In Pride and Prejudice we get a strong impression of her character from the very beginning. In chapter one we learn from her mother that she is good humoured and that this view is not shared by her father who is inclined to think her silly and ignorant. It is clear from the start that she is favoured by her mother who singles out her daughter in the next chapter, saying that she is sure Mr. Bingley will dance with Lydia at the Meryton assembly.

“Oh,!” said Lydia stoutly, “I am not afraid; for though I am the youngest, I’m the tallest.”

We soon learn that Lydia and her sister Kitty love dancing at every opportunity and going to Meryton to sigh over bonnets at the milliners and visit their aunt, the typical amusements of any fifteen year old girls. Lydia and Kitty are often criticised for being empty headed, thinking of nothing else but balls and officers, but if that is the case, then I would say the majority of young girls in past times as well as today are just as daft.The arrival of a whole regiment of soldiers brings nothing but joy for the girls and we learn of Lydia expressing her admiration of the officers. Mrs. Bennet can be seen to share a similar disposition with her youngest daughter, admitting,

“I remember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well-and indeed so I do still at my heart; and if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, should want one of my girls, I shall not say nay to him; and I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir William’s in his regimentals.”

It is not until chapter nine of Pride and Prejudice that we really have a description of Lydia.

‘Lydia was a stout, well-grown girl of fifteen, with a fine complexion and good-humoured countenance; a favourite with her mother, whose affection had brought her into public at an early age. She had high animal spirits, and a sort of natural self-consequence, which the attentions of the officers, to whom her uncle’s good dinners and her own easy manners recommended her, had increased into assurance.’

She is a girl who is going to get noticed, with a personality to draw others about her, though perhaps possessed of a little too much confidence. This may be as a direct result of her mother’s indulgence who sees herself in Lydia; I have wondered whether they are also physically alike. As the youngest child, she has probably been spoilt by Mrs. Bennet who allows her to enjoy the privileges of the older girls. And this is where I start to feel sympathy for Lydia. It is not entirely her fault that she turns out as she does, though others may argue that we are all responsible for our own actions, an over indulgent mother and a negligent father are surely partly to blame. Mr. Bennet does not seem to be very interested in any of his girls except Elizabeth and perhaps Jane to a lesser degree. He escapes whenever he can to his library. He does not engage his younger daughters in much conversation, except to tell them that they,

“...must be two of the silliest girls in the country. I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced.”

He also fails to listen to his daughter Elizabeth who advises him not to let Lydia go to Brighton. Lydia is very forthright, she’s a young lady who is not afraid to speak her mind but perhaps one who does not know when it would be best to keep her tongue still. For me, this is an aspect of her character that I loved developing further, writing sentences of pure mischief which I hope will amuse. For her poor sister Elizabeth, who is sensitive to the thoughts of others and can perceive what they must be thinking of her sister’s outspoken behaviour, Lydia’s antics only bring embarrassment.

How Lydia enjoys the fact that the place is populated with so many soldiers! There were encampments in Brighton in the late 1790’s and early 1800’s and these are well documented with accounts of mock battles and reviews that took place.

After the events in Brighton, the story takes us to Newcastle, Netherfield and Bath; there are a few twists and turns along the way with scandal enough to prevent Lady Catherine de Bourgh from so much as glancing in the direction of a Bennet family member ever again but I do not wish to give all my secrets away. I did in true fashion decide that Lydia must be set on the road to a happy ending and I am sure that potential readers will like to know that there is a surprise in store for Mr. Wickham, though I am absolutely certain that not many will be able to guess his fate!

For the purposes of her wonderful book, Jane Austen quite rightly paints Lydia in a less than flattering light, but for the purposes of mine, I hope I have managed to give her a sympathetic hearing, which I believe she deserves, despite her penchant for silliness and folly. Her heart rules her head, her tongue has a habit of running away with her and she acts without thinking but I confess, I could not resist her and have grown to be very fond of Lydia for all her faults.
Lydia’s Story was written purely for fun and my pleasure and executed out of love and admiration for the greatest of authors, Jane Austen. I truly hope that it gives some enjoyment and maybe (as Lydia would desire) makes you giggle once or twice.

Jane Odiwe January 2007