. No one ever described her as being inconstant.
“So, Miss Eliza, I hear you are quite delighted with George Wickham! Your sister has been talking to me about him, and asking me a thousand questions; and I find that the young man quite forgot to tell you, among his other communication, that he was the son of old Wickham, the late Mr. Darcy’s steward. Let me recommend you, however, as a friend, not to give implicit confidence to all his assertions; for as to Mr. Darcy’s using him ill, it is perfectly false; for, on the contrary, he has always been remarkably kind to him, though George Wickham has treated Mr. Darcy in a most infamous manner. I do not know the particulars, but I know very well that Mr. Darcy is not in the least to blame, that he cannot bear to hear George Wickham mentioned, and that though my brother thought that he could not well avoid including him in his invitation to the officers, he was excessively glad to find that he had taken himself out of the way. His coming into the country at all is a most insolent thing, indeed, and I wonder how he could presume to do it. I pity you, Miss Eliza, for this discovery of your favorite’s guilt; but really, considering his descent, one could not expect much better.”
As I see it: This quote earns its place among my favorites for a good reason. It’s not as though Caroline did not try to warn Elizabeth…
“Mr. Darcy is impatient to see his sister; and, to confess the truth, we are scarcely less eager to meet her again. I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments; and the affection she inspires in Louisa and myself is heightened into something still more interesting, from the hope we dare entertain of her being hereafter our sister. I do not know whether I ever before mentioned to you my feelings on this subject; but I will not leave the country without confiding them, and I trust you will not esteem them unreasonable. My brother admires her greatly already; he will have frequent opportunity now of seeing her on the most intimate footing; her relations all wish the connection as much as his own; and a sister’s partiality is not misleading me, I think, when I call Charles most capable of engaging any woman’s heart. With all these circumstances to favor an attachment, and nothing to prevent it, am I wrong, my dearest Jane, in indulging the hope of an event which will secure the happiness of so many?”
My thoughts: Where Caroline’s ills are concerned, I feel this is one of her most egregious offenses. In trying to persuade Jane Bennet of Charles Bingley’s preference for Miss Darcy, one might say however that she was merely behaving in service to her brother—not that it is a sufficient excuse. I’m just saying…
In closing, while the young lady failed in her eager attempts to garner affection and admiration, she surely commanded attention.
What say you? Is there a Caroline Bingley quote that you love or love to hate? Have your share in the conversation!
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