We have talked about Jane Austen’s interest in the every day and the common place in class, but I think this is the first time we have seen evidence of someone from Austen’s own time admiring her for this interest. Later in the chapter, Scott points out that “A friend of ours, whom the author never saw or heard of, was at once recognized by his own family as the original Mr. Bennet,” (Sir Walter Scott, quoted by Byrne, 302). We see one of Austen’s contemporaries recognizing the power of an author writing about what their readers will know and recognize. This is something that I think is still happening today, we all have people that we think “Oh, this person reminds me so much of Lydia!” or “Wow, you’re basically Emma, aren’t you?” I often think that my father is very much a Mr. Bennet in some of the things he does, though I know not everyone would consider that a good thing. But Austen’s interest in the common place is something that can span across centuries. We were asked in class why we thought Austen didn’t focus a lot on possessions or clothing; I think it is for this reason: possessions, clothing, housing, all of this will change over time. At one point, it was a mark of wealth that you possessed a piano, now, it is relatively simple to go out and buy one. But the one thing that will not change, no matter how much time passes, is the type of people we encounter in our lives. We will all inevitably know a Catherine de Bourgh, we have all dated a Darcy, every one has known a Wickham or Willoughby. It is the type of people that will never go out of style and that’s why Austen was so interested in them.