Courtship And Marriage In The 1800's

A marriage proposal is an occasion where one person in a relationship asks for the other's hand in marriage. Overtime, marriage proposals have changed in virtually all cultures. In the 1800s, marriage was more for social gain or monetary gain. However, marriage for love wasn’t unknown. William Collins proposal to Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice and Bradley Headstone’s proposal to Lizzie Hexam in Charles Dickens's’ Our Mutual Friend are perfect examples of two different types of marriage proposals that may have been giving during the 1800s. Analyzing Mr. Headstones and Mr. Collins’ techniques and the language used in their proposals reveal the weaknesses and strengths of their proposals.

In the Regency Era, marriage was a necessity for both genders. Men and women looked for sensible spouses who would be socially acceptable to marry. During this time, it was not uncommon to arrange a marriage or marry for money or status. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas illustrate the primary reason for marriage during the Regency Era: economics.

Jane Austen provides her readers with insight into marriage and English society within the 1800’s. In Emma, the story establishes the idea that society could not function without marriage and how the institution of marriage defined one’s social status.

Although there were many changes in the features of marriage and courtship in the 1920s, many of the elements of courtship and marriage have remained constant. The changes that occurred are still evident in society today. The

Colonial American citizens faced several challenges through the time span of the 16th century to the 18th century. It was a time of great change and growth as well as being full of obstacles. The Revolutionary War, hostile Native American tribes, harsh living conditions, and disease all played factors in the struggle for survival in early America. However, there is a topic that is also significant but not discussed as often. Marriage was a confusing and exhausting situation for many individuals. One may wonder, ”What were the challenges of finding a spouse during the Colonial Era in American history?” It was difficult for young men and women to find a suitable marriage partner who would meet all their needs or standards and stay by their side till death do they part. Oftentimes, there was no choice in the matter. During this timeframe in American history, there were several barriers that affected whom one was allowed to marry. These obstacles included race, culture, social and economic status.

During the mid 1800’s, commonly referred to as the Victorian Period, social hierarchy was an enormously profound aspect of European societies. Therefore, arranged marriage and the desire to “move up” on the social ladder was a common pursuit. Throughout the text, it becomes apparent that Wilde strongly opposes this concept, as he includes several power-struggles between Lady Bracknell and the younger generation based on their conflicting desires. To expand, Lady Bracknell insists that “An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be. It is hardly a matter that she could be allowed to arrange for herself” (Wilde 16-17). This quotation reinforces the fact

To marry for money and not love is frowned upon as a social norm, but is also seen as an opportunity for women to rise in the social hierarchy. Though, love is to be the reason why bonds like marriage exist. Being a woman in the nineteenth century limits social advancement and makes it seem impossible without wealth, a background of family fortune, or matrimony to a man labeled high class. Emma Woodhouse, from the novel Emma written by Jane Austen, defines what it means to seek stature through marriage and how couples can aid in contexts such as social groups. Austen clearly covers social groups in her novel, but making the novels focal point circumvent around Emma. We look beyond how class enables opportunity for women and see just how

Marriage has always been a convoluted subject to every era of time, especially when wealth is brought into the equation of it. During the Romantic Era, the state of marriage illustrated women’s continued inequality in society. For instance, women lacked legal equality once they entered marriage due to coverture, which is the condition of a woman during her married life, when she is under the law of being the authority of and protection of her husband. This basically entails that once a woman marries, she is property of her husband. In later decades, women would make great strides to gain legal recognition. However, during the late eighteenth century, Romantic feminists voiced more practical concerns rather than that of law (Feldman 280). Before the nation could acknowledge women as equals, husbands must first accept their wives as true partners in marriage. This was considered not only logical, but practical. Feminists located one of the sources of inequality within women’s own behavior and the methods they employed to gain husbands. Women had been taught to use beauty and love to attract husbands, but beauty and love are only temporary states. These states do not establish a solid foundation for a lasting marriage. As illustrated in Jane Austen’s novel Emma, a successful marriage is founded upon the match between two personalities, and not upon looks.

What is Marriage ? Some might say it is when two people are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. What is love ? Love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Reading that definition it is really not specific about what that deep affection is attracting. Love and Marriage had a different meaning in the 1800’s in comparison to today's time period. Jane Austen's romantic novel Pride and Prejudice displays marriage during the 1800’s as only for money and higher rankings on the social class “Marriage is indeed a maneuvering business.” ( Austen) You would rarely see a female marry someone less wealthy than her. It was frowned upon ; it was more appropriate to be a “ Older” unmarried woman than a woman who has married for

Public respectability and social status was a key requisite in upper-middle-class Victorian Britain. Another significant cultural characteristic of nineteenth century Britain was the importance of family as a source in identifying a socially and economically fitting marriage partner for middle class women. Gordon and Nair argue that even though individuals had the choice of marriage partner it was not an unhindered choice. The social separation of classes made it improbable that an inappropriate match would be encountered, however even in the contained social circles of the middle classes, when the system of self-regulation failed, parental influence came into play. Possibly the best example of this mismatch of culture and class can be seen in the notorious court case of Madeleine Smith and Emile L’Angelier and their scandalous love affair that led to Smith being tried for his murder and acquitted on a “not proven” verdict.

The changes in sexual decency, for men and women, in the late eighteenth century most accurately explain marriage during this time period. For elites during this time, marriage was the defining factor of what made sexuality acceptable, because sexuality for reproductive purposes was "universally good"(Kushner, 9/4/15). However, sex activity outside this framework was frowned upon and regulated heavily by society (Kushner, 9/4/15). For common people, marriage was less concerned with sexuality and more with daily economic and social survival (Kushner, 9/4/15). Towards the end of the century the demographic shift, which responded to the increase in birth rates, highlighted that sexuality gained social acceptance outside of marriage (Kushner, 9/4/15).

In the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not “tie the knot” like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, readers can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today.

England has always had a rich history of interesting cultural traditions but arguably none as prevalent as marriage. Marriage, the union of two people with emotional ideals and expectations, are brought on by many different factors that include: for love, for money, for climbing social status, escapism, survival, etc. In Jane Austen’s novels, she focuses on the importance of marriage in her world because she wanted to emphasize how marriage is the most important life event of a woman as this would determine her place in society. Persuasion shows readers good and bad examples of marriage: the amiable Crofts and other couples such as Sir Walter & Lady Elliot and the Smiths. Jane Austen uses the Crofts to support the importance of marriage

Poovey exhibits a nice pace in her essay by following up her thesis with an immediate example breaking down Emma Woodhouse’s view on marriage and love. Poovey states that Emma’s reluctant nature to marry is her awareness that based off her current social status marriage couldn’t give her anything she already has

Through the use of literary devices, Pride and Prejudice reveals Jane Austen’s attitude towards the novel’s theme of true love through the actions of the suitors; the process of courtship in the 1800s articulates characterization, foreshadowing, and irony. The novel opens with the line, “it is a truth acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of wife,” (Austen 1) which foreshadows the conflict of finding a significant other . During the Victorian age, men and women courted others of the same education, wealth, and social status; it was considered uncommon for someone to marry beneath them or to marry for love. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth Bennett’s encounters with different characters of varying