The theme of love and marriage in "Pride and Prejudice".

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The theme of love and marriage in pride and prejudice

"Jane Austen takes love and marriage as the central theme for her novels , she is concerned with the problem of achieving a perfect marriage because marriage is the chief  among personal relations"* . In this novel Jane Austen seeks to present different sorts of marriage in order to define not only the good reasons for marriage but the bad reasons as well .

One example of bad marriages in the novel is the marriage of Mr and Mrs Bennet . They are presented as an ill-matched couple whose marriage is based on superficial qualities and outside appearance . There is a big gab between them . Their marriage lacks "emotional compatibility and intellectual understanding"* . Although they have been married for twenty three years , they are still unable to understand each other  , simply , because they are contrasted .

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According to Jane Austen ,  the courtship of Darcy and Elizabeth is a perfect union which sums up the purpose of her novel . Their marriage is based on love , respect , mutual understanding , and self-understanding . Although their relation begins with pride , prejudice , and misunderstanding  ;  it passes many stages as " it converts from full hatred to complete admiration and satisfaction"* . For Darcy , Elizabeth is no longer the woman who is "not handsome enough to tempt (him)"* as he has discovered that she is "a woman worthy of being pleased"*. Also for Elizabeth ...

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