Analyse Jane Austen's presentation of love and marriage in her novel Pride and Prejudice. From your evidence suggest what Austen regards as a good marriage.

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English and English Literature Prose Coursework

Analyse Jane Austen’s presentation of love and marriage in her novel Pride and Prejudice. From your evidence suggest what Austen regards as a good marriage.

    In the novel Pride and Prejudice marriage is one of the major themes and was for English novels at this time. In the 18th century, the time Jane Austen was writing, novelists would write about relationships usually ending in marriage. The opening sentence of the novel:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

shows the importance of marriage in the novel. Jane Austen’s opening sentence sets the main theme of the novel, marriage. The sentence is very ironic implying that very often parents with daughters assume that single men of wealth want to marry, which may be the last thing they want. Marriage in the 18th century was very different to today, there was more to marriage than just love. Women had very few choices then and marriage was one of the only. Women had one of the main objective then and it was to get married, they were nervous about being left as a spinster. If they were left unmarried it was expected that their family would look after them, which was not an attractive choice, they would see themselves as a burden

    Courtship rules were also set out in the 18th century. Couples who called each other by first name, drove in a carriage alone, wrote to each other, exchanged gifts or touched each other were assumed engaged to be married. These rules were adhered to and this made women more marketable to be married.

    Jane Austen’s view on marriage was not all love and passion; she rarely mentions the word love. She thinks the person you marry must respect you and vice versa. She also believes the couple should understand each other’s characters completely. Jane Austen was inspired by her parent’s marriage, which was an “ideal marriage”. Jane’s parents, respected one another, knew each other’s characters and did love each other. Jane Austen thinks a good marriage consists of four things, affection, respect, esteem and confidence. True love is rational as well as emotional; all of the four things above contribute to love not purely based on passion. To show each other affection, respect each other, value each other and have confidence in your marriage, yourself and your partner.

    In the novel three types of marriages are shown. Firstly, a marriage of convenience or money which is shown through the marriage of Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas, secondly a marriage of passion and attraction which is shown in two ways: a marriage which was once full of passion and now faded, shown through Mr and Mrs Bennet and a marriage which will end up like Mr and Mrs Bennet’s, of Lydia Bennet and Wickham, and finally the ideal marriage is shown through the Gardiners, Jane Bennet and Mr Bingley and Elizabeth and Darcy.

    There weren’t many options available to women in society and in the novel. Jane Austen was unusual in the fact that she became a writer. This was not a ‘normal’ thing to do, novel writing was seen as a rather risqué occupation and when her novels were published they weren’t in her name because many people wouldn’t have bought novels written by a woman. Woman who didn’t get married had to depend on their family to care for them and they would see themselves as a burden. Another option was for a woman to become a governess this was also not a good option, it wasn’t an enjoyable job and would be a last choice.

    The fact that Mr and Mrs Bennet had no sons’ means another relative (Mr Collins) stood to inherit Longbourn when Mr Bennet died. Mr Bennet wanted a son but ended up with five daughters. When Mr Collins proposes to Elizabeth he thinks he is doing Elizabeth a favour. Her poor station in life, despite her beauty, means he believes she will never be proposed to again:

        “Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the

        effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications.”

Elizabeth’s refusal to Mr Collins shows her exercising her choice despite society’s pressures. She tells him she would never be happy:

“You could not make me happy and I am convinced I am the last woman         in the world who would make you so.”

Mr Collins speaking to Elizabeth after her refusal also shows what he regards as a good marriage is the estate he can offer her and connections he has:

“… the establishment I can offer would be any other than highly desirable. My situation in life, my connections with the family of DeBourgh…”

He does not mention one of the four things Jane Austen regards as a good marriage nor the word love.

    In the novel love is not an essential factor in a marriage, this is shown through Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte is a realist; she is aware of her poor financial situation and is prepared to marry solely for economical reasons. The narrative states Charlotte knows Mr Collin’s faults and admits his company is ‘irksome’ but, above all the happiness she could have she is gaining something she wants more: financial security and comfort:

“Her reflections were in general satisfactory. Mr Collins to be sure was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. 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 young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want. This preservative she had now obtained; and at the age of twenty-seven, without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it.”

Charlotte also tells her best friend Elizabeth that she settled for the financial security and not love:

“I am not romantic you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collin’s character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.”

Elizabeth is shocked by this decision and her view on Charlotte changes; she cannot believe she would accept the proposal from Mr Collins.

“Between Elizabeth and Charlotte there was a restraint which kept them mutually silent on the subject; and Elizabeth felt persuaded that no real confidence could ever subsist between them again.”

 The contrast is shown between Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen portrays many women’s views at the time through Charlotte and her own through Elizabeth. Charlotte’s ‘ideal marriage’ is very different to the one Austen shows.

      Mr Collins is so desperate to marry because he wants to set an example and has been told to find a wife. Mr Collins is not asking Elizabeth to marry him because he loves her, he hasn’t even known her long, he also thinks it will make him happy but he has no consideration for Elizabeth and any other person who he may wish to marry.

“I think it is a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish”, “Secondly, that I am convinced it will add greatly to my happiness.” And “…that it is particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness.”

He had none of the four things Austen thinks make up an ideal marriage especially respect. When Mr Collins arrives at the Bennets’ house he is very quick to look for a wife in the five daughters. At first he wishes to marry Jane:

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        “…the very Jane he had fixed on.”

Mrs Bennet makes it quite clear she thinks Jane will:

        “…likely to be very soon engaged.”

Austen uses humour and irony to engage the reader in how we should view Mr Collins:

“Mr Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth⎯and it was soon done⎯done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire.”

After Elizabeth rejects his proposal he does not set out to marry any other of the Bennet sisters. Charlotte recognises his desperation to get married and when they are at a lunch together so she:

        “…set out to meet him ...

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