Pride and Prejudice

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Examine Jane Austen’s presentation of marriage in the novel pride and prejudice taking into consideration the social, cultural and historical significance of marriage at this time.

Pride and Prejudice was written in the 19th century by Jane Austen. The novel Pride and Prejudice is based on social classes and how important marriage was. Mr Bennet who is the father of the main family in the novel has no sons therefore his money and property would be entailed to the nearest male in the family if he was to pass away, leaving his daughters with nothing. The background of this novel reflects on Jane Austen’s life itself. She believed that you should not marry for money or security, you should marry someone if you truly love them in the novel she shows how people in the 19th century had different opinions on marriage. The themes of the novel consist of love, family, relationships, marriage, social class and money. In this novel their views on marriage are different from today, as the men would only meet and talk to the women at balls and the high classes would be the ones dancing, the other social classes weren’t dancing they were known to not get married as it wasn’t right for them because marriage was all about marrying into wealth. They believe that you should marry for money and security not a lot of people married for love. Jane Austen shows the different opinions on marriage by focussing on the Bennet family; she uses the characters of Elizabeth and Jane to challenge people’s opinions on marriage, she tells the story as the omniscient narrator.  Mrs Bennet is the mother of the family she has a different view to what marriage is compared to Elizabeth, Jane and her husband Mr Bennet. In this essay I will be discussing what different kind of views of marriage also how Jane Austen speaks through her characters of what she truly believes.

Jane Austen starts off her novel with this quote; “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is basically saying that a man that is financially well off but with no one to share his wealth with should be in search of a wife. Jane Austen is using this as she is making light of what they believed in the 19th century. It could be argued that Mrs Bennet is saying this because she agrees strongly that her daughters should get married for security and wealth. Mrs Bennet sees marriage as being arranged or a necessity in life she calls marriage an “establishment”. Mrs Bennet’s view is that she wants her daughters to marry so they are financially secure although her eldest daughters want and will marry for love. She has a strong belief on marriage and implies that it is very important and they shouldn’t care about anything else than marrying into wealth so their family can be better off. “If I can but see one of my five daughters happily settled at Nether field…and all the others equally married, I shall have nothing to wish for.” This quote backs up my thoughts and opinions on what she believes; it is implying that her daughters getting married are all she wants in life. This also shows what women thought in the 19th century and how Mrs Bennet is stereotypical. Mr and Bennet’s relationship can also back up my opinion on women’s thoughts on marriage in the 19th century as their relationship is based on looks they don’t really show any affection or love in the relationship; they also have different opinions on marriage this shows that Mr Bennet is more in love with Mrs Bennet than she is with him. The author later comments on their relationship “her father captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour, which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind, had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her.”  Meaning that Mr Bennet married Mrs Bennet because of her beauty and appearance of good humour, also in their early stages of marriage he knew he has no real affection for her therefore he did not love her for who she was but for what she looked like.

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In chapter 6 we see two other different views of marriage, Jane Austen uses a conversation between Elizabeth and Charlotte in this novel telling us about their characters and their views on marriage. Charlotte feels that you should secure your man before deciding whether you love him or not mainly because he is wealthy and will make your family ‘better off’ “When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chuses”, this quote tells us what Charlottes views on marriage are and how she feels that marriage is based ...

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