'Not too clever to be...'
While reading 'Pride and Prejudice', I found a line that I can hardly understand - 'Lady Lucks was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to Mrs. Bennet.'
I can't grasp what this construction 'not too...to...' actually means. What does the sentence actually mean?
Please help !
Top answer
The construction suggests that Lady Lucas is a valuable neighbour to Mrs Bennet. If she were more clever, she would not be of much use. I believe that Lady Lucas is happy to gossip and provide interesting information to Mrs Bennet whereas, were she more clever, she would refrain from passing on such information to other people.
- The construction suggests that Lady Lucas is a valuable neighbour to Mrs Bennet.
- If she were more clever, she would not be of much use.
- I believe that Lady Lucas is happy to gossip and provide interesting information to Mrs Bennet whereas, were she more clever, she would refrain from passing on such information to other people.
- However, I'm no fan of Austen so I could be proven wrong on the precise 'value' to her...
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The construction suggests that Lady Lucas is a valuable neighbour to Mrs Bennet. If she were more clever, she would not be of much use. I believe that Lady Lucas is happy to gossip and provide interesting information to Mrs Bennet whereas, were she more clever, she would refrain from passing on such information to other people.
However, I'm no fan of Austen so I could be proven wrong o
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