I really enjoy P&P - the book and the mini series. I never thought of Lydia as bad, not even Wickham-bad, but more thoughtless and heedless, and completely unconcerned with how her actions affected her family. Not because she didn't care at all, but because it simply wouldn't occur to her that they might be badly affected. In her wedding scene, she looks around, "Where is everyone?" The idea that she might have caused a scandal and this is a shotgun wedding to save her reputation doesn't even enter her head.
In a way, I see her as having inherited the bad traits of both her parents. Her mother is silly and vain and shallow, while her father has a talent for burying himself in his books and ignoring reality. Replace books with parties and shopping, and that's Lydia too, but without the self-awareness that her father has.
Talking of P&P, one character who I think gets undeserved criticism is Charlotte Lucas. While she's not in love with Mr. Collins, it is actually a good match for her - she goes from being on the shelf with no prospects to being mistress of her own house and married to a vicar who'll inherit Longbourne some day. Given the extreme lack of opportunity for an unmarried, poor relation, I can see why she married him.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-09-23 04:21 pm (UTC)In a way, I see her as having inherited the bad traits of both her parents. Her mother is silly and vain and shallow, while her father has a talent for burying himself in his books and ignoring reality. Replace books with parties and shopping, and that's Lydia too, but without the self-awareness that her father has.
Talking of P&P, one character who I think gets undeserved criticism is Charlotte Lucas. While she's not in love with Mr. Collins, it is actually a good match for her - she goes from being on the shelf with no prospects to being mistress of her own house and married to a vicar who'll inherit Longbourne some day. Given the extreme lack of opportunity for an unmarried, poor relation, I can see why she married him.