So Wickham Was A Pedophile?

Not a paedophile, just a fortune hunter! Poor Georgiana was suitably rich and impressionable.

As far as running off with Lydia is concerned, Aunt Gardiner writes to Elizabeth (after Elizabeth discovers Darcy's part in bringing the marriage of Wickham and Lydia about):

[Darcy's] first object with [Lydia], he acknowledged, had been to persuade her to quit her present disgraceful situation, and return to her friends as soon as they could be prevailed on to receive her, offering his assistance, as far as it would go. But he found Lydia absolutely resolved on remaining where she was. She cared for none of her friends; she wanted no help of his; she would not hear of leaving Wickham. She was sure they should be married some time or other, and it did not much signify when. Since such were her feelings, it only remained, he thought, to secure and expedite a marriage, which, in his very first conversation with Wickham, he easily learnt had never been his design. He confessed himself obliged to leave the regiment, on account of some debts of honour, which were very pressing; and scrupled not to lay all the ill-consequences of Lydia's flight on her own folly alone. He meant to resign his commission immediately; and as to his future situation, he could conjecture very little about it. He must go somewhere, but he did not know where, and he knew he should have nothing to live on. Mr. Darcy asked him why he had not married your sister at once. Though Mr. Bennet was not imagined to be very rich, he would have been able to do something for him, and his situation must have been benefited by marriage. But he found, in reply to this question, that Wickham still cherished the hope of more effectually making his fortune by marriage in some other country.


After Wickham's plans to marry the rich Miss King fell through, he ran away from the regiment because he'd run up debts. I don't think he planned to take Lydia with him, but she attached herself to him. He certainly did not intend to marry her but, doubtless, would avail himself of any physical favours she may bestow! As soon as a rich woman came along, Lydia would have been flung aside.








Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Pedophiles are attracted to children, not young ladies of almost marriage age...and there is no evidence that Wickham wanted anything but money from Georgiana.

Lydia chose to run off with Wichkam...not the other way around.

Well, in that era young ladies were supposed to be grown up earlier than in these days' conceptions. I'm not even sure if there was the age of 18 as the age of majority. Parents wanted their daughters to find a husband so quickly that even the age of 15 or 16 would do. Those were the times back then (well, the truth is that nowadays a person can marry even from the crude age of 16 with parents' consent). Perhaps when girls had their first period they were considered women.
Maybe Wickham didn't intend to be a pedophile, but he might have chosen such young ladies because they were lacking experience and were easier to fool.

LEtMeFly, speaking as a member of said gender, most men's mentality regarding women is simple. If she's got the 'qualities' we don't care about age (of course nowadays we're bound by law to make sure they're 18+). And to the 'predatory' subgenre that Wickham was part of, the more gullible the better. So it's only natural that he went for Georgiana and Lydia but by no means was he a pedophile in any sense of the word.

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."

A pedophile? Lydia Bennett wasn't a baby, she was of marriage age.

You might wanna look up a word prior to using it.

Wickham targeting 15yearolds means he's not a pedophile

___
Anyone who has ever read any spoilers,
knows that Winter Is Coming

If you're going to watch a period drama, please take off your 2014 viewing lens. It was not at all unusual for girls of Lydia's age to marry. Whether it's creepy to you or not today is beside the point - it was a common societal convention back then.

For a follow-up question, please don't ask why there aren't people of color in the film.

As Lizzie said to Lady Catherine, all her sisters are "out" (to society) so Lydia is of marriageable age (it would have been their parents' decision that their daughters were older enough to socialise/look for suitors). Wickham was money hungry, missed out on some rich young ladies and got stuck with clingy, childish Lydia.