Weekly Response 5

"At any rate, the faculty termed Wit is commonly looked upon with a suspicious eye, as a two-edged sword, from which not even the sacredness of friendship can secure. It is especially, I think, dreaded in women." (Appendix B, page 400)

"If aught on earth can present the image of celestial excellence in its softest array, it is surely an Accomplished Woman, in whom purity and meekness, intelligence and modesty, mingle their charms. But when I speak on this subject, need I tell you, that men of the best sense have been usually averse to the thought of marrying a witty female?" (Appendix B, page 400)

"'Oh! certainly,' cried his faithful assistant, 'no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.'

'All this she must possess,' added Darcy, 'and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.'

'I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.'

'Are you so severe upon your own sex, as to doubt the possibility of all this?'

'I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.'"
(Pride and Prejudice, 76)

According to James Fordyce's passages above, and taking into account the passages from Pride and Prejudice, what it Elizabeth's major flaw?

Fordyce's second passage describes what men would hope to find in women. He describes this woman as the Accomplished Woman, and gives her the following characteristics: purity and meekness, intelligence and modesty. To him, and many others in that time, this is the ideal woman. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley, and Mrs. Hurst all describe the ideal woman, also known as the accomplished woman. They too, have a set of expectations. Fordyce says that women must be intelligent, but modest, and that those that have Wit are not at the top of the list to be married. While Elizabeth does not fit into their mold of the accomplished woman, she does possess something that they describe. Her biggest quality is her intelligence, and perhaps that would mean something to Mr. Darcy and company, even impress them, if she didn't lack modesty. Elizabeth has wit, but it's what she does with that wit that draws people away. She isn't afraid to speak her mind, and I think that's what Fordyce is getting at in these particular passages.