The Different Types of Marriages Presented in Pride and...

Discuss the different types of marriages presented in Pride and Prejudice and what this tells you about the different attitudes to marriage in the early nineteenth century. Austen opens this book with a cynical commentary on the Eighteenth Century conception of the value of love - It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gentleman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife! Throughout the book, there are many insights into different beliefs on why to marry. Marrying for money was very popular, followed by lust, calculated marriages and arranged marriages. Something not as often thought about were love marriages. â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance†. This was mainly because parents†¦show more content†¦with friends or at school. It was deemed very serious to do this and a sign of a drastic change such as entering an illicit relationship or marrying a man who didn’t meet with the approval of the family. All of this made some women want to marry as soon as possible to get financial security and social status, or to get out of an unhappy family situation. Family might also add to the pressure to get married, not wanting their daughter to be an â€Å"old maid†. Being in this situation herself Austen portrays the hard life women had through the women in the story. Darcy and Lizzie’s relationship is the strongest, one based on opposites, where he is rich but she is poor, he is reserved with his feelings where as she is open to tell them, he is intense and serious, and Lizzie has a â€Å"lively, playful disposition†. But within this there is an understanding of themselves and each other. Her feelings for Mr Darcy are more based on physical attraction along with a mutual chemistry. This shows an alternative view to Lizzie’s sister Lydia and her good friend Charlotte Lucas, which is rather superficial. At first Lizzie does not want to fall at his feet just because he is rich. Early on Darcy knows he is attracted to Lizzie but this goes against everything he wants to feel. He does not want to like her because he feels she is beneath him, because her family has no money and â€Å"low connections†. This becameShow MoreRelated Explore Jane Austen’s attitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice1671 Words   |  7 Pagesattitude to marriage in Pride and Prejudice Looking at the social, historical and cultural context In the 19th century when Austen wrote ‘Pride and Prejudice’, the way in which marriage was viewed was very different. It would have been expected of a young woman to find a ‘suitable’ partner for marriage before they were thirty, as after this they could be seen as an embarrassment to their family. By suitable, it does not mean in the way in which marriage is viewed today. 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