Explore Jane Austen’s attitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice

1657 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the book, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Explore Jane Austen’s attitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice

Looking at the social, historical and cultural context

In the 19th century when Austen wrote ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the way

in which marriage was viewed was very different. It would have been

expected of a young woman to find a ‘suitable’ partner for marriage

before they were thirty, as after this they could be seen as an

embarrassment to their family. By suitable, it does not mean in the

way in which marriage is viewed today. Today marriage is seen as an

expression of deep love and respect for another person. In Austen’s

time, a ‘good’ marriage was seen to be one where wealth and social

status of the man and woman were socially suitable. There was very

little, if nothing at all based on a good love match. This can be seen

in Austen’s opening statement, ‘it is a truth universally

acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must

be in want of a wife.’ Austen’s use of irony immediately indicates

that she does not agree with this popular view of her time. Austen’s

views are depicted throughout the book through the thoughts of

characters, especially through the main character, Elizabeth Bennet.

They seem to share the same view that social suitability is not enough

for marriage, but it should be based on love and understanding. For

Austen to hold this opinion in the time that she lived shows she was

ahead of her time, as her opinion is the common view among today’s

modern society.

Austen illustrates two main examples of the ‘ideal state’ of marriage.

These can be seen through the relationships and eventual engagements

of Bingley and Jane, along with Elizabeth and Darcy. The way, in which

Austen portrays these two relati...

... middle of paper ...

...and compatibility and the

feelings of the two people involved, were not high on the priority

list for a good, successful marriage. However Austen thought this

should be the other way around, as she believed that love and

compatibility are one of the most important aspects of a good marriage

and that money and social status should only play a part in marriage,

not decide it. This can be seen where she shows her personal feelings

towards each different type of marriage shown. In the marriages she

sees as being ‘good’ marriages, we can assume that they will be happy

when the marriage has been based on a balance of their personalities

and their love. Throughout each she continually stresses the

importance of love, equality and compatibility in a marriage. The

reader is shown the alternatives to this, in both the positive and

negative consequences of marriage.

Show More
Related

  • Jungle Fever Research Paper

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Romantic love has been the norm since eighteenth-century Europe, when we began connecting marriage with romance." If people did not love each other, then there would be no relationship. Sure, they could try to make it happen, but what would be the point of having the relationship in the first place? If they are trying to escape from something and are not actually motivated by love, they are just creating a new entity to eventually want to escape from. Only love will cause people to remain and stay together in a relationship. According to a study done at Grand Valley State University, titled "The Social Psychology of Love and Attraction", it's true that "shared traits including similarity, religion, ethnic group and race were important features of the other person for over half the participants [in the study]. Each of these traits is linked to a commonality in background. People are subconsciously drawn to others who have the same familial background." This study shows that people do consider factors such as race and cultural identity when seeking a potential partner for a relationship. However, the study also shows that the most important factor in attracting a potential mate is personality. The second most is physical attractiveness. These traits are more important in deciding a potential mate than anything

    Read More

  • The Attitudes Toward Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Attitudes Toward Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Jane Austin wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice in 1813. The novel provides a great deal of information and gives us a detailed insight to the different attitudes towards marriages at the time. Pride and Prejudice is focused and written about the lifestyles among "gentry". The "gentry" was the middle to upper class citizens in England. In the novel Jane Austin shows us that social status is a very important factor and that is was essential to have connections with people higher up in the gentry.

    Read More

  • Proposals of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    1765 Words  | 4 Pages

    or wealth but a man that she can talk to and who will respect her

    Read More

  • Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen In pride and Prejudice there are many different marriages that occur. There are also, various, different incentives for these marriages. In comparing Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship with, Lydia and Wickham, and Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins the reader begins to see the different reasons in which the partners marry. The reader can base their views on the priorities of each relationship. If a reader was to read of a marriage based on financial security like Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas' they may have preconceived ideas about how the relationship will work if love is not involved, they may form prejudices on the marriage based on their own beliefs and ideals.

    Read More

  • The Bachelor: Expectations For Love

    2115 Words  | 5 Pages

    What does the show, "The Bachelor", say about our expectations for love in our culture?

    Read More

  • Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Marriage in Pride and Prejudice It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife." Jane Austen provides subsequent argument with the first line of her novel, Pride and. Prejudice. The.

    Read More

  • The Secret To Desire In A Long-Term Relationship By Esther Perel

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perel explains how the culture we live in now withholds different expectations for love in individualistic societies. (Perel, 0:53) This connects to what we learned in the love chapter. We learned that in western cultures, there is an overall focus on “attraction and matching” and the expectation that they will live “happily ever after” with their partner. (Clark, 2015a) These are the expectations Perel is referring to which individualistic societies now rely on in forming their concept for what love should be like in relationships. These expectations however, may also be impacted by interdependency and our compassion level. For example, comparison level “describes the value of the outcomes that we believe we deserve in our dealings with others.” (Miller, 2012, Interdependency, p.176) Our prior events that we have experienced may serve to explain why individuals have these high expectations, especially since the current culture we live. Perel mentions that couples commonly tend to bring up the fact that they want more sex (Perel, 10:37), which in the sexuality chapter we learned that sexual desire and frequency has different factors that are taken into account. For example, comparison level is overall an important aspect to consider here and rather than “evaluating how often they have sex or the degree to which they disagree about sex,” couples should instead

    Read More

  • Compromise and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is not unusual for an individual to disagree with social customs or expectations. Some people are only happy when they can rebel against society. Most mature adults eventually realize that compromise is necessary to achieve happiness. This is the case in the early nineteenth century England setting of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. In the novel, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a lively, independent woman, whose family's financial situation and whose strong mindedness suggest that she may never marry. Mr. Darcy, is a rigid and proper man, who falls in love with Elizabeth, despite their differences. By the end of the novel, Elizabeth and Darcy learn to compromise, and, in doing so, become truly happy. In marrying, they not only fulfill themselves as individuals, but also affirm the principle values of society. The marriage at the end of the novel shows Jane Austen's ideal view of marriage as a social institution.

    Read More

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

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, marriage exists as a large part of life. The values of marriage change on a year to year basis and as trends continue to change so will marriage. There have been numerous reasons for marriage throughout time such as arranged, wealth, love or many others. In the 18th century, many marriages were based on one’s class and wealth and not true love. Today, many marriages do not take wealth or class into account they focus on that person’s inner self and love. Marriage exists as an overlying theme throughout Pride and Prejudice and every marriage appears for a different reason.

    Read More

  • Jane Austen's Attitudes to Marriage in Persuasion

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jane Austen's Attitudes to Marriage in Persuasion In Persuasion, marriage is one of the major themes of the novel, and Austen's attitudes towards marriage are present in chapter four of the novel. The first episode in which we can examine Austen's attitudes to marriage is in chapter four. In chapter four we must notice that there is no direct speech, which shows that all of the narration is Austen, with her views and opinions being presented to us. When talking of Mr. Wentworth, Austen says ' He was a remarkably fine young man, with a great deal of intelligence, spirit and brilliancy' and of Anne 'an extremely pretty girl, with gentleness, modesty, taste and feeling.'

    Read More

  • What attitudes to love and marriage does Jane Austen explore in Pride

    1920 Words  | 4 Pages

    would be a very gallant thing for him to do to marry one of his

    Read More

  • Views of Marriage in Jane Austen's Emma

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    Harriet, what do you mean? Are you in doubt as to that?...I lay down a

    Read More

  • Marriage in Pride and Prejudice and in Jane Eyre

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most of the novels we read involve marriages .Discuss the dialectics involved in the marriage of Pride and Prejudice and another novel of your choice.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literary Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The novel Pride and Prejudice, is a romantic comedy, by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is a story about an unlikely pair who go through many obstacles before finally coming together. Pride is the opinion of oneself, and prejudice is how one person feels others perceive them. The novel, Pride and Prejudice, uses plot, the characters of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and the status of women and social standing, to portray the theme of the novel - pride and prejudice.

    Read More

  • Comparing Austen's Bride And Prejudice

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Bride and Prejudice, which is structured much more like a typical romantic comedy film than the original source material, Darcy doesn’t propose per-say in this scene, but confesses his love for Lalita (Elizabeth’s equivalent). Lalita and Darcy have spent the last couple of days together, and in a series of montages and music, we can see that they are starting to fall in love. This scene is immediately after Lalita has found out that Darcy is the one who convinced Balraj (Bingley) not to marry Jaya (Jane), and she has also just met Anne de Bourgh that Darcy’s mother (who plays a similar part to Catherine de Bourgh) is trying to persuade Darcy to marry. In this scene Lalita is wearing a white sari, and Darcy is wearing an all black suit, and

    Read More

More about Explore Jane Austen’s attitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice

Open Document