Lady Catherine is a complete stitch. She fancies herself to be all that, when in fact she is not much at all. Talk about a lack of self-awareness!
Who else could say that few others in England enjoy music more than she, and yet doesn’t play an instrument? Who else could reprimand Lizzy for not practicing enough, when she herself doesn’t even play? (Although she would have been a great proficient!) Who else would deem Darcy to be excessively attached to Rosings, and on the brink of proposing to Miss de Bourgh? Only Lady Catherine is delusional enough to believe these things.
Besides her misguided delusions, Lady Catherine is a nosy busy-body whose inquiries know no bounds. She is overly attentive to everyone else’s business — from shelves in the closet, to the size of meat joints in relation to family size, to the best place to change horses. Of all things she is excessively attentive.
And yet, I don’t think she really cares about the well-being of those around her. Her concerns are solely around herself, and her ability to influence, manage and coerce the people around her. People of good character concern themselves with helping others rather than themselves. People of vanity, in contrast, are occupied with elevating themselves in comparison to others.
