February 7, 2008 · 8:00 am

Pity party with Mrs. B.

This week, the grandaddy of all Austen adaptations (and my personal absolute all-time favorite), Pride & Prejudice. Whoo-hoo!

So many quotes… not sure where to start. But I love this line from Mrs. B.


“Not that I have much pleasure indeed in talking to anybody. People who suffer as I do from nervous complaints can have no great inclination for talking. Nobody can tell what I suffer!-But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.”

Dear Mrs. Bennet, talking to Charlotte Lucas after her great disappointment in not getting Lizzy to accept Mr. Collins
Pride & Prejudice, volume 1, chapter 20 (emphasis mine)

Such a great pity party line!

Alison Steadman as Mrs. Bennet. Image copyright BBC. Watch an interview with Alison on the role of Mrs. B. at the BBC site.

6 Comments

Filed under Contentment (or not), Conversation, Mrs. Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, Self-deception

6 Responses to Pity party with Mrs. B.

  1. Luciana
    April 5, 2007 at 6:03 pm

    I love this quote! Mrs. Bennet is so good!

  2. Martha
    April 5, 2007 at 7:50 pm

    Hi Lori,
    While browsing austenblog.com for reviews of ITV’s Persuasion, I came across the link for your “Following Austen” blog. I have delighted in reading your entries since I completed a “Jane Austen Pilgrimage” in June-July 2005. Our adventures our similar (however, I did not have the fortune of hailing a cabbie in the deserted roads around Godmersham, and eventually acquiesced to hiking to most of the JA sites, such as Goodnestone). You may find my blog of interest (though I haven’t updated it for awhile): http://janeaustenpilgrimage.blogspot.com. Bit of background: I completed the “pilgrimage” for my undergraduate honours thesis.
    Anyway, wishing you best of luck with your book and your health from a fellow JA pilgrim in Canada.
    Cheers!

  3. ms. place
    February 10, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Oh, I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing this adaptation over the next three weeks! I finally have a TV with a screen that is large enough to do justice to the production. Until now I have watched this film on a grainy VHS tape on my 19″ screen. Think I’ll go out and purchase some champagne for tonight, and revel in Jane’s scintillating dialogue for two hours.

  4. lizziemma knightley
    February 10, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    I agree with you. This one’s the best. And I read your interview in WORLD magazine the other day. I was so excited for you I wanted to tell all my friends “See, this is the lady who wrote that amazing book about Jane I keep talking about.” Really good interview and your picture looked FABULOUS!!! Congrats, congrats, congrats!

  6. Lori Smith
    February 13, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    Vic-P&P and champagne sounds just lovely!!