Read the excerpt from Pride and Prejudice by Jane
Austen. In this passage, the Bennets discuss Bingley,
who has just rented Netherfield Park.
What does the economic context of the setting imply
about the Bennets?
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man
in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a
wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man
may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is
so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families,
that he is considered the rightful property of some one or
other of their daughters.
"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day,
"have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"
They are excited about Bingley's arrival because they
have daughters of marrying age.
O They are interested to see how Bingley and his
servants will change Netherfield.
They are curious about why someone with Bingley's
fortune would move nearby.
They disagree about the importance of Bingley's
interest in renting Netherfield.
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been
here, and she told me all about it."
Save and Exit

Mrs. Bennet sees Mr. Bingley as a possible suitor for her daughters and invites him to visit. The Bennets have five daughters. Mr. Bennet tends to favor Elizabeth, the second oldest, for her brilliance, while Mrs. Bennet prefers Jane, the eldest, for her beauty, and Lydia, the middle child, for her wit.

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