P&P Ch. 12-18

1) "'There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it'" (Austen 172).

Elizabeth realized the error of her ways earlier in the reading, but I like this quote to sum everything up. Here she is talking of Wickham and Darcy, and, as she has realized, Darcy has all the goodness and Wickham has the appearance of it. The fact that she is also beating herself up over misjudging the two is making me like elizabeth better, now. We even see that in Chapter 18, Elizabeth even sticks up for Darcy for the first time when speaking to Mr. Wickham. Aside from Jane, this is the first time she's ever defend or even been on Darcy's side. This quote shows a clear explanation of the differences between the two men, directly from Elizabeth's mouth.

2) "'Do not make yourself uneasy, my love. Wherever you and Jane are known, you must be respected and valued...We shall have no peace at Longbourn if Lydia does not go to Brighton....At Brighton she will be of less importance even as a common flirt than she has been here...Let us hope, therefore, that her being there may teach her her own insignificance. At any rate, she cannot grow many degrees worse, without authorizing us to lock her up for the rest of her life'" (177).

Mr. Bennet is definitely one of the reasons this book is so good. I really liked this quote, as it exemplifies Mr. Bennet's serious side. He approaches Elizabeth with one of his numerous joking comments, but then follows right up with a serious input. I liked his reasoning for sending Lydia (whom might I add, is an airhead bimbo, pardon the language) to Brighton. He says it will be a reality check, something three of the five Bennets daughters desperately need. This quote shows that Mr. Bennet is not just the joking member of the family, but that he is smarter than he looks and honestly cares for his girls.