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Mr and Mrs Bennet as parents
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. In this extract Elizabeth has just turned down Mr Collins’ proposal.
How does Austen present Mr and Mrs Bennet as parents, in this extract and elsewhere in the novel?
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Marking points
- 1 Compare how both Mr Bennet and Mrs Bennet are presented as parents in the extract and elsewhere.
- 2 Support interpretation with textual evidence from the extract and wider novel.
- 3 Analyse Austen’s language, dialogue and structure.
- 4 Use relevant context about marriage, money, reputation and women’s position.
- 5 May argue that Mrs Bennet’s behaviour is flawed but pragmatically motivated by her daughters’ prospects.
Why this answer loses marks
Offers a descriptive overview of the Bennets without analysis or textual detail.
The examiner report says less successful responses to this question tended to describe Mr and Mrs Bennet as parents while lacking analysis and textual detail.