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Eugene Wrayburn
Jenny Wren, whose real name is Fanny Cleaver, is a dressmaker for dolls who becomes a close friend to Lizzie. She seems to be about 12 or 13 years old, but she can sometimes appear to be much older. This is partly due to her physical impairments (including a malformed spine and weak legs) and partly due to how she often has to act more like a mother than a child, particularly around her alcoholic father, Mr. Dolls. Jenny shows extraordinary maturity for her age, as well as optimism, seeming to hear birds and see flowers even when there are none around. Jenny’s optimism in the face of adversity represents the resilience of London’s lower class.
Jenny Wren Quotes in Our Mutual Friend
The Our Mutual Friend quotes below are all either spoken by Jenny Wren or refer to Jenny Wren. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 2, Chapter 2
Quotes
“Talking of ideas, my Lizzie,” they were sitting side by side as they had sat at first, “I wonder how it happens that when I am work, work, working here, all alone in the summer-time, I smell flowers.”
“As a commonplace individual, I should say,” Eugene suggested languidly—for he was growing weary of the person of the house—“that you smell flowers because you do smell flowers.”
“No I don’t,” said the little creature, resting one arm upon the elbow of her chair, resting her chin upon that hand, and looking vacantly before her; “this is not a flowery neighbourhood. It’s anything but that. And yet as I sit at work, I smell miles of flowers. I smell roses, till I think I see the rose-leaves lying in heaps, bushels, on the floor.[…] I have seen very few flowers indeed, in my life.”
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Book 4, Chapter 9
Quotes
For it is not, in Christian countries, with the Jews as with other peoples. Men say, “This is a bad Greek, but there are good Greeks. This is a bad Turk, but there are good Turks.” Not so with the Jews. Men find the bad among us easily enough—among what peoples are the bad not easily found?—but they take the worst of us as samples of the best; they take the lowest of us as presentations of the highest; and they say “All Jews are alike.”
Book 4, Chapter 10
Quotes
“But I have heard my birds sing,” cried the little creature, “and I have smelt my flowers. Yes, indeed I have! And both were most beautiful and most Divine!”
“Stay and help to nurse me,” said Eugene, quietly. “I should like you to have the fancy here, before I die.”
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Jenny Wren Quotes in Our Mutual Friend
The Our Mutual Friend quotes below are all either spoken by Jenny Wren or refer to Jenny Wren. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 2, Chapter 2
Quotes
“Talking of ideas, my Lizzie,” they were sitting side by side as they had sat at first, “I wonder how it happens that when I am work, work, working here, all alone in the summer-time, I smell flowers.”
“As a commonplace individual, I should say,” Eugene suggested languidly—for he was growing weary of the person of the house—“that you smell flowers because you do smell flowers.”
“No I don’t,” said the little creature, resting one arm upon the elbow of her chair, resting her chin upon that hand, and looking vacantly before her; “this is not a flowery neighbourhood. It’s anything but that. And yet as I sit at work, I smell miles of flowers. I smell roses, till I think I see the rose-leaves lying in heaps, bushels, on the floor.[…] I have seen very few flowers indeed, in my life.”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 4, Chapter 9
Quotes
For it is not, in Christian countries, with the Jews as with other peoples. Men say, “This is a bad Greek, but there are good Greeks. This is a bad Turk, but there are good Turks.” Not so with the Jews. Men find the bad among us easily enough—among what peoples are the bad not easily found?—but they take the worst of us as samples of the best; they take the lowest of us as presentations of the highest; and they say “All Jews are alike.”
Book 4, Chapter 10
Quotes
“But I have heard my birds sing,” cried the little creature, “and I have smelt my flowers. Yes, indeed I have! And both were most beautiful and most Divine!”
“Stay and help to nurse me,” said Eugene, quietly. “I should like you to have the fancy here, before I die.”
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