THE FORMATION OF JANE AUSTEN 'S MARRIAGE CONCEPT AND THE REFLECTION IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
by Nie Zuyuan
December,2010
College of Technology,Xiaogan University
Abstract “It is a true universally acknowledged,that a single man in possession of a good fortune,must be in want of a wife.”Almost two centuries later,the deep impression on readers left by the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice has not decreased because of their changing literary taste.As the author of Pride and Prejudice,Jane Austen was one of the famous realistic writers in English literature in the nineteenth century.Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s representative work.During the forty-two years of her short life and a merry one,Austen wrote six full-length
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But not all people can make their dream come true. Sometimes, our dream and hope just like a bubble disappear in the wind and just leave disappointment in our heart. What should we choose between love and money when we can’t choose these two things at the same time?And which style of marriage is a more perfect one? Jane Austen as a novel writer who lived more than two hundred years ago thought about these questions. Jane wrote many novels. Her novels always praised as a classical works about love and marriage, especially the novel of Pride and Prejudice. And Jane also won her highest reputation through Pride and Prejudice. The original version of the novel was written in 1796-1797 under the title “First Impressions”, and was in the form of an exchange of letters. The story of Pride and Prejudice took place in the time of the Regency in Britain. At that time, Britain was at the period of transition from the earlier stage of Capitalism to Capitalist Industrialization. In the countryside, the aristocratic family still held great power and right that country squires were likely to fawn upon them. However, as the development of Capitalism and the expand of the rank of rich people, the distinction between social strata was becoming smaller and smaller, while money was getting more and more important in people’s mind about social value. This story shows the ordinary lives, feelings of the ordinary people. They were linked up in a harmonious order under the author 's
Set during the Regency period, Pride and Prejudice focuses on the upbringing of women in a male dominated society in which marriage was the only escape from destitution. For women, the story emphasizes the major motives behind matrimony such as financial stability, social pressure, and passion, but it ultimately embodies the idea that females are capable of marrying for true love. In the following pages, this essay will first provide background information about society during the English Regency and the marriage customs set for women during this time period. This essay will then offer a brief summary of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Finally, this essay will analyze the various motives of marriages presented between
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen introduces the major thematic concept of marriage and financial wealth. Throughout the novel, Austen depicts various relationships that exhibit the two recurring themes. Set during the regency period, the perception of marriage revolves around a universal truth. Austen claims that a single man “must be in want of a wife.” Hence, the social stature and wealth of men were of principal importance for women. Austen, however, hints that the opposite may prove more exact: a single woman, under the social limitations, is in want of a husband. Through this speculation, Austen acknowledges that the economic pressure of social acceptance serves as a foundation for a proper marriage.
During the time period of the 1800s in England, not only was the economic situation different but the social norms were differently. Jane Austen depicts this greatly in her novel pride and prejudice, not only was the social classes a big deal, but the marriage between families was a bigger deal. Throughout the novel many of the characters encounter this problem of, love in marriage or money in marriage, and many of the families and females within this time period choice money in marriage. The author Jane Austen feels that the idea of marring for money rather than love is preposterous and expresses this through the character Elizabeth
Pride and prejudice is a novel that was written by Jane Austen concerning manners, pride and intolerance. Austen is a writer of distinction that manages to catch the attention of the audience in issues such as marriage, class, love and deceit. The novel is a love story; however, its author was also aimed at explaining the unfairness and discrimination that presides over the relationships that exists between people as well as how it impacts the choices of men and women. She was also concerned about how women make decisions concerning marriage. Austen depicts a society where different choices for people are rather limited, on the basis of almost entirely on a family 's connections and social ranking (Austen, 13). Austen 's novel “Pride and Prejudice” brings into spotlight various critical moral concerns in relation to the subject of the institution of marriage as well as other significant issues related to it.
Throughout ’Pride and Prejudice’ Jane Austen conveys the theme of marriage of being of paramount importance. The first line of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ defines the main themes of Austen’s’ novel, as well as subtly giving the reader an insight of Austen’s views of marriage. Her use of hyperbole ‘That a man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife’ hints at a somewhat mocking and ironic tone on Austen’s part, which indicates to the reader that Austen doesn’t agree with the general perception of marriage during her time.
The romantic era in literature was characterized by many different authors, male and female. Jane Austen was only one of many authors in that era, and one of the longest lasting; through her many novels, she shows various views on love and marriage. In Jane Austen’s critically acclaimed novel, Pride and Prejudice, Austen spares no character, male or female, in her criticism of the understood custom that the only route to happiness was marriage.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”(Austen 1). Austen gives us the insight of what it was like back in the 1800s when marrying was not done for solely love but more for money and that only a man of good class and fairly good amount wealth can have a wife. Elizabeth Bennet, A character brought to life by Austen in Pride and Prejudice, fights against the norms of her time and marries for love, even though there was a lot of money that along with it love was the main reason. Jane Austen novels
It is truly impossible to believe that relationships have not changed at all since Austen’s time. Pride and Prejudice took place in a setting where the male had complete authority over the female, and primogeniture decided who received the family fortune. However, most of Austen’s main points about personal relationships still ring true today. For instance, Austen begins her novel by saying, “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1). People in
Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in
Jane Austen shows the readers within the first sentence what the plot and main theme of Pride and Prejudice is and what social ideas she plans on presenting through this novel. The first sentence of Pride and Prejudice stands as one of the most famous introductory lines in literature. It states, “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 5). This statement puts the novel in motion by showing that the novel will deal with the pursuit of single wealthy men by various female characters. By stating this, Austen reveals that the reverse is also true in the nineteenth century English society, which is that single women of
The nineteenth-century novel Pride and Prejudice takes place in England at the fictional Longbourn estate. Historically, the early 1800s are a turning point in British history because the American Revolution and the French Revolution have just unfolded and Romanticism has taken over English literature. Therefore, equality and revolts against social norms are prevalent within literature of this time period. In her work, Jane Austen highlights the corrupt nature of marriage while also focusing on the means in which the pursuit of true love can transform a person. However, this novel comments on more than simply romance. In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen crafts a society in which status and affiliation are at the core of the characters’
It is not a coincidence that the very first sentence in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice forecasts one of the most predominant themes in the novel and in Elizabethan literature. Only a male can inherit his family’s property and fortune, and so it behooves a woman, especially one used to a high standard of living, to pursue marriage with a wealthy man. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 1). The sentence provides an overview for the book as well, which concerns itself with the pursuit of “single men in possession of a good fortune”. This motif of Elizabethan marriages continues through the rest of the first passage when Mrs. Bennet announces the arrival of Mr. Bingly at Netherfield. She enlightens her daughters about Mr. Bingly saying, “He is a single man of large fortunes four or five thousand a year” (Austen 2). Austen skillfully
Explore Austen’s Presentation Of Marriage in Pride & Prejudice Marriage forms the basis of the events featured in Pride and Prejudice and is presented in various ways in order to convey to readers the importance of it in society and the expectations which come with it. Throughout the book, Austen clarifies what makes a good marriage and how society views marriage as a unity of equal classes and a way to establish connections. The first aspect of marriage which is revealed is the way a person’s position in society affects the choice of partner. Austen states in the opening line of the book:
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
The females in Pride and Prejudice have their moral values reflected in their marriage. They each have a predetermined standard – whether it is love or monetary gain, or superficial or complex – of what constitutes a marital relationship. According to Zimmerman, “the character from whose point of view much of the action is seen is Elizabeth” (67). She is either the one being married or is the one giving opinion on another’s marriage. Jane Austen utilizes Elizabeth as the crux of the plot’s movement entrenching Elizabeth’s viewpoint of a marital relationship. Furthermore, Austen’s focus on Elizabeth’s actions is the result of Austen revealing her artistic philosophy on marriage. Austen’s and Elizabeth’s stance on marriage are intertwined.