How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Bingley. A single man of four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? Can he train them in the ways of swordsmanship and musketry?"
"How can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."
"Marriage? In times such as these? Surely this Bingley has no such designs."
"Designs! Nonsense, how can you talk so! It is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."
"I see no occasion for that. And besides, we mustn't busy the roads more than is absolutely necessary, lest we lose more horses and carriages to the unfortunate scourge that has so troubled our beloved Hertfordshire of late."
"But consider your daughters!"
"I am considering them, silly woman! I would much prefer their minds be engaged in the deadly arts than clouded with dreams of marriage and fortune, as your own so clearly is!" (1.11-18)
Right away, we cut to the meat of the story. Mrs. Bennet wants her daughters to get married, while Mr. Bennet wants them to be protected against the undead menace that walks the earth. Is it just us, or does one of those sound a little more important? But that's kind of the joke: for young ladies in 19th-century England, getting married is of life-or-death importance. It's even more important than zombies.
Quote #2
"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance, and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life."
"You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself."
"Remember, Elizabeth—I am not a warrior as you are. I am merely a silly girl of seven-and-twenty years, and that without a husband." (6.4-6)
Charlotte might not be a warrior or have a husband, but she's pretty wise. When you get married, you're taking a leap of faith and guessing that you'll still like that person fifty years from now. High modern divorce rates might be one indication that Charlotte is right.
Quote #3
"Miss Elizabeth Bennet!" repeated Miss Bingley. "Defender of Longbourn? Heroine of Hertfordshire? I am all astonishment. You will be having a charming mother-in-law, indeed; and, of course, the two of you would fell many an unmentionable with your combined proficiencies in the deadly arts." (6.30)
When Caroline Bingley hears that Mr. Darcy thinks Elizabeth is cute, she immediately jumps to making fun of a potential Bennet-Darcy wedding. This is super catty, but it's pretty smart. Mr. Darcy has to cringe a little at the thought of having Mrs. Bennet as a mother-in-law. The woman is a lot to take.