Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

her husband's considerable intelligence and common sense
are missing from her make-up. Mrs. Bennet's lack of
economy was not a problem at first, for Mr. Bennet was
sure of having a son. Mrs. Bennet gave him no boys. As
the years slipped past, Mr. Bennet's good humor and
optimism waned, slowly replaced by a sardonic, fatalistic
attitude.
Strict settlement got the better of him, and its
power to silence and disrupt communication overtook him.
Mr. Bennet no longer engaged in meaningful communication
with his family, except with Elizabeth, as it held no
value for him. He had five daughters, a spendthrift
wife, and a rock-solid entail. There was no one in his
home to commiserate with him. His wife was oblivious to
his problem. Mr. Bennet knew that the "experience of
three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his
wife understand his character" (8).
Mrs. Bennet could not fathom the details of the
entail: "Jane and Elizabeth attempted to explain the
nature of an entail. They had often attempted it before,
but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the
reach of reason . . ." (54) . Mr. Bennet had no comfort
from his wife regarding the entail. Indeed, she did not
understand its meaning. She was not capable of