You only think you know Pride and Prejudice

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Universal truths, however, span such great and unthinkable distances of space and time that they tend to collapse under their own weight. Individuals are buried amongst wreckage, and it is only still considered truth because it takes up so much room there is nothing left. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. . A man may have little choice in the face of such a universe, and may have no choice but to live his life narrowed by such ideas and ideals.

“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?”

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not. Here was, as he expected, the start of another tedious rant from his wife, prying into the affairs of others, to the detriment of his and their sanity.

“But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.” Mr. Bennet made no answer. She needed no encouragement to continue, only the initial seed of gossip planted by Mrs. Long or those like her, which would yield a terrible crop.

“Do not you want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife impatiently.

“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.” This was invitation enough. Mr. Bennet could not live his entire married life in silence, and a the struggle to keep her quite was an exercise in absolute futility.

“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”

“What is his name?”

“Bingley.”

“Is he married or single?” At this point, Mr. Bennet could only hope to get to the point of this inevitable line of thought over as quickly as possible. It would hopefully spare him from most of the salacious details about this Mr. Bingley’s life, imagined by Mrs. Long and further inflated by his own wife.

“Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”

“How so? how can it affect them?” Thankfully, he had led her straight to the heart of the conversation, and straight to her own heart as well. Wealth.

“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”

“Is that his design in settling here?”

“Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But 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. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.” If only Mr. Bennet were so lucky.

“My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be any thing extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.”

“In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.” Flattery, another successful weapon in Mr. Bennet’s arsenal to distract his wife and keep her complaining to a minimum, although he had still not figured out a way to keep her from interfering in their daughters’ lives.

“But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood.”

“It is more than I engage for, I assure you.”

“But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not.”

Mr. Bennet did consider his daughters. In fact, he thought of little else. He wanted them to live their lives and make decisions in the exact opposite of nature of their mother. He sighed and considered how to move the weight of the universe.