I think this is one reason some of us have trouble warming to Fanny. She's a bit of a killjoy -- taking obviously light statements to heart. You'd think Mary could get away with a humorous generalization about men's letter-writing habits without having to worry about offending someone whose brother is a good correspondent. Fanny could use a little perspective here.

The trouble, of course, is that it can be hard to draw the line between (1) harmless levity that makes the world more pleasant and (2) levity about serious subjects indicating a weakness of principles. Edward may be blind to hints that Mary leans toward the latter, but Fanny sometimes seems unable to appreciate the former. I wish she'd laugh against her better judgment sometimes.