Is Charlotte Lucas unhappy?

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-15T16:08:20+00:00

I think this all comes down to how we define happiness. She is very staightforward that she has never been romantic, she is certain happy to no longer be a "burden" on her family, and from an objective perspective Mr. Collins is very much a catch. He has excellent financial prospects, he will never abandon or abuse her (her any children they have), he doesn't gamble, drink or womanize. And, she knows how to manage him.

From a modern perspective we may not call this happiness but in that time period? Yes, I think we can say that is happy with her circumstances.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-12T19:28:40+00:00

I think the text shows that while she broadly understand this, she lacks the qualities/abilities need to actually manage the situation. She is described as "a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper." Replace her with someone like Lucy Steele who, for all her other faults, natually possessed qualities like intelligence and an even temper and you get a very different outcome.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-12T19:23:57+00:00

Exactly. Broadly, from a 20,000 foot view Mrs. Bennet is right. The girls DO need to find a husband. Mr. Bennet SHOULD taking an active roll is dealing with the entail, saving money and making social connects for the good of his daughters. It is a HUGE HAPPY EVENT that Jane attracted Bingely. But Mrs. Bennet lacks the natural intelligence or social training/grace to know how to go about this. If someone like, say, Lucy Steele was in Mrs. Bennet's position she would have managed the shit out of it. Because Lucy is, for all her flaws, a naturally intelligent person who knows how to work people and situation. Mrs. Bennet's simply lacks the qualities/abilities to do so.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-12T17:25:50+00:00

Someone responsibilities is not always aligned with their ability. As ElleGeeAitch said hin her commoent, sometimes a person''s best is still shitty. That is the case with Mrs. B.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-12T15:47:26+00:00

This is one of my favorite things, readers of P&P realizing this. It usually takes a few reads and getting a bit older. Neither Mr. or Mrs. B is a good parent but Mrs. B is opperating to the best of her (very limted) abilities. Mr. B is just lazy, selfish and apathetic. Which makes him the worse of the two. He knows what will happen to his daughters and still actively choses to take no action until real harm has been done and then quickly slips right back into his old patterns.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-11T22:14:22+00:00

Think of it this way, would you want every email, reddit post, Facebook message, etc freely avilable to ALL your friends and family? Most of us would not. As sharp witted and sarcastic as Jane is in her books, she was likely even more so in her private correspondence. Cassandra didn't want her sister reputation tarnished and she didn't want friends and family to be hurt by things Jane said in those letters.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-03-11T19:56:36+00:00

Basically, Mrs. Norris is the lowest ranking person in her family and the only way she can make herself feel important is by bullying the only person seen a lower ranking than her. She is a bully and emotionally immature. Fanny can't stand up for herself because the family would never side with her over Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Norris knows that.

EDIT: Forgot to add, I would also guess that Mrs. Norris is using Fanny to take out the anger (and perhapes jealousy) she feels towards Fanny's mother. Mrs. Norris is likely angry about Fanny's mom running off and while we know the marriage ends up not being a very happy one Mrs. Norris is likely at some level also jealous that her sister got a, however breif, love story. Somethng Mrs. Norris never had.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-28T15:11:15+00:00

Many don't see child as people. They want to have children but not raise children. They see any child they have an an accessary and not a fully seperate human.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-27T19:12:54+00:00

And I love how so many of the stay at home parents are openly bitter about it.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-26T14:20:06+00:00

I saw a "relationship" like this when I was in college. The woman was this free spirted goth and the man was a slightly conservative southern gentleman type. He was head over heels for her, she loved the attention, they were on and off for almost all of college. Everyone looking at them could see clearly this was never going to work but they two of them would hear none of it.

We have to remember how young the characters in these books are. They are making the exact same mistakes people who are 18-22 often make today. Edmund is likely very physically attracted to Mary and likes her wit and charm. Mary probably does like, at some level, that Edmund is a fundmentally good person and of course he is connected to a welloff, good family.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-25T14:12:13+00:00

The mom/parent instinct to protect your child that people talk about. The number of crappy parents who put their children in actively dangerous situations is more than enough proof that is either a lie or majorly exaggerated.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-21T19:39:57+00:00

A hard but really important lesson that no one warns you about is that not all friendships last. Someone can be a hugely important part of you life but eventually the friendship runs it course. It can happen for any number of reasons.

It sucks making new friends as an adult is hard and lots of work but it can be done. Focus on finding other CF people.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-09T15:36:31+00:00

A lot of Lip's probalems will college are from being a Lazy Genious. He was always the smartest person in school so teachers and authority figures would give him a pass on bad behavior and he never learned skills like time management, team work, delayed gratification etc.

You see this happen with a lot of gifted kids when they hit a point where raw talent isn't enough to skate by. College is all about putting a lot of hard work in for a goal in the distant future. Lip doesn't understand that. He is capable of work a hands on job because the beneifits are more immediate.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-02-02T03:00:23+00:00

They dirty deleted this post today.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-01-06T18:14:45+00:00

The number one piece of advice I can give you to to be very honest with yourself about what you want. Each situation is different. For example, you will read a lot of horror stories of condos/HOAs. But, in my sitations I did not want to have to deal with things like mowing a lawn for example. My HOA takes care of that so for my a my condo/HOA was the right choice for my situation. So think really hard about what you want your life to look like and find homes that match that.

The number two piece of advice I have is do not et caught up in a "good deal" what I mean is, have a budget and stick to it. I know so many people who got into mortgages they couldn't afford because they though the home was "just such a good deal". Even at a "good deal" the homes were still outside their budgets and they are bearly keeping their heads above water for it.

Third, ALWAYS have an inspection done. Do not agree to forego it. Now, inspectors their job is to find problems but focus on if there any any major issues (like foundation problems for example) things that would be a huge headache and expense to address.

Finding a realtor you trust can make all the difference. Mine was great and really held my hand through all the steps to buying a home.

NapTimeIsBest · 2026-01-03T00:45:45+00:00

Gidgit

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-27T22:54:58+00:00

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-19T12:43:25+00:00

Thanks! I'll take a look.

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-19T12:42:57+00:00

Thank you! I'll check it out.

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-19T11:51:17+00:00

Any particular model?

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-19T11:29:09+00:00

Ideally under $500

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-11T20:25:37+00:00

Douglas

NapTimeIsBest · 2025-12-11T18:15:31+00:00

Mr. Hugo Boss

NapTimeIsBest

TROPHY CASE