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- Submitted by: elisabeth107
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 05/25/2010 04:10 PM
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Is Pride and Prejudice Merely a Love Story?
The main storyline of “Pride and Prejudice” is of Elizabeth Bennet, and her initial prejudice against an apparently proud Mr Darcy. As the book progresses, her understanding of him grows better, and the book culminates in their marriage.
The question is asking whether “Pride and Prejudice” is merely a love story or not. “Pride and Prejudice” is certainly a love story, and love and marriage are two of the main themes of the book. However, the main point of marriage is that it should only be done for love, and there are many bad marriages used to convey this.
The first sentence of the book is “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is a famous quotation for its irony, as what is really implied that single men with good fortunes will always have fortune hunters attaching themselves to them. They are portrayed negatively, as Jane Austin is expressing her view that this is wrong, and a bad reason for marriage.
There are many examples of this type of marriage for economical reasons in the book. The most significant is Charlotte Lucas, who marries Mr Collins for money. As shown in a conversation between Elizabeth and Charlotte, Charlotte’s opinions on marriage are that marrying for money is the best reason. However, although Charlotte manages to be content with this situation, she is left with a foolish husband who she has no real feelings and respect for, and who she avoids the company of as much as possible. Jane Austin has portrayed their marriage like this to satirize the concept of marrying for money.
Mr Collins, on the other hand, marries Charlotte in order to both improve his reputation and standing, as well as to please Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Austin satirizes these reasons for marriage by simply making Mr Collins look so ridiculous that the reader can not take anything he says or does seriously....
The main storyline of “Pride and Prejudice” is of Elizabeth Bennet, and her initial prejudice against an apparently proud Mr Darcy. As the book progresses, her understanding of him grows better, and the book culminates in their marriage.
The question is asking whether “Pride and Prejudice” is merely a love story or not. “Pride and Prejudice” is certainly a love story, and love and marriage are two of the main themes of the book. However, the main point of marriage is that it should only be done for love, and there are many bad marriages used to convey this.
The first sentence of the book is “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” This is a famous quotation for its irony, as what is really implied that single men with good fortunes will always have fortune hunters attaching themselves to them. They are portrayed negatively, as Jane Austin is expressing her view that this is wrong, and a bad reason for marriage.
There are many examples of this type of marriage for economical reasons in the book. The most significant is Charlotte Lucas, who marries Mr Collins for money. As shown in a conversation between Elizabeth and Charlotte, Charlotte’s opinions on marriage are that marrying for money is the best reason. However, although Charlotte manages to be content with this situation, she is left with a foolish husband who she has no real feelings and respect for, and who she avoids the company of as much as possible. Jane Austin has portrayed their marriage like this to satirize the concept of marrying for money.
Mr Collins, on the other hand, marries Charlotte in order to both improve his reputation and standing, as well as to please Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Austin satirizes these reasons for marriage by simply making Mr Collins look so ridiculous that the reader can not take anything he says or does seriously....