The novel Pride and Prejudice begins with the following quote: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is potentially the most famous quote from the book and one of the most famous lines in literature, but when taken at face value, this quote might appear bizarre to modern readers. They cannot be blamed for believing so, for times and customs certainly have changed since the novel was written; there are probably very few people today, if any, who would proclaim that it is imperative that a wealthy man marry. However, when one examines this quote within the context of the novel Pride and Prejudice, the true significance of this quote and how it sets the stage for the …show more content…
In order to uncover this irony, one must examine the quote within the frame of the common English family at the time; the “truth” is only “universally acknowledged” among the Bennet family and among the other English families with daughters at the time and not among the gentlemen themselves (Austen 1). Austen herself states in the very next sentence that “however little known the feelings of such a man may be...this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters” (1). The Bennet daughters and other girls like them, who come from a modest upbringing and who have no prospects other than a financially beneficial marriage, do not care about the wants of wealthy gentlemen. As Nunberg states, only one truth, the parallel to the opening quote of the novel, matters to families like the Bennet family: “that a daughter who has no fortune must be found a well-to-do husband to look after her.” By stating that what follows is a “truth universally acknowledged,” Austen simply underlines the fact that young English women were obsessed, and rightfully so, with finding a suitable husband …show more content…
The Bennet daughters in the novel are at risk of becoming impoverished should their father die, for Mr. Bennet’s distant cousin, Mr. Collins, has been appointed to inherit the estate since the Bennets do not have a son (Austen 19). Because of this, Mrs. Bennet frantically encourages them to seek boyfriends or to marry, and she attempts to expose her daughters to young, wealthy gentlemen by having them visit the Bingleys and their friends, attend balls, and speak with other gentlemen around the neighborhood (Austen 1-2). Seeing her daughters well married is so important to her that she states the following: “If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield...and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for” (Austen 6-7). However, Elizabeth, the second-oldest but the wisest Bennet daughter, does not wish to marry merely for money; she considers herself too smart and too wise to marry some fool simply because he is rich, and she even outright refuses to marry Mr. Collins, the heir of the Bennet estate, even though the marriage would have been advantageous for the entire family (Austen 72). Elizabeth’s constant refusal of advantageous, but potentially unpleasant, marriages worries her mother and at certain points in the
A statement that remains true to this very day. Austen's first statement sets up the beginning of the novel. She states that a man, financially well off, but with no mate to accompany him. to share in his wealth, is undoubtedly in search of a wife. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy play the role of the rich men.
In Austen’s time, the inability to see past wealth when considering marriage is a cultural tie to the era and its norms. It’s a pitiable and vain cultural upbringing that is frowned upon in this century. One does not simply marry for the sake of wealth and reputation. Without love, marriage cannot last. It ends in a deadlock, or with two people living together but leading separate lives behind closed doors.
The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen gives us the reader a very good idea of how she views marriage, as well as society. The theme of marriage is set in the very opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice; "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) As Norman Sherry points out, this is Austen's way of implying that 'a single man in possession of a good fortune' is automatically destined to be the object of desire for all unmarried women. The statement opens the subject of the romantic novel; courtship and marriage. The sentence also introduces the issue of what the reasons for marrying are. She implies here that many young women marry for money. The question...
In the novel, the honor of an individual is based on the amount fortune that they withhold. This quote also implies that privileged of a man is greater in comparison to a woman. Austen implies the theme of duty by stating that, “if I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, “and all other equally well married, I shall have nothing to for.” Mrs. Bennet views that it is her duty to get her daughters married into a wealthy family.
To begin, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have a love of simple infatuation. This type of love is one without intimacy or commitment, and lies with pure passion. After the passion runs out, no love is left. Mr. Bennet married his wife because she had ample beauty, however, she exposed herself as unintelligent. He often warned his children not to do the same, just as he says to Elizabeth: "My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about" (Austen). The lack of love between her parents was quite obvious to Elizabeth as well. She saw that "her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in...
In the opening of Pride and Prejudice, the narrator claims that “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife; thus, foretelling that the theme of marriage will be the most dominant throughout the novel .This sentence is true because it is only logical to say so if one believes that the ultimate goal of a man or even a woman is to marry. However, this truth is fixed in the minds of the few families in the novel and thus, it is not a universal truth.
Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice portrays varying attitudes to marriage. "The intricate social network that pervades the novel is one that revolves around the business of marriage". Through her female characters the reader sees the different attitudes to marriage and the reasons that these women have for marrying. These depend on their social status and their personal values. The reader is shown the most prevalent and common view of marriage held by society in Austen's time, and through the heroine, a differing opinion of marriage is explored. We are shown how marriage is viewed by the very wealthy and the values they emphasise in marriage. Through the characterisation of these women and use of irony, Austen has influenced the reader's opinions on the characters attitude about marriage and that of their contemporaries.
The Bennets have five unmarried daughters, and Mrs Bennet, is one who agrees with the opening sentence: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’ The statement is one of great significance to the novel, because of its masterful irony, its humorous tone, and its foreshadowing of the entire novel. To Mrs Bennet, the arrival of Mr Bingley in the neighbourhood is seen as a great opportunity for one of her daughters to obtain a wealthy spouse. The first sentence is ironic because a man with a fortune does not necessarily need a wife, as much as a woman, who has no means of outside support in the 19th century, is greatly in need of a wealthy spouse. When the reader meets Mr Darcy, a wealthy and ‘fine, tall person’, with ‘handsome features’ ...
Jane Austen stated that “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” in Pride and Prejudice, this is the first sentence, cluing in that Pride and Prejudice is about men finding wives. The marriages that are mentioned in Pride and Prejudice, were represented in the 18th and 19th century and is still represented today. A single man is looking for a wife for many reasons, for fortune, name, love, status, beauty, etc. The first line says that a man is looking for a wife but it is interesting because the men in Pride and Prejudice were looking for wives, but the single ladies were also desperately looking for a stable husband.
and Mrs. Bennet, Charlotte and Mr. Collins, Lydia and Mr. Wickham, Jane and Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Through these couples she explores the motivations of marriage as monetary advantage, social standing, physical attraction, and lastly love. She reveals her feelings that marriages for love are those that will be the strongest. This is seen clearly in Mr. Bennet 's remarks to Elizabeth in chapter 59. “ I know your disposition, Lizzy. I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about. '
The reader notices Austen’s use of satire at the beginning of the novel when she introduces Mrs. Bennet, the mother of a middle class English family in the 19th century. Mrs. Bennet makes it her life goal to get all five of her daughters married to upper class, wealthy men such as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. You notice that Mrs. Bennet’s aspiration of finding husbands for her daughters becomes a fixation. This is best seen when Mrs. Bennet is thrilled to hear about Lydia and Wickham’s marriage, that she forgets about the fact that her daughter’s elopement with Wickham nearly endangered her sisters’ chances of ever finding a spouse that would take care of them when their father dies. Another reason why we should question the sanity of Mrs. Bennet can be seen when she puts Jane, her eldest daughter’s health at risk by sending her to Netherfield on horseback with a storm impending....
The roles of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice are contrasted between a father who cares about what’s inside of people and a mother who only worries about vanity and appearance. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s parental guidance is unique to their personalities. Because of their two opposing personas, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s ideas of marriage are contradictory for their daughters; Mr. Bennet believes in a loving respectful marriage whereas Mrs. Bennet values a marriage which concerns wealth and social status. Their aspirations for Lydia, Jane, Mary, Kitty and Elizabeth mirror their conflicting ideologies. Mr. Bennet seems to have a quiet deep love for his daughters while, on the contrary, Mrs. Bennet’s love is over-acted and conditional. Both parents help to shape their daughters’ characteristics and beliefs: Lydia reflecting Mrs. Bennet’s flighty and excessive behavior while Elizabeth inherits Mr. Bennet’s pensive and reflective temperament. Looking past their dissimilar personality traits and contradicting convictions, both parents hold the family together and play an integral role in the household structure.
Mrs. Bennet attempts to marry off her daughters to the best possible men. This was recognised by everyone and she often appeared to embarrass her daughters whenever she spoke. In her eyes the men she wanted for her daughters were wealthy, socially powerful and polite men. The idea that her daughters should marry for gain in material aspects of life was much more important for Mrs. Bennet than for her daughters to marry someone they were in love with. She believed that the family should organize the arrangement, seeing as the young girls are under the care of the family. Mrs. Bennet believes "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Therefore, she be...
Here, the main aspect of the novel is revealed by Austen presenting to the reader, what marriage was thought of at the time of writing. This quotation contains no utterance of marrying for love, only doing so on the grounds of obtaining a greater social standing and increased financial security. This quotation also goes to show how important the “want of a wife” would have been at the time of writing; not singly to the man himself, but also “in the minds of the surrounding families”. The consideration of marriage as being vastly important lies with the surrounding families as well due to the fact that they will inevitably be hoping to offload an eligible daughter into the hands of the man in possession of a good fortune; not only for the benefit of said daughter, but for the social standing...
The “truth universally acknowledged” in the opening lines of Pride and Prejudice “that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” defines the plot of the novels and highlights the importance of marriage and of marrying well. It is Mrs Bennet’s “business” of life to get her five daughters married and in Persuasion it is in her role as surrogate mother to Anne that Lady Russell has persuaded Anne to turn down a marriage she considers beneath her. Given this background, I have chosen to angle this essay towards a question that is also valid today, namely, are women allowed to say no?