Thesis Statement For Pride And Prejudice

Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Fay Weldon’s novel Letters to Alice (1984) elicit a deeper understanding of human behaviour and social expectations. A comparison of these two texts highlights the changing expectations of women and the timeless necessity of education. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen criticises her society’s expectations of women as restrictive and detrimental for their happiness. In the Regency era, women depended on men for wealth or status by marriage, and women in general were expected to be submissive to men.

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.

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.

In Pride and Prejudice Author Jane Austen claims that marriage should be between a man and women who love each other equally. Austen's disgust of Marriage and decorum in British culture is written through the eyes of main the main character in Pride and Prejudice, Miss Elizabeth Bennett. It is sad to think that marriage could be bought or in Elizabeth Bennett’s case not afforded. Marriage shouldn’t be the only measure of worth for women. Someone should not feel “repugnance” for a marriage due to situation.

Pride and Prejudice is a movie directed by Cyril Coke in 1980 that is inspired by the original book of the same title, written by Jane Austen. The characters and scenes played in the movie, showed more substantial details compared to the previous black and white film on 1940, directed by Robert Z. Leonard. Jane Austen was an English writer who gained her fame through her books that showcase critiques on the British landed gentry by the end of 18th century. Her successful books include Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, and many more. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen portrayed five unmarried Bennet daughters who were pressured by their mother to marry, and were thrilled upon the arrival of two wealthy noblemen. Through Elizabeth Bennet, the author showed how Lizzie must overcome her own false prejudice against class-conscious Mr. Darcy, and overcoming her lower status to find romance. This book also showed the significance of wealth for marriage and the control parents have over their children’s marriage in the 19th century Britain.

Marriages were organized in a way in which both families would benefit from the marriage ("Elizabethan Wedding Customs" 1).

The value given to marriage in the 18th century is examined by Jane Austen in pride and prejudice. These values are further explored and evaluated by Letters to Alice. Pride and Prejudice shows the urgency and importance placed on marriage as a vehicle for getting wealth, social status, and a home for women of the 18th century. Letters to Alice brings new insight into the context surrounding the motives of marriage in Pride and Prejudice, whilst also providing insight into the marriages of Weldon’s own era. Charlotte Lucas is characterised as a woman not ‘thinking higher either of men or matrimony,’ but she still marries Mr Collins

In Austen’s time, issues such as the role of women and marriage were heavily enforced. The role of women in a patriarchal society, especially female power and control were important in the regency period. Women had very little control of their lives and the only thing that would provide them with security was marriage. Since, not many women worked in the 19th century, marriage was very significant and would secure a woman’s future, financial assets and social status.

A young woman, Hannah, is soon to be married to William Drew of Isle of Wight County. Her family has been planning the wedding for years, and preparing her to be appreciated as a member of society and a successful housewife, being as Hannah has trained her whole life to be a wife and mother, and is less concerned about love in marriage than about how it will affect her socially. Hannah has courted William Drew as many other young women in the society of England around the 1800’s have also done in order to take their first step into adulthood; marriage (Elizabeth Maurer). Hannah is an example of a young girl who lived in England during the 1800’s and went through courtship and marriage. Courtship and marriage during the Victorian days compared to today’s relationships varies tremendously and can be encompassed into general information, courtship, the effect of social class, and divorces.

The standards for men and women of the time between 1796-1813 dictated nearly every aspect of an individual's life. It told each person how to behave and how they will advance in society. The most important thing to a woman of this time was her own reputation. Her class and familial wealth were the main contributors to how others perceived her. It was best for a woman to marry well (wealthy, good-breeding, good family background, etc.) to maintain a good and sturdy reputation. However, a woman couldn’t just worry about herself and how others perceived her. There was also the worry of the family reputation, which, as it was, would also affect a woman’s reputation. If the

Similar to today, woman in the Elizabethan era considered their wedding day the most important day of their life. However, most marriages were arranged so that both families involved would benefit from it. The traditional wedding would consist of a ceremony and reception. The topics that will be discussed in this paper are the bride and groom of an Elizabethan wedding, the ceremony, and the reception.

Jane Austen’s view of marriage in relation to the woman’s place in the hierarchical order furthers the notion of Daniel Defoe’s of how marriage is used as a means of survival and status. In Moll Flanders, Robin wanted to marry Moll which confused everyone. Robin would be marrying downwards which was not acceptable. Similarly, marriage is used as a form of commodity when Charlotte Lucas was at risk of becoming an unmarried old maid which risked her survival. When the younger girls and boys are formally entering adult society they worry about Charlotte’s status. “But still he would be her husband --Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated

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

This develops the idea that her future with this man as a married woman provided a stable lifestyle where she would not have to live by the rigid patterns of society, reinforcing a modern day feminist reader’s view of the expectations and restrictions placed on unmarried women during the Victorian era.

If she married a man with enough money and respectability, then she could look forward to a comfortable life. If she did not marry, then she was doomed to be homeless and indigent, as there were little to no job options for women at the time. In this time when women were fully dependent on men for survival, Elizabeth still manages to stay true to her beliefs by not being eager to marry. If she is to be married, Elizabeth would want it to be out of “true affection”, which could then grant her much “felicity” (Austen, 75). She would never want to marry a man solely for financial security, as society expects many women to. Elizabeth doesn’t let societal pressures hinder her beliefs on what constitutes a successful, worthwhile marriage. When Mr. Collins proposed to Elizabeth, she confidently turned him down by saying it was “impossible for [her] to do otherwise than to decline” his offer (Austen, 81). She had long decided that Collins was a ridiculous man who she had little respect for. She would not give up her independence to spend the rest of her life with him, even if it would have kept the Bennet property within the family. Declining this opportunity of marriage is rather courageous of Elizabeth because she is risking never being proposed to again, putting her chance for a stable life at risk. The Bennets could only afford a small dowry, which would not attract many suitors. With that in mind, Elizabeth shows her