"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." .
Discuss Jane Austen's presentation of marriage in Pride and Prejudice, and why she considers Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship to be the most desired model of marriage.
There are many themes around marriage, through her presentation and symbolism, which Jane Austen portrays with this book; she lays out the different reasons and extremities for marriage between the different characters in the book. These reasons were the typical views of most families in the 1800's, families between the middle and upper class. Men and women's roles were supposed to be the leading partner in any marriage. They held the surname; they were the main if not the only source of income. They played the major part in socializing and organising. Women were solely for child bearing and pleasing the male partner. Maybe Jane Austen tries to imply that women have more importance to the male than it seemed at that time. She knows that in the 1800's most marriages were based upon wealth and status and that it was rare for marriages to go between classes. Frequently married couples in the higher classes were unhappy because they married through greed and practicality and did not base it upon love or attraction. This may have been partly responsible from the parents who usually declined marriages of love due to arguments over money or class mismatch. This also lead to the problem of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer which was not properly sorted out until the social reforms were started by the liberal government in 1907. .
The best and most respectable thing for a woman to do in the 19th century was marry, preferably equal or higher class, which gave the female a status in life, a role and social acceptance into the older and more sensible community. It was much more advantageous to find a husband, than to remain single and be a spinster in their parent's house or a governess if lucky and clever enough.
