How is the central theme of 'marriage' presented in 'Pride and Prejudice'? How has your knowledge of the social/historical contest of the novel contributed to your understanding of the motivations of its various characters?

The first 200 words of this essay...

How is the central theme of 'marriage' presented in 'Pride and Prejudice'? How has your knowledge of the social/historical contest of the novel contributed to your understanding of the motivations of its various characters?

The book 'Pride and Prejudice' begins with the line 'it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.' this is saying that all rich men are wanting a wife.

Women, in Jane Austen's writing, who were not to inherit anything from their parents, were out to find a husband with wealth; whereas today you are more likely to marry for love. The man was more dominant and if the wife misbehaved then he could divorce her, a woman had no say and had to stay loyal to her husband for wealth purposes. For women, marriage was often the only means of social status improvement. Marrying for money may seem unromantic but for most women it was for safety so they had something to live for.

Put most bluntly, her father or her husband defined a woman's position in life and she was expected to be