Winterfell

—President John F. Kennedy

Remarks at Amherst College, Amherst, MA

Then there are Mr. and Mrs. Bennet who—far from being detached, uncaring, demanding—are in their own way loving towards one another and to their daughters.

Take for example the scene where Mary is crying because she had practiced her piano piece all week only to be ridiculed by a few vapid girls at the ball. It's Mr. Bennet holding and comforting the crying Mary as any loving father would. Another scene that comes to mind is the one where Lizzie tells her father she wants to marry Mr. Darcy and he gets all emotional and says “I could not have parted with you, my Lizzie, to anyone less worthy.” There's also that scene where he tells Kitty that it's out of the question when she asks if she could visit and stay with Lydia and Wickham.

Mrs. Bennet, too, shows motherly affection for her daughters and seems to have a loving relationship with them. The one scene that encapsulates that is the one where a married Lydia is seen getting into the carriage to drive off with Wickham as Mrs. Bennet watches from the window. Although she is glad Lydia is at least married, she says, "There's nothing so bad as parting with one's children. One seems so forlorn without them." The scene is made all the more tender when Lizzie hugs her mother to comfort her.

This version of P&P feels more complete to me simply because it's not just focused on Lizzie and Darcy, Jane and Bingham, or even Lydia and Wickham. It fleshes out the other characters and they interact in a way that is familiar and relatable. Even clueless Mr. Collins or the imperious Lady Catherine aren't so bad.