Women of this time were noticed for being more reserved.
What's that got to do with the character as written? She is “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper”.
Then, look at her behaviour. She tries to force her daughters into marriage with... well, anything in trousers, really. Mr Collins is an idiot, but she tries to strongarm Elizabeth into marrying him. Her morals are so dodgy that she cares more about Lydia's wedding clothes than the fact that she was effectively Wickham's whore.
She is an appalling character. Lots of fun, of course. Steadman is over the top, but I'm baffled as to how any actress could play Mrs Bennet as a "reserved" or "respectable" lady. Not if staying true to the character, anyway.
The contempt of Bingley's sisters and Mr Darcy is understandable, at the least. Elizabeth acknowledges this after reading Darcy's letter.
Forget it Jake. It's Chinatown.
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Julie-30
8 years ago
But none of this means she has to be a shrieking fishwife. I had read the book multiple times when I first saw this adaptation, and I was shocked by this portrayal of Mrs. Bennet. The character is certainly vulgar and lacking in propriety, but it never dawned on me that Steadman's character was the same as the one I'd read in the book.
No one is saying that Blethyn or Morgan are "reserved." But they don't need to shriek or be quite so over the top to get the point across that they are playing a woman who is lacking in propriety.
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tally1-934-484232
8 years ago
Truth be told, we do not know how Mrs. Bennet sounded in Austen's mind. I can buy the idea that the woman would have had a more shrill, high pitched, silly voice. We know she's a silly woman. We know she's prone to emotions based on the dialogue alone. We know she gets upset and excitable quickly simply from the dialogue. I have met women like that in real life. It doesn't mean it's the correct interpretation (no one will ever know) but it's something I can tolerate and accept. Was Alison Steadman perhaps a bit over the top? Perhaps, but she drove home the point clearly. Much better than Mrs. B of 2005.
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supergran
8 years ago
but she drove home the point clearly
A bit like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.
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Otter (24464)
7 years ago
When I read the book I don't see someone that loud and vulgar, more twittering and airheaded and thinking she's still adorable enough to be forgiven for acting like a dip.
Here's my theory: Mr. Bennett treats Mrs. Bennett like an idiot, yet he is supposed to be the more likeable of the two parents. In order to get the audience to feel about the two characters the writers intend, they had to step up Mrs. Bennett's vulgarity and ability to irritate. After all, what Jane Austen considered hopelessly vulgar is what we today consider to be stiflingly well-mannered.
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Furienna (3322)
3 years ago
Lizzie who is the protagonist is her father's favorite daughter and a Daddy's girl.
So yes, it is not so strange that Mr Bennet comes across as the more likable parent.
We have to remember though that Lydia was the mother's favorite daughter.
So to Lydia and probably to Kitty as well, Mrs Bennet was the more likable parent.
Thus a novel from their point of view would have given us a different perspective.
And even in this story as it is written, it is made clear that Mr Bennet has his flaws too.
Like he didn't care one bit about his two youngest daughters and mostly ignored Mary as well.
That is why Lydia thought that eloping was a good idea and why Mary became so bitter.
And the fact that he didn't save more money for his daughters was incredibly stupid.
But he didn't understand this before it was too late for him to fix it.
Mrs Bennet was of course silly and obnoxious and embaressing and annoying.
But she could at least remember that marrying the daughters off soon was really necessary.
Then again, Lizzie was lucky to have her father on her side about refusing Mr Collins.
Likewise, Lydia was lucky to have her mother on her side about marrying Mr Wickham.
Jane was probably the only daughter, who had no issues with either parent.
Mary and Kitty though pretty much had to survive being neglected by both parents.
But I want to think that things changed after the three other sisters got married.
Mr Bennet was now able to care more about Mary.
And conversely, Mrs Bennet was now able to care more about Kitty.
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Otter (24464)
3 years ago
Yeah, if Lydia or Kitty had written a book, Mrs.Bennett would come across as likable, and Mr. Bennett would come across as cruel and negligent.
One of the things I like about the book is that although we start out seeing Mr. Bennett as likable, because he's witty and has a low bullshit tolerance, Lizzie's POV gradually clues us into his flaws. He snarks at his friends behind their back and treats his wife with contempt, he neglects his younger daughters and has ignored their need for dowries from the get-go, etc. Lizzie and Jane are okay with that because things worked out well for them in the end and Lizzie sees a sign of reform in the last chapters, as he stops snarking and works on building good relationships with his sons-in-law.
Of course if Mary had stopped making extracts and actually written a book, it'd be a tragedy rather than a romance, about the awful effects of parental favoritism.
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