"What say you, Mary? for you are a young lady of deep reflection I know, and read great books, and make extracts." -Mr. Bennet, Chapter 2, pg. 9 (Penguin edition)
"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonimously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinions of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." -Mary, Chapter 5, pg. 21
"... but every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason; and, in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to what is required." -Mary, Chapter 7, pg. 33
I was particularly interested in the characterization of the members of the Bennet family. Very little attention is given to the middle daughter, Mary, but I think that she has some of the most insightful comments. Her father refers to her as a reader of great books, and it is obvious that she draws much of her insight from her readings. It is rather telling that the middle quotation, one of the most well-known of the book, is said by Mary. She seems to have a more complete, philosophical understanding of human nature than the rest of her family. I found myself wondering what it would be like to be Mary, the sole PLS student of the Bennet family. I think that she would be frustrated with her situation, but have pride in the fact that she actively pursues a love of wisdom rather than a husband. Pride, according to Mary, relates to an opinion of oneself but is a failing. Is Mary guilty of being prideful? What do you think it would be like to be Mary?
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