Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice
Lady Shackleton: A single peer with a good estate won't be unmarried long, if he doesn't want to be.
Lady Violet: You sound like Mrs. Bennet.
Downton just paid homage to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and even the Dowager acknowledges it!
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
If you have not read this novel, and you are in love with Downton Abbey, do yourself a favor and read it. Or, if you just aren't feeling up to reading, watch the 1995 BBC version starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. It is about as word-for-word as a tv show could be and well worth your time.
