Pride and Prejudice Quotes
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Source: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!"
Miss Bingley's attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy's progress through his book, as in reading her own; and she was perpetually either making some inquiry, or looking at his page. She could not win him, however, to any conversation; he merely answered her question, and read on. At length, quite exhausted by the attempt to be amused with her own book, which she had only chosen because it was the second volume of his, she gave a great yawn and said, "How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."
No one made any reply. She then yawned again, threw aside her book, and cast her eyes round the room in quest for some amusement.
Context
This line is spoken by Miss Bingley in the novel Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen (1813).
Oooh! Someone has a crush on Mr. Darcy and her name is Caroline Bingley.
While it might seem like Caroline is giving a full-throated endorsement to reading here (an endorsement we can get behind), it's pretty clear from the context that she cares way more about getting her hooks into rich Mr. Darcy than she does about delving into the pages of a good book. For starters, she keeps interrupting him while he's reading, and then keeps trying to read her own book, but gets bored. Then, she feels the need to announce to the whole room that she loves reading. Plus, she throws in that tidbit about having a big library once she's married. She likes big books and she cannot lie. Hint, hint, Darcy.
She's kind of like the person who talks through the entire play, doesn't watch a minute of what's happening, and then gets up and announces to the whole theater how much she loves drama just to get an actor's attention. No one is buying it, Caroline.
Where you've heard it
Folks don't tend to quote Caroline Bingley too much (you might have noticed that she's not generally considered the heroine of this novel), but you might hear this in a pro-reading environment without considering its source.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Okay, this one could go one of two ways. Loving a good book isn't pretentious at all. But if you're Caroline Bingley, then this line becomes a full-blown 10 on the scale of grandiose, hollow, pretentious things to say. Better luck next time, Caroline.