Key Quote
“"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle"”
Wickham · Chapter 52 (via Lydia's account)
Focus: “in practice, though not in principle”
Wickham's self-assessment after the elopement — he admits selfishness while simultaneously excusing it through the distinction between 'practice' and 'principle'. Even his confession is a form of self-justification.
Technique 1 — THE EXCUSE WITHIN THE ADMISSION
The distinction between 'practice' (what he does) and 'principle' (what he believes) is a masterful self-exculpation — Wickham admits to bad actions while claiming good intentions. This is more dangerous than simple denial: it acknowledges the fault while neutralising blame. The underlying logic is: 'I am not truly selfish because I know selfishness is wrong' — as though moral awareness excuses immoral behaviour.
The phrase 'selfish being' uses the language of confession — it sounds like genuine self-knowledge. But the qualifier 'though not in principle' immediately evacuates the confession of its moral content. Wickham performs the shape of remorse without its substance. Austen shows that the language of moral reflection can itself be deployed as a tool of deception.
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RAD — STAGNATE
Even in apparent self-reflection, Wickham does not change. His 'confession' is structured to ensure he never has to change: if his principles are good, then his practice is merely a regrettable deviation from his true self. He constructs a permanent alibi (an excuse that places responsibility elsewhere) for all his behaviour: the real Wickham, he implies, is the principled one; the selfish one is merely a temporary aberration.
Key Words
Technique 2 — CONTRAST WITH DARCY'S CONFESSION
This line invites direct comparison with Darcy's confession: 'By you, I was properly humbled'. Where Darcy accepts blame without qualification, Wickham qualifies and excuses. Where Darcy credits Elizabeth with teaching him, Wickham credits himself with good principles. Austen creates a moral litmus test: genuine growth requires unconditional honesty; Wickham fails this test completely.
The structural parallel — both Darcy and Wickham admit fault — highlights the difference between genuine and performed self-knowledge. Darcy changes his behaviour after his confession; Wickham changes nothing. Austen shows that the content of a confession matters less than its consequences: true remorse leads to changed behaviour; performed remorse leads to continued self-interest.
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Context (AO3)
WICKHAM'S ENDING
Wickham's marriage to Lydia — forced by Darcy's financial intervention — is the novel's anti-romance: a union without love, respect, or moral growth. Austen describes their future marriage as one of declining affection and increasing financial dependence. Unlike Darcy and Elizabeth, whose marriage represents mutual growth, Wickham and Lydia represent the consequences of unchecked selfishness.
PRINCIPLE VS PRACTICE
Austen's novel argues that practice and principle cannot be separated — you ARE what you do, not what you believe. Elizabeth proves this by acting with integrity even when it costs her (refusing Collins, confronting Lady Catherine). Wickham proves the inverse: claiming good principles while practising selfishness makes the principles meaningless.
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WOW — BAD FAITH (Sartre)
Jean-Paul Sartre's concept of bad faith (mauvaise foi) describes self-deception in which a person denies their own freedom and responsibility. Wickham's distinction between practice and principle is a textbook case: he claims to be principled (denying that his actions define him) while acting selfishly (denying that his principles should change his actions). Sartre argues that bad faith is the fundamental human temptation — we prefer to believe we are victims of circumstance rather than agents of our own choices. Wickham never escapes bad faith because doing so would require confronting his freedom — and therefore his responsibility — which is precisely what he has spent his entire life avoiding.
Key Words