DW Harding Agree/Disagree

I think Harding makes some positive arguments about how Mrs. Bennett is portrayed through Austen’s hatred toward society but also some wrong arguments having to do with certain vocabulary represented as characteristics. I do agree with Harding when she states “Caricature served Jane Austen’s purpose perfectly.” Since Austen presents the idea of an independent woman, Elizabeth, and having her reject Mr. Collins portrays Austen’s radical view of individualism through a view that was not commonly acceptable. Basically, in order to prove Austen’s point Harding expresses that the exaggeration of characters allows Austen to convey her strong hatred in actuality. Moreover, laughing at an exaggerated character distracts the reader from criticizing the truth behind the exaggeration illustrated. Even though I do believe that Austen demonstrates Mrs. Bennett as somebody to ‘laugh out of fear’ at, I disagree with Harding’s statement “exaggerated figures of fun people whom she herself detests and fears.” The word ‘detest’ is not an accurate representation of what Austen believes Mrs. Bennett as. Austen doesn’t hate Mrs. Bennett; instead she creates Mrs. Bennett as a laughable and exaggerated character- thus a positive character that is over-the-top instead of a negative character to criticize. The fact that Mrs. Bennett is hard to take seriously represents Austen’s view that society is more or less a joke in itself.