Attachments In Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

Austen refuses to romanticize; she recognizes the material realities which constrain love and marriage. However, she allows some sentimentality to seep into the novel. When Marianne uses the term "attachment," she is referring to the deeply individualized feeling of falling in love. The counterpart of this term is "connection," which refers to a public bond that also involves an emotional "attachment.” Marianne's relationship with Willoughby is described as an "attachment," whereas, when Elinor speaks of her relationship to Edward, she points out the lack of any recognised "connection" between them. Connections link family members to one another. Elinor and Colonel Brandon's discussion of "second attachments" is ironic in light of the ultimate changes of the novel, for nearly every character except Elinor will ultimately fall in love more than once.

Marianne must redefine her notion of love and allow herself to develop feelings for Colonel Brandon despite not falling madly in love with him on their first encounter. Edward Ferras will marry Elinor, who he truly loves, only after a long and juvenile engagement to Lucy Steele. Ultimately, both sisters end up married to the novel's second sons. All the eldest sons are cast in a negative light. In spite of the inheritance laws, it is the second sons who ultimately find happiness in the novel. They make blissful lives for themselves despite societal and financial limitations. In my dissertation I will discuss how marrying for love has a positive impact on the welfare of all characters and the fact that financial security is not the only key to