MEJE PROCESS · Pride and Prejudice Worldbuilding Data (74 chapters)
Maria Lucas
Maria Lucas
Basic Information
- Original name: Maria Lucas
- Korean rendering: Maria Lucas
- Age: in her late teens; Charlotte’s younger sister and around Kitty Bennet’s age
- Family: the Lucas family; younger sister of Charlotte Lucas, later Mrs. Collins
- Residence: Lucas Lodge, Meryton
- First appearance: chunk_08 (around Chap. 27)
Character Introduction
Charlotte’s younger sister. Summed up as a “good-humoured girl, but as empty-headed as himself,” meaning her father Sir William, she has inherited his sociability and simplicity. Though her role is small, she appears as Elizabeth’s traveling companion on the visit to Hunsford and supplies the ordinary admiration and surprise of a young girl in contrast to Elizabeth’s inward reflection.
Her narrative function is chiefly one of contrast. Maria’s awed excitement over the splendor of Rosings highlights Elizabeth’s composure in refusing to be intimidated even by Lady Catherine. The response of an ordinary girl to rank and wealth serves to set off Elizabeth’s independence of judgment.
Development by Event
- EVT-023-001: after Charlotte and Collins’s wedding, she sets out with her father, Sir William, on the journey to visit Hunsford.
- EVT-025: she arrives at Hunsford with Elizabeth and Sir William, excited by the prospect of an invitation to Rosings.
- EVT-025-001: at her first meeting with Lady Catherine, she is too nervous to say much. She is overwhelmed by Rosings’s magnificence, which surpasses anything Sir William saw at court.
- EVT-030-002: she returns home with Elizabeth, traveling from Hunsford through London. Her bustling preparations and packing contrast with Elizabeth’s silent inward reflection.
Core Relationships
- Charlotte, her elder sister: she visits her married sister with admiration and observes Charlotte’s mature life
- Elizabeth: her traveling companion; Maria lacks the depth to engage Elizabeth in substantial conversation, leaving Elizabeth space for inner monologue
- Sir William Lucas: her father; she has inherited his simplicity and sociability
- Lady Catherine: Maria represents an ordinary girl’s intimidated response during the visit to Rosings
Translation Notes
- Maria’s speech has the exclamation-filled tone of a young girl, as in “Oh! my dear...” Preserve her excitement and curiosity.
- Translate “empty-headed” with a light comic touch, closer to “thoughtless” than a contemptuous insult. Austen does not condemn Maria.
- Maria’s admiration at Rosings is a staging device that contrasts with Elizabeth’s inner life. The contextual contrast matters more than direct description.