Anne de Bourgh
Anne de Bourgh, the only daughter and heiress of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the late Sir Lewis de Bourgh, is a minor but structurally significant character in Pride and Prejudice. She exists almost entirely as a passive object of her mother's dynastic schemes, a pale and sickly figure whose intended destiny—marriage to her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy—is the central obstacle that Lady Catherine attempts to impose on Elizabeth Bennet. Her physical frailty and social insignificance stand in stark contrast to the wealth and rank she represents, making her a silent emblem of the old aristocratic order that Darcy ultimately rejects.
Identity and Physical Description
Anne de Bourgh is described as a young lady of a sickly constitution, a condition that has prevented her from making progress in many accomplishments. She is pale and sickly, with features that, though not plain, are insignificant. Elizabeth Bennet, upon first seeing her, observes that she is "quite a little creature" and "so thin and small," and later notes that she "looks sickly and cross." Anne speaks very little, and when she does, it is in a low voice, almost exclusively to her companion, Mrs. Jenkinson, who is entirely engaged in attending to her needs, such as placing a screen in the proper direction before her eyes. She is perpetually attended to by Mrs. Jenkinson, who watches how little she eats and presses her to try other dishes. Her mother, Lady Catherine, boasts that in point of true beauty, Anne is far superior to the handsomest of her sex, claiming that her features mark her as a young lady of distinguished birth.
Role in the Dynastic Marriage Plan
Anne de Bourgh's primary function in the plot is as the intended bride for her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy. Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the late Lady Anne Darcy, who were sisters, planned the union of their children while they were still in their cradles. This tacit engagement is the cornerstone of Lady Catherine's family ambition, and she speaks of Darcy's coming to Rosings with the greatest satisfaction, evidently believing him destined for her daughter. The rumor that Miss de Bourgh will have a very large fortune and that she and her cousin will unite the two estates is widely circulated, even reaching Elizabeth through George Wickham. This information makes Elizabeth smile, as she thinks of the vain hopes of Caroline Bingley, who is also pursuing Darcy. Anne herself is a passive participant in this scheme; she never expresses any desire or objection, and her mother speaks for her on all matters.
Encounters and Interactions
Anne de Bourgh appears in person only a few times, always in the company of her mother. She is first seen by Elizabeth and Maria Lucas from the window of Hunsford Parsonage, sitting in a low phaeton at the garden gate. She rarely gets out of her carriage, and Charlotte Collins notes that it is the greatest of favors when Miss de Bourgh comes inside. At the dinner at Rosings, Anne sits next to Elizabeth but says not a word to her throughout the entire meal. She chooses to play cassino rather than quadrille, and her table is described as "superlatively stupid." When Elizabeth and Maria depart from Hunsford, Anne exerts herself so far as to curtsey and hold out her hand to both of them, a gesture of minimal civility. Her most significant off-stage action is her mother's journey to Longbourn to confront Elizabeth, a journey undertaken specifically to prevent the marriage that would break the intended match between Anne and Darcy.
Thematic Significance and Outcome
Anne de Bourgh represents the old, aristocratic model of marriage as a transaction of property and lineage, devoid of personal choice or affection. Her sickliness and silence make her a foil to the lively, articulate, and independent Elizabeth Bennet. Lady Catherine's plan for Anne and Darcy is ultimately defeated when Darcy, having fallen in love with Elizabeth, chooses a partner based on mutual respect and affection rather than dynastic convenience. Anne's fate is left unresolved; she remains at Rosings with her mother, her own desires never articulated, a silent testament to the system of marriage that the novel ultimately rejects. Her existence is a reminder of the constraints placed on women of her class, who could be reduced to pawns in their families' social and financial strategies, their own health and happiness secondary to the interests of the estate.
