Caroline Bingley Quotes

Miss Bingley was venting her feelings in criticisms on Elizabeth’s person, behaviour, and dress. But Georgiana would not join her. Her brother’s recommendation was enough to ensure her favour: his judgment could not err, and he had spoken in such terms of Elizabeth as to leave Georgiana without the power of finding her otherwise than lovely and amiable.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 45. After Elizabeth and her aunt leave Pemberley, Caroline just can’t stop herself making spiteful comments about Elizabeth. But Georgiana refuses to join in, she trusts her brother Fitzwilliam Darcy’s good judgement that Elizabeth is nothing other than "lovely and amiable." The close family bond between Georgiana and her brother is evident here. There is much irony in Caroline criticizing Elizabeth’s behavior, since she herself is guilty of behaving badly.

I must confess that I never could see any beauty in her. Her face is too thin; her complexion has no brilliancy; and her features are not at all handsome. Her nose wants character – there is nothing marked in its lines. Her teeth are tolerable, but not out of the common way; and as for her eyes, which have sometimes been called so fine, I could never see anything extraordinary in them. They have a sharp, shrewish look.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 45. Caroline Bingley mocks Elizabeth’s looks and tries to demean her to Darcy. Caroline is completely consumed with jealousy towards the woman she views as her love rival for Darcy. She comments negatively on Elizabeth’s looks, making disparaging remarks about her every facial feature. Caroline may as well be wearing a large sign around her neck declaring to the world that she is insanely jealous. But she only succeeds in making herself look foolish and mean-spirited and her ploy backfires with Darcy.

"I remember, when we first knew her in Hertfordshire, how amazed we all were to find that she was a reputed beauty; and I particularly recollect your saying one night, after they had been dining at Netherfield, ‘She a beauty! – I should as soon call her mother a wit.’ But afterwards she seemed to improve on you, and I believe you thought her rather pretty at one time."
"Yes," replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, "but that was only when I first saw her, for it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance."

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 45. Caroline knows that Elizabeth has caught Mr. Darcy’s eye. When Elizabeth departs Pemberley, Caroline directs her spite at the woman she sees as her competition for Darcy’s affections. Having already declared that she never saw any beauty in Elizabeth, in this exchange with Darcy Caroline comments that he once thought Elizabeth "rather pretty." Darcy’s response that Elizabeth is "one of the handsomest women" of his acquaintance settles the issue once and for all and stops the Miss "Nasty" Bingley in her tracks. Caroline has lost the battle for Darcy!

"And this," said she, "is the end of all his friend’s anxious circumspection! of all his sister’s falsehood and contrivance! – the happiest, wisest, most reasonable end!"

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Elizabeth is delighted and relieved that after months of "suspense and vexation" Mr. Bingley and Jane have got engaged. For her it is a happy ending to Darcy’s "anxious circumspection" about the match and Caroline Bingley’s "falsehood and contrivance" in her deception towards Jane.

"That is the most unforgiving speech," said Elizabeth, "that I ever heard you utter. Good girl!"

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 55. Elizabeth lauds Jane when she makes a critical remark about Caroline Bingley’s efforts to keep her brother Charles from seeing Jane. Elizabeth goes on to say: "It would vex me, indeed, to see you again the dupe of Miss Bingley’s pretended regard." Jane is a person who rarely attributes bad motives to anyone and instead tries to see the good in all. So Elizabeth is delighted that she at last sees through Caroline Bingley’s deceit .

Miss Bingley was very deeply mortified by Darcy’s marriage; but as she thought it advisable to retain the right of visiting at Pemberley, she dropt all her resentment; was fonder than ever of Georgiana, almost as attentive to Darcy as heretofore, and paid off every arrear of civility to Elizabeth.

– Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 61. Caroline Bingley, who had set her sights on Darcy, is upset at his marriage to Elizabeth. But she thinks the better of it as she wishes to be able to visit Pemberley in the future. So she continues to be deferential to Darcy, shows more fondness for Georgiana and treats Elizabeth with new-found civility and respect. Caroline is an upper class snob who likes to rub shoulders with people of high rank and status.
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