Lady Catherine de Bourgh (character)
| Lady Catherine De Bourgh | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Gender | Female |
| Primary residence | Rosings, in Kent |
| Family | |
| Spouse | Sir Lewis de Bourgh (deceased) |
| Children | Anne de Bourgh |
| Sibling(s) | Lady Anne Darcy (deceased) Earl of ---- |
Lady Catherine de Bourgh (née Fitzwilliam) is a character in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. According to Janet Todd, Lady Catherine de Bourgh can be seen as a foil to the novel's protagonist Elizabeth Bennet as Elizabeth is seen as wild while Lady Catherine is seen as strict to the rules of society and Elizabeth seems to contradict in her actions many of the ideals that Lady Catherine presents.
Lady Catherine is the widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh. The two had a single daughter, Anne de Bourgh.
Lady Catherine was the sister of Lady Anne Darcy, mother of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Georgiana Darcy. Both Lady Catherine and Lady Anne were the daughters of an earl and their brother is the sitting earl during the events of the novel. At the end of the novel, Lady Catherine becomes the aunt-in-law of Elizabeth Bennet after Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy. Lady Catherine desired to marry her own daughter Anne to Mr. Darcy. She also considers that Mr. Darcy is marrying someone much below him.
Lady Catherine is the daughter of an earl, thus she and her sister are always styled as Lady Catherine and Lady Anne, regardless of marriage. If she were not noble, she would be styled as Lady de Bourgh, since her husband was a knight.
Rosings is the home of Catherine de Bourgh. It is noted many times within the novel as being a luxurious house with many fine fittings. One such feature is a fireplace with glazing worth over five hundred pounds. The elegance and correctness of Rosings underline the side of Mr. Darcy's background that impresses Elizabeth, although she refuses to be overawed by it.
Quote by Mr Collins recounting Lady Catherine "Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose a gentlewoman for my sake; and for you own, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I will visit her."
To Elizabeth:
"Your father’s estate is entailed on Mr. Collins, I think. For your sake, I am glad of it; but otherwise I see no occasion for entailing estates from the female line. It was not thought necessary in Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s family."
"Do you play and sing, Miss Bennet? Oh! Then sometime or other we shall be happy to hear you. Our instrument is a capital one, probably superior to ---- you shall try it some day. Do your sisters play and sing?"
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