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How Jane Austen Analysed Marriage Pride and Prejudice
How Jane Austen Analysed Marriage Pride and Prejudice
Love and marriage in jane austen
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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.'
In a novel so concerned with wealth and status we must notice that
Austen makes no comment concerning the wealth of either. Austen says
of Anne and Wentworth that 'they were gradually acquainted, and when
acquainted, rapidly and deeply in love.' It would seem that Austen is
implying that in English society you must either gain wealth or love
from a marriage, as very rarely were both love and wealth gained.
Another theme of the novel which seems to accompany the theme of
marriage is that of the private and the public. Austen says of Anne
and Captain Wentworth's togetherness 'A short period of exquisite
felicity followed, and but a short one. Troubles soon arose. Sir
Walter on being applied to thought it a very degrading alliance.'
Austen here presents to us that when the public discover the news the
relationship turns sour. Sir Walter by calling Anne and Wentworth's
relationship an 'alliance' shows that he believes it should be no more
than a business relationship. Austen's tone of 'He thought it a very
degrading alliance' scorns this op...
... middle of paper ...
... titles are measured and weighed in the consideration of
marriage. In finality, Austen uses marriage in the novel as a social
yardstick to measure and compare the characters in the novel. Austen?s
tone is condemning when talking of marriages based on money, which on
one hand shows her recognition of romance and sentimentalism but on
the other can be seen as her bitterness for never finding love and
marrying. For a novelist so concerned with the theme of marriage, it
would seem that Austen believes in love with marriage being the just
way to display affection. Austen?s condemning tone towards marriages
based on class and wealth could be Austen recognising that marriage is
not the only important thing in life. Austen would have had time to
contemplate this, being so close to the end of her own life and
realising that her life was complete without marrying.
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.
little, if nothing at all based on a good love match. This can be seen
By writing the happy ending of Persuasion at the hands of the Crofts, Austen suggests that the Crofts were aware of Anne and Wentworth’s previous relationship throughout the novel, and all the while were exploring the possibility of a rekindling of the relationship through their hints and indirect comments. For example, in Anne’s first meeting with the Crofts, to Anne’s embarrassment Mrs. Croft says to her, “It was you, and not your sister, I find, that my brother had the pleasure of being acquainted with, when he was in this country”—hinting at her knowledge of the two’s previous relationship (Austen 36). A few moments later, Anne hears the Admiral remark to Mary about the arrival of one of Mrs. Croft’s brothers—one whom she “know[s] him by
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.
We can sit around and deny that time have changed but we know good and well they haven’t very much. Wealthier people marry wealthier people and lower class marry lower class. It seems that society is set up to kind of separate us into those stereotypes. You hardly ever see a wealthy man interested in a not so wealthy woman because that’s just simply not how it goes in this world today or really ever. People in my opinion feel out of place or they feel like they will disappoint or let their family down if they marry under them. Sense and sensibility is all about not marrying under your class or anyone who isn’t as wealthy as you are because it is wrong. Austen expresses her thought on the system of society In the structure of society and the desire to marry into a higher class. she can expose her own feelings toward her society through her characters. Through Marianne and Elinor she displays a sense of knowing the rules of society, what is allowed and what is not, yet not always accepting them or abiding by them. Yet, she hints at the unimportance and fakeness of the society in which she portrayed slightly and clearly through Willoughby, John Dashwood and Edward Ferrars. Austen expertly reveals many layers to the 19th century English society and the importance of having both sense and sensibility in such a shallow
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well-noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others Elizabeth’s view on Jane and Bingely’s relationship is more hopeful, while Charlotte possesses a more aggressive view.
Persuasion, by Jane Austen is a story of a maturing heroine and her second chance at love. Eight years before Persuasion picked up the story, Anne Elliot let herself be persuaded to refuse the man she loved because her family and friends told her she was above him. He left, his heart broken, and resented her for the next eight years. She never loved anyone else, and at the start of this romance novel, she was twenty seven years old, and unmarried. In Persuasion, Austen provides a character study of Anne Elliot who transforms from an easily persuaded young girl to a strong, independent woman; and in doing so changes the lense through which her family, friends and the man she loves view her.
Wealth and happiness was the common debate for most people at the time, and usually wealth would conquer happiness. Women, and even men, always wanted to “marry up” and climb the social ladder. Austen seems to convey the idea that one should marry someone for love but does put importance on money. Although most of her main characters marry for love she makes sure they have an income. Even the characters who claim that happiness is most important, such as Marianne, have a subconscious desire for men of wealth; and sensible characters such as Elinor hesitate at the idea of a marriage that would be made impossible by a lack of fortune. In the end love and happiness triumph over wealth and grandeur as Willoughby and Lucy lose the people they love and Marianne, Edward and Elinor live contently.
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.
In her final masterpiece, Persuasion, Jane Austen focuses her attention on the two subjects that appear to concern her most: love and marriage. The heroine of the story, Anne Elliot, is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when a friend persuades her that such a match would prove unworthy. Eight years later, Wentworth returns from an expedition a rich and successful captain to find their circumstances reversed and the Elliot family on the brink of financial ruin. The central conflict of the novel revolves around one question: will Anne and Wentworth reunite their love? Anne Elliot's story is but a variation on the theme that consumed Austen's creative energies all of her
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)
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s famous novel, is, in large part, a study of marriage. It is an interesting novel for Austen since she was never married. The social culture of Austen’s day made marriage a crucial aspect of a woman 's life. A women in that time was dependent on a man for money and social standing. Synonyms for marriage are union and alliance both have very different meanings. Marriage as a union implies a fully joined couple. A marital alliance suggests that marriage is an association for mutual benefit such as money, social standing, or physical desires. Austen 's characters are developed to emphasize these differences in the reasons for marriage. She makes abundantly clear through her development of these marriages
Many novels speak of love and indulging in passion, but few speak of the dynamics that actually make a marriage work. Jane Eyre is one of these novels. It doesn't display the fleeing passions of a Romeo and Juliet. This is due entirely to Bronte's views on marriage and love. The first exception to the traditional couple the reader is shown is Rochester's marriage to Bertha. This example shows the consequences of indulging in passion. The opposite side is shown through another unlikely would-be couple, Rosamund and St. John. Through this pair, Bronte reveals the consequences of indulging in duty. Another view of marriage is also present in the book, through the character Jane Eyre and her actions.
Marriage, in that time, is not about love but social standards. Lack of choice is one of the factors why woman married in Jane Austen’s time. Women didn’t have education. They learnt only basic responsibilities. Young girls were taught that they had to get married and have children when they get older. The education is received at home, the parents taught them about domestic duties only and it is how to become wives and nothing else. A woman was not expected to work unless she was poor and had no choice. If she didn’t married, she could work as a governess or a companion lady.
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...