As Alistair Cooke observed years ago, there are some characters we "love to hate"! Mr. Bennet is a character who plays a certain role, like all the rest.( Would we have Mrs. Elton be anything other than who she is?! Or Willoughby?!) The entire story of P+P would be altogether different...much of it would never have even happened!...had Mr. Bennet been everyone's model father (and Lydia a model daughter, Mrs. B. a saint, etc.!) I do smile at that line: "I am not afraid of being over powered by the impression....It will pass away soon enough." I think it's funny and apt at the same time! Another very clever, insightful and comic line by JA...and not just aimed at Mr. Bennet I think! I suspect JA knew very well that most of us could apply it to ourselves on some score or other, if we were entirely honest! That's why it's so funny to me---because it's so spot-on about us humans!