One of Shakespeare’s characters said (in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) that “love and reason keep little company nowadays.” What is your opinion? How do reason and love coexist in Pride and Prejudice? Which characters err on the side of love, which on the side of reason? Elizabeth Bennet is a character who values reason to the utmost. In what way does that make her an atypical romantic heroine? Even though she is very hard on Charlotte for marrying Mr. Collins, she is remarkably forgiving of Wickham for his engagement to Mary King. In chapter 3 (page 134), the omniscient narrator tells us that Elizabeth is “less clear-sighted in his case than in Charlotte’s.” Has reason failed her in this situation? If so, what accounts for this? Consider the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as a possible clue to Elizabeth’s feelings and thoughts on the subject. Also, in chapter 3, Elizabeth tells Mrs. Gardner that she must not have been in love with Wickham because she wishes him well and doesn’t hate his new fiancé. How do you feel about this statement as a measure of love?

Respond to whatever part or parts of the above stimulate your thinking.

I think Elizabeth Bennett is the ideal romantic heroine. She does value reason in the sense that she will only marry for the most important reason to marry, which is love. She is all about love, as she refuses Mr. Collins proposal and cuts off Mr. Wickham; she knows she loves neither of the two and never could. She finds Mr. Collins “obtuse” and ridiculous, and admits that they could not make eachother happy. She’s beginning to realize that Mr. Wickham might not be the man he claims to be.

I think she was hard on Charlotte for marrying Mr. Collins because they were such close friends; she wants Charlotte to have real love and not settle. She could tell Charlotte more openly how she felt about the situation. As for Mr. Wickham, she was a little more forgiving because they weren’t in as close of a friendship as her and Charlotte. Elizabeth was not at all in love with Mr. Wickham. She found him engaging and interesting, but this isn’t enough for love. Elizabeth’s level headedness would not allow her to become giddy and head over heals for just anyone, like her younger sisters Lydia and Kitty. Elizabeth is a deep dynamic character. She knows what she likes, what she believes; she knows her opinion about issues. She knows she will not settle and give her heart away to anyway. But as soon as the right man comes along, I’m sure she will go head over heals for that one man. She is an example of both reason and love.