Love And Marriage In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

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Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” circulated in 1798 when the world was changing at a hasty rate. The American War of Independence took place, slavery was abolished and The French Revolution began. Austen disregarded these historical events and chose to highlight social issues she found to be pressing through her romantic fiction. Through Jane’s observations she decided to hone in on the concepts of love and marriage. Many novelists during Austen’s time used numerous metaphors and symbolisms to illustrate people, places and ideas but Jane chose to do the opposite. Austen relied heavily on the character’s behavior and dialogue and also on the insight of the omniscient narrator. In the first volume of “Pride and Prejudice,” Austen’s characters’ behavior and events make it apparent that love and marriage do not always agree.
The novel begins with the legendary declaration, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Austen proceeds to demonstrate the complete opposite; a single woman must be in want of a young man in possession of a good fortune. She then admirably goes on to describe the social interactions of love and marriage of the upper class. Throughout the novel and during Jane Austen’s generation there were many strict social protocols and women were deemed inferior to men. The rules of conduct begin as Mr. Collins is to inherit Longbourn and the Bennet women are not able to visit him without a male introduction and Mrs. Bennet is adamant on her daughters meeting Mr. Collins, to move up socially. Mr. Bennet provokes Mrs. Bennet by suggesting, “You and the girls may go… or you may send them by themselves to visit the affluent Mr. Bingley”, knowing ...

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... a device to contrast the other couples and their relationships. Austen develops their relationship at the first town ball; she describes their actions to indicate that they are falling in love. During the time period, men and women had to meet at formal occasions like a dinner or ball and there was always a very strict code of conduct in romance. When Mr. Bingley danced with Jane twice everyone concluded that he was genuinely interested in her. Whereas when Mr. Darcy chose not to dance with Elizabeth everyone concluded that she had been insulted. Love was considered less important than marriage and women were forced by society to find suitable husbands. Elizabeth thinks Jane should act naturally to Mr. Bingley and her love will be seen, but Charlotte Lucas thinks Jane should be very assertive and not let the chance of financial security slip through her fingers.

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