Jane Austen's Attitude to Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen's Attitude to Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

In the early nineteenth century, marriage dominated every woman's

purpose in life, and was immensely influenced by her social status and

class. The idea was that upper and middle class women were to be

dependent on a man throughout their lives, as a daughter and later on

as a wife and that a 'good marriage' was always one which enhances

status and accumulates wealth. The opening line of 'Pride and

Prejudice' states that 'it is a truth universally acknowledged that a

single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'

This sentence hints outline of the entire plot to the reader, which

concerns itself with the pursuit of "single men in possession of a

good fortune" by various female characters. Through this statement,

the narrator also discloses that the reverse is also true, that a

single woman is in desperate want of a husband.

Jane Austen lived in a mercenary world where income and property of

the local upper class citizens were openly spoken about and there were

no secrets of the need or want to marry for money. A man or woman who

had no fortune was expected to look for a spouse who had. Although

Austen would be the last to deny the importance of money in a

relationship, she also believed that marriage should be based on love,

understanding and social suitability. Her attitude towards marriage is

displayed throughout the novel through three different types of

marriage presented in the book. These are 'the ideal state', 'the

mercenary marriage', and 'the marriage based solely on passion and

physical attraction'.

'The ideal state' is shown by Elizabeth and Darcy. Their relationship

is one that is 'rationally founded' and based on 'excellent

understanding' with a 'general similarity of feeling and taste'.

Elizabeth is the second daughter of the Bennet family, and by far the

cleverest and sharpest. She is fun loving, witty and proud of her

upbringing, although she has a strong tendency to judge too quickly.