MaKayla Tanksley Ms.Hamilton Social Class Mobility and Marriage in Regency England April 30, 2014 “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”(Austen 1) Regency England (1811-1820), lasted just nine years. In 1810, King George III became terribly ill and later was declared incapable of ruling because of his mental state. Thus, the Regency Act was passed making his son, George Prince Regent, the ruler in his absence. This era lasted until George III’s death in 1820, making his son the permanent ruler, now known as King George IV. (Parissien, Steven. George IV Inspiration of the Regency. New York. St. Martin’s Press, 2001) Regency England was known for its development’s in literature, fashion, politics and culture, and courtship. It was an era where many balls and dances took place. It was somewhat a “happy” time, but had its dark sides. The lower classes were looked down upon by the upper classes. Women had very few rights; they were expected to behave a certain way, dress a certain way, and expected to marry. Women were considered property, and once married all their possession belonged to their husband. Marriage was somewhat of a necessity in order to have any type of social ranking. But, it was very rare to marry out of your social class, because most people of a higher class would not allow it. (Vickery, Amanda. The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England. New Haven, CT. Yale University Press, 1998) Socia1 C1ass Mobility In some places, once you were part of a social class, you had to stay in it. You could not marry into another class; work with the other classes, or even associate with the other classes. We@1th, education, ethnicit... ... middle of paper ... ...here was a huge social gap between them, and their marriage upset quite a few people in the upper class. The upper classes made it seem like Elizabeth was unsuitable for Darcy, even though she was quite intelligent. The occupiers of the upper class tried everything in their power to prevent this marriage from happening, because as stated, it would break the natural order of things and bring shame to Darcy’s family. But they were not getting married for the money or social class ranking, but for love. Bibliography Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Modern Library, 1995 Parissien, Steven. George IV Inspiration of the Regency. New York: St. Martin's P, 2001 Morgan, Marjorie. Manners, Morals, and Class in England, 1774–1859. New York: St. Martin's P, 1994 Ashton, John, Social England Under the Regency, Kessinger Publishing, 2006
At this point in time, love was overcoming all situations. Not only that, but the book represents the pressures women had to rely on men. The ending is progressive as seen with the main characters marriage situations. Darcy and Bingley are both financially secure unlike the Bennet sisters or Charlotte Lucas whose families need to work for their money and the land would be inherited by someone else. Women were to be married off to have at least some fortune. However the two Bennet sisters (and also most of the male characters), Jane and Elizabeth, choose love over wealth status. Especially seen with Elizabeth in chapter 19, her consistent rejection towards Collins’s proposal gave the reader proof that she doesn't want to marry for money, she could've said yes and been set for the rest of their life and inherit her father’s estate, but ended up marrying Darcy who she fell in love with. Darcy threw away his possible marriage with Miss de Bourgh, Bingley threw away the possible marriage with Miss Darcy (even though his sisters kept trying to get them two together because Miss de Bourgh is upper class compared to Eliza), and both of them could've been set for life and benefited from their wives money instead of marrying the middle class Bennet
Goodwin, Lorinda B. R. An Archeology of Manners: The Polite World of the Merchant Elite of Colonial Massachusettes. Boston: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 1999. [secondary source]
Cott, Nancy F. The Bonds of Womanhood: "Woman's Sphere" in New England, 1780-1835. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1977.
Marriage in Pride and Prejudice It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife." Jane Austen provides subsequent argument with the first line of her novel, Pride and. Prejudice. The.
Through the use of literary devices, Pride and Prejudice reveals Jane Austen’s attitude towards the novel’s theme of true love through the actions of the suitors; the process of courtship in the 1800s articulates characterization, foreshadowing, and irony. The novel opens with the line, “it is a truth acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of wife,” (Austen 1) which foreshadows the conflict of finding a significant other . During the Victorian age, men and women courted others of the same education, wealth, and social status; it was considered uncommon for someone to marry beneath them or to marry for love. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth Bennett’s encounters with different characters of varying social statuses to criticize the traditional class system; she illustrates a revolutionary idea that marriage should be based on love. In the resolution of the plot, Austen demonstrates the perfect qualities in a marriage; she incorporates Aristotle's philosophy of friendship to prove the validity of the having an affectionate relationship.
...y fought against the odds for the most desired marriage, a marriage of happiness. Disregarding that Jane has now secured herself (and her future children) financially; she can happily fill the role of wife in want; because as everyone knows, “that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1).
Even after he fell in love with her and proposed to Elizabeth, he completely debased her family. Darcy realized eventually that he was going to have to change. He tried to look at his behavior. and analyze why he acted as he did. In the end, he fought his intense pride so that he and Elizabeth could be happy together.
Two hundred years ago, during the reign of Queen Victoria in England, the social barriers of the Victorian class system firmly defined the roles of women. The families of Victorian England were divided into four distinct classes: the Nobility or Gentry Class, the Middle Class, the Upper Working Class, and lastly, the Lower Working class . The women of these classes each had their own traditional responsibilities. The specifics of each woman’s role were varied by the status of her family. Women were expected to adhere to the appropriate conventions according to their place in the social order . For women in Victorian England their lives were regulated by these rules and regulations, which stressed obedience, loyalty, and respect.
The reader is first acquainted with Mr. Darcy's arrogance at the Meryton Ball. Speaking of Elizabeth Bennet, he so snobbishly says that she was, " tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me" (Austen 9). His feelings of superiority to the people of the town lend Mr. Darcy to be judged as a man with a repulsive and cruel personality. The women, who had found him dashingly attractive at first glance, deemed him a man unworthy of marriage because he offered no positive qualities other than wealth. Not only did Darcy refuse to dance with Elizabeth, but he makes it clear that no woman in the room was worthy or met his standards of a suitable partner stating that, " there is not another woman in this room, whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with" (Austen 8). In the beginning of the novel, Mr. Darcy is only concerned with the wealth and social standing of the people in the town. Because of their lesser social rank, he feels they are un-deserving of his presence and refuses to communicate with them. As the novel progressed, however, Darcy became more and more accepting of the Bennet family. Growing most fond of Elizabeth Bennet, the straightforward, clever daughter, he finally breaks and confesses his true feelings of love for her. "In vain...
The class system places the individual in the social system based on his achieved status. This status is earned or chosen. This includes educational level, careers, and spouses.
The path to marriage initiates in the very first paragraph of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This courtship novel begins with the premise that “a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife” (pg. 5) Throughout the competition for the single men, characters are naturally divided by the norms of their social standing. However, the use of social conventions and civility further divides them. The characters in need of the most moral reform remain unchanged, leaving a path for the reformers to travel to each other’s company. Austen uses the stagnant characters and their flaws as a line that needs to cross in order to achieve a dynamic marriage of mutual respect.
Comparing and contrasting Darcy and Elizabeth are relevant to relationships now. Now, just like people now and back then, many people get into relationships for many of the wrong reasons. One reason is for the possibility of gain from the other person’s money and/or wealth. Darcy realized that her family was hungry. Today, many families have become estranged due to money issues and complications.
The Relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice In the 19th century, a controversy arose over what the true foundation and purpose of marriage should be. The basis of this conflict was whether one should let reason or emotion be the guide of their love life and if a balance between the two could be maintained. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice depicts such a balance, thus becoming the model for Austen's definition of a perfect couple and for true love. Their relationship is neither solely based on a quest for money on Elizabeth's part, or emotions that blind the couple from all other important aspects of life.
Throughout the early 1800s, British women most often were relegated to a subordinate role in society by their institutionalized obligations, laws, and the more powerfully entrenched males. In that time, a young woman’s role was close to a life of servitude and slavery. Women were often controlled by the men in their lives, whether it was a father, brother or the eventual husband. Marriage during this time was often a gamble; one could either be in it for the right reasons, such as love, or for the wrong reasons, such as advancing social status. In 19th century Britain, laws were enacted to further suppress women and reflected the societal belief that women were supposed to do two things: marry and have children.
Jane Austen is very clear in her writing about class distinction and she uses the novel to look beyond the widely stratified community divided by social classes experienced in the 18th century in England. This distinction shows that class snootiness is simply but an illusion rather than a real obstruction to marriage, given that Elizabeth, though socially inferior to Darcy, she is not in any way academically inferior to him. In this sense, Darcy realizes that his class pretentiousness is mislaid toward Elizabeth, since she also finds out that her prejudice towards Darcy’s snobbish and superior manner is misplaced when he rescues Elizabeth’s family from a scandal and disgrace. In this context, the writer uses Darcy and Elizabeth to show that class distinction does not guarantee one’s happiness in life, neither does it allow him or her to own every good thing desired. For instance, Darcy is brought out as a haughty character, who initially fails to think that Elizabeth is worth him for she originates from an unrecognized family; a middle class girl not so beautiful enough to suit him. However, as the...