Marriage Traditions in Persuasion by Jane Austen Essay

Today marriage is seen as an expression of deep love and respect for another person. In Austen’s time, a ‘good’ marriage was seen to be one where wealth and social status of the man and woman were socially suitable. There was very

Jane Austen was a Georgian era author who was best known for her novels that commented on social issues and class, and Northanger Abbey is no exception. Austen’s social commentary is apparent in this novel’s plot, as the reader follows a seventeen-year-old protagonist, Catherine Morland, as she matures and forms intimate relationships with fellow characters in an England town called Bath. Marriage between characters in the novel is heavily based on wealth, and because of England’s unstable economy at the time, marrying into wealth meant maintaining a high social class and economic stability for the characters. The importance of economic prosperity and social rank heavily influenced marriage in 19th century England, and this idea bourgeoisie classism and marrying for wealth is contradicted by Austen in her novel, Northanger Abbey.

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen introduces the major thematic concept of marriage and financial wealth. Throughout the novel, Austen depicts various relationships that exhibit the two recurring themes. Set during the regency period, the perception of marriage revolves around a universal truth. Austen claims that a single man “must be in want of a wife.” Hence, the social stature and wealth of men were of principal importance for women. Austen, however, hints that the opposite may prove more exact: a single woman, under the social limitations, is in want of a husband. Through this speculation, Austen acknowledges that the economic pressure of social acceptance serves as a foundation for a proper marriage.

In Pride and Prejudice Author Jane Austen claims that marriage should be between a man and women who love each other equally. Austen's disgust of Marriage and decorum in British culture is written through the eyes of main the main character in Pride and Prejudice, Miss Elizabeth Bennett. It is sad to think that marriage could be bought or in Elizabeth Bennett’s case not afforded. Marriage shouldn’t be the only measure of worth for women. Someone should not feel “repugnance” for a marriage due to situation.

They are often seen arm-in-arm, enjoying nature or exploring the grounds at Kellynch Hall. Perhaps a somewhat unconventional couple, Admiral Croft allows his wife to take the reins in a carriage (Austen 62) and go with him on his naval journeys. When they visit Bath, they have no shortage of acquaintances who are delighted to see them (Austen 111). Genuinely lovely and loving, the Crofts, though not the main characters in the novel, outshine the others as the picture of true happiness.

Examine Austen’s presentation of what is called in the novel, ‘women’s usual occupations of eye, and hand, and mind’. In Jane Austen’s society, the role of women was controlled by what was expected of them. In most cases, marriage was not for love, and was considered as a business arrangement, in which both partners could gain status and financial reassurance. Though Austen opposed the idea of none affectionate marriage, many

In the early 1800s Jane Austen wrote what would be her last novel, Persuasion. Persuasion is set during the “Georgian Society” which greatly affects the character's views and actions throughout the novel. Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth quickly fell in love when Anne was just nineteen years old, but because he wasn't wealthy enough, Anne was not given the permission by her father, Sir Walter, to marry him. Eight years after this incident, the roles have reversed; Sir Walter has lost all of his money and Frederick Wentworth is now known as Captain Wentworth. Throughout the novel, Anne tries to overcome struggles with social class in order to fulfill her longing of being with Captain Wentworth. Therese Anderson's statement about the

In Persuasion, the last of Jane Austen’s works, the readers are immediately intrigued by the autumnal tone of the piece, and the mellowness of the main character, Anne Elliot. Anne, a twenty-seven year old upper middle class woman, met and fell in love with Captain Frederick Wentworth at the age of nineteen. She was however, forced to break off the relationship at the time because Wentworth was deemed an unsuitable match. Eight years later, they meet again and by that time Captain Wentworth has made his fortune in the navy and has become an attractive catch. Anne was now uncertain about his feelings for her. Persuasion examines English society’s view of marriage and

Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want if a wife"

When introducing their early relationship, the narrator reveals, “[he] was, at that time, a remarkably fine young man, with a great deal of intelligence, spirit, and brilliancy; and Anne an extremely pretty girl, with gentleness, modesty, taste, and feeling.” (Austen 23). Anne and Captain Wentworth have history, but because of Wentworth’s low rank at the time, their marriage never happened even though they were madly in love with each other. Their early relationship is another example of how rank, name, and prestige can trump love because Wentworth had not yet achieved high naval rank and a great fortune. At the end of the novel after the discovery that these two lovers persevered years continually loving each other, the narrator states, “[who] can be in doubt of what followed? When any two young people take it into their heads to marry, they are pretty sure by perseverance to carry their point” (Austen 234). Even though their first fling did not result in matrimony, these young lovers’ persistence brings them together, finally. Despite their reluctance to share their steadfast love for each other, Anne and Captain Wentworth’s characters obtain new dimensions when the reader discovers that their love for each is constant and

Anne Elliot, the main character in Persuasion, contrasts with other characters in the novel. While some characters, namely Sir Elliot and Elizabeth, prize power and influence, Anne is motivated by love and other internal emotions. She fell in love with Captain Wentworth, a man “who had nothing to recommend him, and no hopes of attaining affluence, but in the chances of a most uncertain profession, and no connexions to secure even his farther rise in the profession” (Austen, 35). To Anne, Captain Wentworth’s social and financial statuses did not matter. She would be willing to, as Sir Elliot would say, throw her life away, to marry Wentworth’s “confidence…warmth…[and] wit. Anne is the most independent character in Persuasion because she does not prioritize the greed for social power that reverberated through the baron class. Anne only decided not to marry Wentworth due to the

    Additionally, there are aspects of Jane’s life that may have contributed to her career as a writer. Anne Lefroy was an important friend of Jane Austen. Also known as “‘Madam Lefroy,’” she was a writer, fond of literature, and kind to the poor (Kelly). Subsequently, she “encouraged [Jane’s] intellectual development” and may have influenced Jane’s occupation as a writer (Kelly). Within the Austen household, reading was a common way to pass the time, so one family member would read aloud to the rest. A person’s ability to read aloud was considered a valuable skill. In the same way, Jane’s characters in Sense and Sensibility compare and judge each other by skill set, which includes one’s ability to read with passion and style. The characters may also judge

The failings of not marrying for love are again made apparent by Austen through the account of Lydia and Wickham and their shortfalls. Lydia and Wickham’s relationship was built on a mixture of youthful attraction and naivety. In the letter she sends to Harriet,

In Jane Austen's last completed novel, Persuasion, England is one large family with two distinct branches, the navy and the aristocratic upper class-it is no accident that the two large books consulted in the novel are the Baronetage and the Naval Lists. The naval family poses a threat to the aristocratic family; in fact, undertones of social instability riddle the text, through imagery of death, illness, and accident. The marriages of Anne Elliott, Louisa Musgrove, and Harriet Musgrove reveal a gentry which can only redeem itself through intermarriage with the professional meritocratic class, symbolically taking on their values of utility and social responsibility, and