Attitudes Towards Marriage Presented in Pride and Prejudice

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Explore the different attitudes to marriage presented in Pride and

Prejudice.

In the time of Jane Austen, marriage was mainly based on attraction

and compatibility. Women had the right to choose husbands, but status

in society and wealth were very important parts of their decision. In

'Pride and Prejudice' we see many different attitudes and reasons for

marrying in the gentry.

Jane Austen was brought up in a family who loved to read novels, a new

concept of writing that was very different to poetry and plays. At

first novels, written mainly around letters, were not taken very

seriously and were believed to be overly sentimental and unrealistic,

and also thought to be dangerous to influential young women. Jane

Austen's first published novel was 'Sense and Sensibility' in 1811,

'Pride and Prejudice' was published two years later.

Elizabeth is the heroine of this novel and one thing is clear about

her attitudes from the start - she will only marry for love. She is

therefore amazed that her friend Charlotte Lucas does not marry for

love, but for status and a comfortable home, "Charlotte engaged to Mr

Collins - impossible". In this way she can be seen to be prejudiced

and quite blind to other people's viewpoints other than her own - a

failing on her part.

Lizzy takes after Mr Bennet, in that she has a quick and generally

accurate judgement of people's characters. It is clear at the

beginning that she dislikes Mr Darcy, "with more quickness of

observation, she was very little disposed to approve of him". At their

first meeting Mr Darcy is very proud and disagreeable in contrast with

the good-natured Mr Bingley. It shows that she is a very good judge of

character and that she takes her first impressions...

... middle of paper ...

...she will only marry him if

she can grow to love him as much as he loves her. His attitudes to

marriage change after rejection at the first proposal.

In conclusion, attitudes to marriage would seem to depend on social

status and wealth. Those with social status and wealth would seem to

look for the same things in a partner first, with love coming second,

as seen in Lady Catherine's preference for her own daughter to marry

Mr Darcy rather than Elizabeth. However those without wealth or high

social standing, such as Jane and Elizabeth Bennet (although Elizabeth

would dispute her lack of social status), would look for love and

happiness first. Some, such as Mrs Bennet see marriage only as a way

of increasing wealth and social standing. The union of Elizabeth and

Darcy is remarkable as they marry purely for love - going against the

social traits of the time.

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