Poor Mrs. Bennet is under a great deal of pressure with the entail on their estate and a husband who is in love with his library. Can anyone out there have a modicum of sympathy for "silly" Mrs. Bennet? Her obsession to marry off her five daughters borders on desperation and if I'm not totally mistaken, back then, marriage could literally hinge on life or death to some. She's a mess but at least she is being pragmatic. Poor thing, she could have made good use of valium or some other sort of anti-depressant, had it been available. (or getting into the household liquor supply might have helped but there are no references to that) Does this generate any Mrs. Bennet sympathy out there? C'mon ladies, women had it tough back then. Thank God Miss Austen does not paint an entirely negative or positive picture on any of her characters.