Pride And Prejudice

483 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Marriage in early 19th century

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is a novel that goes into great detail discussing the reasons for marriage. Marriage in the 1800's, when this novel took place, was very different from conventional marriages today. In that period in time, reasons for marriages were wealth, convenience, and most uncommonly, love.
The first of these reasons is the subject of wealth. The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice states, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." In the 19th century, women usually only wanted to marry men if they were rich. This was the guys' way of getting a wife, if they were fortunate enough. As Mrs. Bennet says, "If I can see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield…and the others equally married, I shall have nothing to wish for." One easily realizes how obsessed Mrs. Bennet is with having rich son-in-laws. All that matters to her is having her daughters married to wealthy men. This one concern was not scarce in the era.
The second of the three reasons is convenience. Charlotte Lucas says it best: "I only ask a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast…" Collins isn't wealthy, but all that Charlotte wants, he can give her. This marriage is by far the most convenient of the novel. Another great example of a marriage of convenience is Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. This convenient marriage is not as easily seen, though one notices how formal they are with each other. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet don't seem to like each other at all. This seems to be very far from Jane Austen's view of marriage, though.
The third reason for marriage is love. Although a marriage brought about by love was very uncommon at this time, Jane Austen believed it was the only true reason. Elizabeth Bennet was Jane Austen's "mouthpiece" regarding this. Austen showed her new fangled views of marriage though the character of Lizzie. A prime example of marrying for the reason of love is Jane and Mr. Bingley. These two characters were attracted to each other from the very beginning, and are the only characters in the novel that truly married out of a devout love for each other.

Show More
Related

  • Jane Austen’s Novel Pride and Prejudice

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most visible impact that is historically highlighted in Pride and Prejudice is the changing social landscape of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century England. The landed gentry, those who owned land, were the most influential division of society in Austen’s time. In cases of small land classes, the English encouraged the consolidation and extension of estates by enforcing strict inheritance laws. This was established to concentrate wealth and enlarge estates by passing the property on to male children or male relatives rather than distributing it to family members (Sheehan). This is reflected strongly as one of the main conflicts in Pride and Prejudice. Due to the fact that Mr. Bennett has no sons and five daughters, Mr. Collins, an extended family member, is to inherit the land to ensure it stays within the family line. Along with this Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are landed gentry, symbols of wealth and power, as they own large amounts of property and have very large sums of money. Due to Mr. Collins disinheriting the daughters after...

    Read More

  • Pride and Prejudice

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel Pride and Prejudice is about five sisters and the things that happen on

    Read More

  • Jane Austen Rhetorical Analysis

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marriage is the biggest and final step between two young people who love one another more than anything. In the marriage proposals by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen we are able to see two different reasons for marriage. While Dickens takes a more passionate approach, Austen attempts a more formal and logical proposal. Rhetorical strategies, such as attitude and diction, have a great impact on the effect the proposals have on the women.

    Read More

  • Compromise and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...s, Jane Austen makes them 'all right'." (Sherry, 92) By having Darcy and Elizabeth end the novel engaged in an ideal marriage is a significant detail. Jane Austen, in doing this is suggesting that society would be better if it followed Elizabeth and Darcy's example. By controlling pride and prejudice, and by learning that compromise is sometimes the best way to happiness, society can hope to improve itself. Marriage in the end, is the perfect ending, since it is both an affirmation of the values of society as well as a personal fulfillment, which it is for both Elizabeth and Darcy since they improve themselves by being together.

    Read More

  • Courtship in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    1584 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Social Norms in Jane Austen´s Pride and Prejudice

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    While observing Jane with Bingely, Charlotte states: Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the disposition of the parties are ever so well known to each, or ever so similar before hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least (Austen 23). Already, the reader can see Charlotte’s tactful ways, her use of the words “disposition” and “parties” almost makes marriage seem like a business transaction, one of comfort, not love. Also, Charlottes places the disposition as the subject of the sentence where the parties are not in direct conversation with one another. Specifically, the parties are ever mentioned as objects of prepositions as seen in “of the parties” and “to each other” suggesting that they are not of true importance, rather their marriage is.

    Read More

  • Marriage in Pride and Prejudice and in Jane Eyre

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    Furthermore, Charlotte Lucas who has no fortune settles for marriage with Mr. Collins, the arrogant, self important, materialistic and boring man. She thinks that it is better to be married than not, even if she doesn’t like him and he is not likely to make her happy.

    Read More

  • Infatuation Of Marriage In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jane Austen, also criticizes marriage based on convenience and money. She criticizes through the experiences of Charlotte and Collins. The characters Charlotte and Collins are “perfect” for each other, they are both fake, selfish and scheming. In the nineteenth century, “most” not all women had this mindset where they wanted to marry successful and rich men to secure their futures. Love meant nothing to these types of women. Materialistic things meant everything. Charlotte Lucas is a character that only got married to secure her future. “Miss Lucas perceived him from an upper window...and instantly set out to meet him accidentally in the lane” After Charlotte finds out collins had been

    Read More

  • Pride And Prejudice Dialogue Analysis

    1698 Words  | 4 Pages

    Elizabeth is a romantic, and wants to find a man worthy of her love. On the other hand, Charlotte believes “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” Elizabeth laughs at her friend, and replies, “You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself” (24). However, Charlotte soon enters into a marriage that offers her a good home and security, but a repulsive husband. With these two characters, Austen illustrates the two kinds of marriages most common in the novel: Charlotte’s is an example of a secure, if not pleasant, marriage arrangement. Elizabeth eventually marries Darcy out of genuine love for him, not for want of money or prospects. Unfortunately, others still see the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth as

    Read More

  • Social Satire In Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... middle of paper ... ... Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice promotes change in the way the English society during the 19th century viewed marriage. Through the use of conservative characters that were socially accepted in England during this time, Austen provides the reader with necessary details that show how insane these people were.

    Read More

  • The Matrimonial Value Orientation in Pride and Prejudice

    3803 Words  | 8 Pages

    Pride and Prejudice is the most enduringly popular novel written by Jane Austen. It talks about trivial matters of love, marriage and family life between country squires and fair ladies in Britain in the 18th century. The plot is very simple. That is how the young ladies choose their husbands. Someone said that "Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the novel, flatly rejected William Collins' proposal, who is the heir of her father's property and manor, and refused the first proposal from the extremely wealthy nobleman Fitzwilliam Darcy later,"(1) all this makes it clear that Elizabeth "seeks no fame nor fortune, but self-improvement and high mental outlook."(1) It's right. From the view point of Austen, Elizabeth's marriage, who finally marries Darcy, as well as Jane-Bingley's, composing money and love, is the ideal marriage people should after. But in other marriage cases in this novel, we can see that if money and love can't be held together in one marriage, love would always make a concession to money because of the special social background. After reading through the whole book, we will find that money acts as the cause of each plot and the clue of its development. It affects everybody's words and deeds, even Elizabeth Bennet. Tony Tanner once said, "Jane Austen, as well as other authors, is very clear that no feeling could be extremely pure and no motive could be definitely single. But as long as it is possible, we should make it clear that which feeling or motive plays the leading role." (2)

    Read More

  • Love in the Time of the Victorian Era

    2331 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...not money or status. By satirizing love, Austen displays real love in all its purity. Jane and Bingley have a pure, honest love, and this is the kind of love Austen presents in her novel, which is what should be established in a real relationship.

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 19th century, a controversy arose over what the true foundation and purpose for 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. The significance of having this balance is portrayed through the inability of the other couples in the story to reach an equal amount of happiness as Elizabeth and Darcy because of their pursuit of either reason or passion.

    Read More

  • relationships in pride and prejudice

    1463 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, several, if not all of her characters, can confirm the belief that in order to achieve happiness one must discard their pride and in turn, replace it with self-respect accompanied by some humility. In addition, acceptance and mutual respect must replace one’s prejudice. The novel reveals four couples that live through social inconviences. The setting, although the novel does take place in many different places, is mainly broadcasted from Longbourn, somewhere in England. It is set around the Bennet family, which consists of seven members. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and their five daughters which of whom none are yet married. At this period in time, marriage was based a great deal upon money and reputation, not so much love and trust. When a single man entered town, he was called upon only if his financial situation was above normal. Marriage was based around land, family connections, and wealth. In many minor characters of the novel, pride is a common characteristic. Mrs. Bennet, for instance, is extremely proud when it comes to her daughter’s marriages of mercenary benefits. She is so concerned that her neighbors have a high opinion of her that her own vanity will not

    Read More

  • Women's Role in Pride and Prejudice

    2457 Words  | 5 Pages

    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. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen portrayed a women’s struggle within a society that stresses the importance of marriage and strict behavioral customs. As evidenced by the Bennett daughters: Elizabeth and Jane, as well as Charlotte Collins, marriage for young women was a pursuit that dominated their lives.

    Read More

More about Pride And Prejudice

Open Document