He is friendly,
approachable, kindly
and well mannered.
'He could not imagine an
angel more beautiful'.
His attraction to Jane is
immediate and lasting.
'Upon my word I cannot exactly explain
the matter, Darcy must speak for himself'.
He is more likely to
turn to Darcy than to
trust himself. This is
the other side of his
modesty and easy
going nature.
ROLE IN THE NOVEL
Mr Bingley is a rich young
man whose money has been
made in trade. This means he
does not have the land,
responsibilities, or social
standing of his friend Darcy.
He has 2 sisters, one (Louisa)
is married, the other
(Caroline) is not.
He rents Netherfield Park and brings
his sisters and friend to stay with
him there.
He is attracted to Jane
Bennet as soon as they first
dance together.
He has little self esteem, so it is easy for Darcy to persuade him
that Jane does not care for him; he rushes away from
Netherfield as unexpectedly as he arrived.
He is not fickle, although he is hasty, he
continues to love Jane and wastes no time in
proposing to her as soon as he knows that
she has loved him all along.
TOP TIP
Bingley's arrival at Netherfield sets the
whole story in motion and is the
occasion for the famous opening
sentence about eligible bachelors.
When thinking about the predatory
approach towards marriage- Mrs Bennet
would be a perfect example of this- we
might feel some sympathy for Mr Bingley.
Darcy has a protective attitude towards his friend, as
explained by Colonel Fitzwilliam (Vol 2. Chp 10.); but we
also know how much pain Jane suffers because of
Darcy's interference.
Notice how Bingley and Darcy are
compared and contrasted from their
first appearance and also when
Elizabeth is staying at Netherfield.
Bingley is easier to like but Elizabeth
is right to think his easiness may
make him weak- he is easily
persuaded and influenced by his
friend