Their Tempers

 

The nature and love story of Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley is charming, sweet, and very plausible for the Regency period. While indeed they charming and sweet, they are nontheless “vague characters, sketched by Austen rather than carefully drawn. Indeed, they are so similar in nature and behavior that they can be described together: both are cheerful, friendly, and good-natured, always ready to think the best of others" (Yu 680). Neither character is particularly dynamic, they are a mere reflection of the perfect lady and gentlemen of Austen’s society. Their main function in the novel is to serve as contrast to other characters. They share various common traits, as Yu suggests, which is the main reason why I decided to group them  together in one page.

Darcy graciously excuses Bingley’s sudden rejection of Jane to be his own fault, suggesting Bingley “had before believed her to return his affection with sincere, if not with equal regard” (Austen 134). This suggests a weakness in Bingley’s character, however, and firmly establishes Bingley as a shadow to his friend. Darcy also mentions “Bingley has great natural modesty, with a stronger dependence on [his] judgment than on his own” (134), which deprives the character from any sense of independence or leadership. Essentially, this depicts Bingley as a follower, not a leader. Darcy continuously excuses and protects Bingley in an admirable, yet childlike matter. In regards to Jane's visit to London, he protects Bingleys charm and sincerity by admiting he “condescended to adopt the measures of art so far as to conceal from him [Jane}'s being in town…it was known to Miss Bingley; but her brother is even yet ignorant of it” (134). While Darcy acknowledges his ill service in this matter, he does not want Elizabeth to think less of Bingley for it. Does this, however, make the reader think more highly or less so of Bingley? Even in love matters, as Darcy excuses to Elizabeth, “Bingley surrenders Jane because he depends on Darcy’s opinion more strongly than his own” (Clark 128). Regardless, Bingley has a good nature, and serves as a good foil for Darcy due to his follower qualities. This suits Jane very well; she is not a leader herself either.

 

It is agreeable that “Bingley is a gentlemen if judged by his behavior, habits, and possessions- as the people of Meryton do judge him- but is he, strictly speaking, a gentleman’s son, the equal by birth of Jane Bennet” (Clark 128)?

Jane Bennet's family possesses land, and thus her father is considered of the gentry class; she is a gentleman’s daughter. Similarly to Darcy, Bingley is not a Lord or a Sir. Differently than Darcy, and this is rather important, he does not own land yet either. He comes to Netherfield in search of land to purchase, so he could join Darcy’s gentry class. He is wealthy enough, but does not possess the title or land to truly belong to Darcy’s class. Assumingly, “the Bingleys’ wealth is new money” (Slothouber 51). This could be made evident through the fact that “Bingley has been around long enough for Darcy to have seen him in love several times, but the people who associated with Darcy in his younger days, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Wickham, know Bingley slightly or not at all” (Slothouber 51). Austen is trying to create a timeline here, in which the reader can presume Bingley’s wealth is recent, and consequently, he has not always been a member of Darcy’s social circle. It is presumable that Bingley’s father made the family wealth through some trade. By mentioning that the Bingleys are “from the north of England” (Austen 3),  the author “gives readers a clue to how the Bingleys grew so rich so quickly…the North was associated with mining, shipbuilding, shipping” (Slothouber 51). This change in one’s status and circumstances was made recently possible in the Regency. At last, money could buy one a place in society. Before the Regency one had to have been born into it. Unlike his sisters however, Bingley is a natural gentlemen, and does not seem out of place next to Darcy. He may not be every woman’s dream, he “is not sexy, he does not sweep any female reader off her feet, but he is an awfully nice fellow, and admirably fills his ‘guy next door’ role” (Fullerton 119), which suits Jane Bennet superbly.

Jane is equal to her husband in class and gentlewoman behavior. She is “sweet, kind, modest, pliant…but Jane has no depth”, which ironically would make her “an entirely appropriate heroine for an Eighteenth Century novel” (Fullerton 59). Jane would serve as a better archetype of a Nineteenth Century heroine than her sister, Elizabeth. Austen of course does not particularly care for these archetypes in Pride and Prejudice, and similarly to Charlotte Lucas, they hardly receive a significant role. Jane disappears in the background of her sister, the novel’s true heroine. Elizabeth defines her sister as "too good” and her “sweetness and disinterestedness are really angelic” (Austen 92).

 

Aside from being placed next to Elizabeth repeatedly, Jane is also contrasted to Lydia “in courtship one sister displays too much passion and the other too little” (Fullerton 87). Jane is shy, and resembles the perfect lady of the era. This just about sums Jane up in a sentence; she is too kind and somewhat naïve. Jane almost “loses Bingley because she is too composed, too generally smiling to all and sundry” (Fullerton 87). Unfortunately, “it is Jane’s very virtues that cause her problems. Always wanting to believe other charming” (Fullerton 86). Naturally, however, some characters are not charming, and Jane seems hardly capable of accepting that. She is inable to accept the true detestablitiy of her new sisters-in-law, and though eventually she becomes aware of it, she is incapable of being unkind to them as they deserve (Austen 258). After Lydia’s elopement with Wickham, Jane notes to Elizabeth “her father and mother believe the worst, but I cannot think so ill of him” (183). This revelation serves as such a shock for her, “who would willingly have gone through the world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole race of mankind, as was here collected in one individual” (Austen 153). She is thus portrayed to be too innocent, too good. This kind temperament is shared by Bingley, who also does not appear to say a single bad thing about anyone in the novel (mind you, however, Bingley hardly ever says anything at all).

    Both characters are undeniably shy. In his first attempt to propose to Jane, “Bingley looked a little silly at this reflection, and said something of his concern at having been prevented by business”, excuses himself, and leaves (Austen 226). He is too shy to propose. Similarly, Jane is too shy to reflect on the depth of her admiration of him, which as noted, almost causes the end of their relationship. Elizabeth comment that Jane struggles to share her true feelings even with her. If this is not enough to merit both characters as saints, Austen also ensures to make them respectful of others, and undeniably modest. Jane is allegedly the most beautiful of the Bennet sisters, and yet she does not in any way boast of it. She is sweet, and feels undeserving of Bingley’s love. Despite his wealth however, Bingley “is comfortable living like (and among) long-established gentry, but he does not overvalue signifiers of rank and privilege” (Slothouber 61). He is not superior to Jane, nor does he ever indicates to believe so. Before proposing to Jane “bore with the ill-judged officiousness of the mother, and heard all her silly remarks with a forbearance and command of countenance particularly grateful to the daughter” (232). He is too respectful and kind to even treat her humiliating attitude badly. If anything should vouch for their kindness, it should be that aside from Lydia (for obvious reasons), Jane and Bingley appear to be the only ones who do not judge Mrs. Bennet. If anything, “Bingley is most unaffectedly modest” (248), and so “he and Jane are well suited” (Fullerton 119). Both will have an income that will exceed most of the general public, and both will likely (as Mr. Bennet jokes) will spend more than their earning due to their kindness and generousity. Both are somewhat naïve and dependent on others, but there is a charm and a spark to their relationship. This might just be as close to a fairy-tale Snow White plotline in Pride and Prejudice.

 

 

 

 

Why is their love story background to Elizabeth and Darcy?

So yes, while I do believe Jane and Bingley resemble a more typical fairytale than Darcy and Elizabeth, their love story does not merit more attention than Austen gives it. Austen deliberately puts both characters as background to the more important love story of Darcy and Elizabeth. Jane and Bingley simple lack certain characteristics to be the ultimate love story in the novel. Without a doubt “a true hero needs resolve and determination, and these are qualities Bingley [and Jane] lack” (Fullerton 118). They are saint-like, but of lack of a better word, they are too boring to be our hero and heroine. Nothing particularly exciting happens in their story, and the only conflict they experience is caused by our hero. Bingley is a shadow to Darcy, and “Jane has no sense of humour” (Fullerton 87). It seems the couple “lack entirely the prickly egotism of Elizabeth and Darcy. Jane’s gentle spirit serves as a foil for her sister’s fiery, contentious nature, while Bingley’s eager friendliness contrasts with Darcy’s stiff pride” (Yu 680). Thus, if anything, the simplicity and sainthood of their characters only serves as foils for the more important hero and heroine. This does make Jane and Bingley important to the story, but it also distances them from being the hero and heroine themselves.