If you aren’t familiar with the distinctions I am using to classify the characters into their Hogwarts Houses, I invite you to visit my previous posts on the Sorting Hat Chats System.

Lizzie: Gryffindor

The Sorting Hat Chats Mods sorted Lizzie into Slytherin, but I must disagree with them. A Slytherin would feel more guilt than she does about not doing what is in the best interest of her family in marrying Mr. Collins than Lizzie’s need to follow her heart. She chooses not to marry him because she thinks him a fool and could not stand it, and refuses even before her father enables her to escape from the trap of marriage unscathed. From the start, she shows a fierce determination to be true to herself, a black and white mindset of good and evil (in how she judges Bingley’s malicious sisters, and even Darcy for his perceived mistreatment of Wickham), and a willingness to stand up for herself against Lady Catherine, a woman who far outranks her, has much more power, and could do her tremendous harm. To do otherwise for Lizzie would be impossible and downright painful, because she has a strong sense of her chosen Cause – and that, for a time, is to champion Mr. Wickham, and then to protect Georgiana Darcy and her reputation.

It’s also my belief that Lydia is a young, foolish, Gryffindor, whose desire is to life a life without restraints, a girl who fully trusts herself (when she ought not) and wants to make her own rules in the world.

Mr. Darcy: Slytherin

Darcy is the true Slytherin. He attempts to treat his father’s chosen ‘family’ in Mr. Wickham as his own kin, but after Wickam tries to seduce his sister Georgiana, Darcy kicks him out of the family. But he never makes the scandal public, to protect his sister’s reputation… without thinking about or realizing that not doing so might endanger other young women upon whom Wickham might “prey.” He can be callous, but also deeply protective of his loved ones—even attempting to drive Bingley and Jane apart, when he mistakenly believes Jane is nothing but a social-climbing gold-digger. But he redeems himself by, once falling in love with Lizzie, taking her family’s problems on as his own and rectifying them—finding Lydia and Wickham and forcing them to marry to protect the family’s reputation (without taking any credit) and reconciling Bingley and Jane.

Mrs. Bennet is also a Slytherin. Not only does she intend for her many daughters to get married and devotes herself entirely to that purpose, she intends for them to marry well. She shows streaks of the Slytherin selfishness in her dismissal of other girls and her resentment toward Charlotte Lucas for a “fine match” in Mr. Collins (blech). But she and Darcy do not play well off each others, because he knows exactly what she’s doing; it’s familiar to him, and almost ruins Jane’s chances with Bingley in Darcy’s eyes.

Wickham is a Burned Slytherin. Ambitious, driven, and charming, once denied his own family among the Darcy’s, he seeks out to create a new one with Lizzie and her sisters, but cannot help discreetly turning her against Darcy, who wounded him with his “betrayal” (in actuality, by revealing Wickham’s ambitious selfishness). And, Caroline (and in other adaptations, her sister also) is also a Slytherin. Ambitious in her pursuit of Darcy, elitist in her limited affections, and she has no interest in nor delight in anyone outside her chosen few.

Lastly, I think Charlotte Lucas is a Slytherin. I considered Ravenclaw for her, but she is scheming and ambitious – she tells Lizzie that Jane should fake more affections than she truly feels for Bingley in order to secure him in marriage then does just that with Mr. Collins. But since she cares for him not, and does not like him, she pushes him out of her private drawing room and essentially, out of his life. She is willing to bow and scrape to Lady Catherine to get ahead, and to play the role of a dutiful wife—all to avoid being an old maid and thus a drain on her family resources.

Jane and Bingley: Hufflepuff

Jane is sweet, even-tempered and kind, and so good natured, her father believes every servant in her future life will cheat her. She refuses to think badly of Bingley’s sisters even though they are obvious in their attempts to thwart her affections for their brother; she insists on giving them kinder natures than they possess. The same can be said of Mr. Bingley, who loves everyone, rich or poor, sweet or sour, who insists on calling even Jane’s mother “charming” (which she is not) and will forgive anyone anything. Together, they will live a merry life of thinking the best of everyone they meet.

I also think Kitty belongs in this House, because she is not the leader that Lydia is, she is more of a good-natured, sweet-tempered follower. She also does not like to think poorly of anyone.

Mr. Bennet: Ravenclaw

Where passion and moral outrage drives Lizzie, and ambitious scheming drives his wife, and a desire to love everyone drives Jane, Mr. Bennet is far more interested in his books, and only goes along with social norms because it is “expected of him.” In short, he is adjusting his life to an external standard of behavior, albeit somewhat unwillingly. He knows what he must do to get his daughters married off and commits to it, but there is a sense of him being “forced,” as well as emotional exhaustion from having to chase after Lydia. He copes by turning things into sarcasm, irony, and witticisms, showing his love of wordplay and learning.

His daughter Mary is also a budding Ravenclaw, more interested in her books than the outside world. She is deliberate in how “not like” her sisters she is—she is composed, appropriate, not vain, and wants to listen to dull sermons, because they are important for the soul.