Pride&Prejudice Ch. 7-10

Quote 1:
Miss Bingley:'I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish she were well settled. But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it'(Austen 26).

I chose this quote because I feel it demonstrated an important point, and that is "reputation means everything". Here Miss Bingley speaks to Mr. Darcy about the Bennets and how bourgeoisie they are to by proxy slander Jane. Her goal her is to snuff any flame for any of the Bennet ladies that may be growing in the heart of Mr. Darcy (which it is, for Lizzy).

Quote 2:
'Oh! certainly,' cried his faithful assistant, 'no 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'(29).

I chose this quote because I felt it represented a theme that might become more prevalent as the novel goes on; this is the idea of an accomplished women. In this quote, we see an idealistic and perhaps far-fetched example of what an 'accomplished' woman would be capable of. To me, all of these things seem rather pedantic, like what a mother would tell her daughter to try and grow up to be. This prejudice (REFERENCES) could be important later on.