Jackson 1

Christa Jackson
Mrs. Winter
British Literature, Period 2
3 May 2016
Conflicting Views on Marriage
"Single women at marriageable age were perceived as a growing social problem in midand late-Victorian England... Greg predicted a miserable life of celibacy, struggle and privation
to those women (The New Woman Fiction). In the Victorian era, there was a massive emphasis
on marriage which this quote illustrates well. If a woman was not married at a young age she
would be perceived as a problem for society, and if she got too old she might be seen as useless.
In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, published in 1813, this emphasis on marriage
is a prevalent topic. The reader can see the idea of marriage being an important factor in the
Victorian era throughout the novel. Jane Austen writes the story of the Bennet family, consisting
of the husband, the wife, and five daughters. Mrs. Bennets only purpose in the novel is to marry
off all of her children to upper class, wealthy men which she believes should be their only goal as
well. Elizabeth; however, has a different view on marriage than most of the other characters in
the story, as well as most of the Victorian society. Elizabeth wants a marriage based on love and
real connection. She comes across many men who ask her for her hand in marriage, but she
refuses them. On the contrary there are many women and men in the novel who get married
solely for the wealth and status that comes along with it. All through the novel the reader can see
that there is a very distinguishable difference between Elizabeths views on marriage and the rest
of society in this era which can be seen through a number of recourses as well as the novel itself.

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Elizabeths views differ because she wants a marriage based on love and companionship whereas
most of the people in the Victorian time period only think of the wealth and the status.
During the Victorian era marriage was often tied in with the idea of status. Even the
weddings themselves were a symbol of status. For example this quote says, "During the mid
years of the Victorian era, middle-class wealth increased, which led to the new riches. The
wedding gowns started to be seen as a status symbol. In the later years, demi-train large sleeves
were in vogue. In case the marriage was in the church, the bridal dress must have a train, with a
veil of the same length (Victorian Era Weddings/ Marriage"). An example of this type of dress
can be seen in figure one (Fig.1). The image is of a princess, so her dress had to be as
fashionable as possible in order to show her high status. Elizabeth is different because she wants
someone who enjoys being with her, someone who she can have a happy life with. The status
aspect does not matter to her so much as long as she loves the person she is with. This can be
seen in this quote that states, "True love is much more cherishing than money and social
position. This is what Austen puts a great deal of emphasis on. The heroine in the fiction,
Elizabeth, is a loyal follower of her own affection. She encourages Jane to pursue true love with
Bingley, and has disagreement of Carolines overflowing flattery of Darcy for the purpose of
only marrying a gentleman whose fortune and position are a great appeal to herself" (Jane
Austen's Views on Marriage).Throughout the novel Elizabeth always seems to disagree with the
marriages that are not based on love, such as Caroline and Darcy or Charlotte and Collins, but
she is fully supportive of the marriages that have a true connection behind them. This idea of
status being inexplicably tied with marriage is not just seen in Pride and Prejudice, but also
seen in a number of texts relating to that era. This can be seen in the book Daily Life in
Elizabethan England by Jeffrey L. Singman, when the author states Marriage was the point at

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which an individual acquired full status in society(Singman 50). Peoples status was based upon
if they were married or not. A single person did not have a high status, but once they are married
their status automatically rises. This idea is also shown in the book titled Six Wives by David
Starkey when he talks about royal marriage and states Their eldest sister was being betrothed to
Prince Alfonso of Portugal in Seville and the little girls formed part of their royal party.
Catherine was aged five when she received her first lesson in the reality of of royal marriages"
(Starkey 18). Forming a royal party is a way of going up in status after being married and this
idea was put into girls heads at very young ages so that the idea would stick with them. When
Lydia was married she felt that she was better than all of her sisters despite them being older than
her. For example she says "Ah! Jane, I take your place now, and you must go lower, because I
am a married woman" (Austen 265). Elizabeth gets frustrated when Lydia says this because
Elizabeth does not believe she is above her just because she got married and she thinks that
Lydias marriage is a bad idea because there is an obvious lack of connection, although many
believed that a connection would not create happiness. For instance this quotes states How little
of permanent happiness could belong to a couple who were only brought together because their
passions were stronger than their virtue"(Jane Austen). Virtue being stronger than passions is
what was thought to make a good marriage, but this is the opposite of Elizabeths beliefs about
marriage. In this era the obsession with marriage was so pressing that a person had to be of a
certain status and accomplishment to even be considered for a good marriage. Mr. Darcy
demonstrates this idea well when he says A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music,
singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this,
she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her
address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved"(Austen 35). If a woman did not

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have a knowledge of all of those things then she would not be of a high enough status to be
considered for a good marriage which is an unrealistic standard.
Elizabeth does not show the same obsession with status that the rest
of society does.
Money is another main idea tied in with marriage. A man
generally had to have a lot of money in order for a woman to want
to marry him because a woman could not work and make money for
herself. For instance this website states Austen is not a critic of
marriage as such but is deeply critical of the general female
obsession with the institution. This is the novel's starting point, the
ironical statement that a wealthy, single man must need a wife: this
reflects the proprietorial attitude of those women who want to acquire a man (Jane Austens
Pride and Prejudice-study). A big part of the entire novel is based off of the idea that a wealthy
man must get married. This is shown in the very beginning when Mrs. Bennet says, A single
man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!...You must
know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them"(Austen 6). Mrs. Bennet does not even
consider if her girls will want to marry Mr. Bingley or if they will like him. To her he is perfect
for them because he is rich and for many Victorian women that is all that mattered in a marriage.
Many people thought that really getting to know the person they were to be married to was
pointless and that Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of
the parties are ever so well known to each other...it does not advance their felicity in the least.
They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation, and
it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass

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your life(Austen 21). A lot of people thought that truly knowing the person whom you are
going to marry did not increase the chance of a happy marriage but in Pride and Prejudice the
reader can see the exact opposite happening with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. They both were not
fond of each other when they first met, but when they got to know each other they started to fall
in love. Other marriages in the novel do not develop that same way. They tend to be more sudden
which proves there is a lack of connection. This can be shown with Charlotte and Mr. Collins
when the novel states, The possibility of Mr. Collins fancying himself in love with her friend
had once occurred to Elizabeth within the last day or two; but that Charlotte could encourage him
seemed almost as far from possibility as that she could encourage him herself (Austen 109). Mr.
Collins and Charlotte had never engaged in any type of long conversation before them being
married, so it came as a surprise to Elizabeth. Mr. Collins had also asked Elizabeth to marry him
just days before, so it is hard to fathom that they might actually care for each other. It appears as
though the real reason they are getting married is because Mr. Collins is a very wealthy man. Mr.
Wickham and Lydias relationship is another example of how money was a big part of marriage.
For instance Jane says, He certainly would not marry Lydia, if he had not a real regard for her.
Though our kind uncle has done something towards clearing him(255). This is a topic that
comes up when Elizabeth and Jane are talking because they are worried that the only reason that
Wickham wanted to marry Lydia is for the money. They both hoped that this was not the case
since seems Lydia has genuine feelings for him. This can be seen when the novel says,
Wickham's affection for Lydia was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it, not equal to
Lydia's for him...their elopement had been brought on by the strength of her love, rather than by
his (Austen 266). Caroline Bingley is another great example of the selfish women who only
care about money because she wishes to marry Darcy for the wealth and status this will confer

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on her - his interests and hers are very different and she doesn't really understand him, but this
seems not to matter to her (Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice-study). Elizabeth, on the other
hand, turns down many gentlemen because they have different interests and views, "for
Elizabeth, love is the most important element of marriage. She does not accept a marriage which
is not based on love. She does not love Collins, so she refused the future heir to the manor and
the wealth. And at first she thought Darcy was too arrogant, so she also refused the wealthy
gentleman(Jane Austens Views on Marriage). It was looked down upon for a woman to reject
such successful men in this era. It was very offensive to the men and seen as a disgrace on the
woman, but Elizabeth is not afraid to hurt peoples feelings in order to have a happy marriage.
Money is important to everyone in some sense, just not as big of a deal to Elizabeth as other
Victorian woman looking for a man to marry.
Throughout the novel the idea of love coming second to money and happiness in a
marriage is reiterated. Elizabeth; however, is not fond of the idea of a marriage without
connection. She feels that, that is the only way to a happy lifelong marriage. She is all about love
and companionship while others in the Victorian period are more shallow and only care about the
wealth and status that comes with marriage.

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Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Pride and Prejudice. England: Thomas Egerton of London,
1813. N. pag. Rpt. in Pride and Prejudice. By Jane Austen. New York: Signet Classic, 1980. 5333. Print.
The Dreamstress. Queen Victorias wedding dress: The one that started it all. Dreamstress, n.d.
Web. 7 May 2016. <http://thedreamstress.com/2011/04/queen-victorias-wedding-dress-the-onethat-started-it-all/>.
Gilbert, Sandra, and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic. The Madwoman in the Attic: n.
pag. Print.
Instrument of Growth: The Courtship and Marriage Plot in Jane Austens Novels. JSTOR. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 1 May 2016. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/30225182?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>.
Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2016.
<http://www.janeausten.org/quotes-from-pride-and-prejudice.asp>.
Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice-Study Guide. Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice-Study
Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2016.
<http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/prose/prideandprejudice.htm#marriage>.
Jane Austens Views on Marriage in Pride and Prejudice. Scientific Research. N.p., Oct. 2014.
Web. 1 May 2016. <http://file.scirp.org/pdf/ALS_2014103014080658.pdf>.
The New Woman Fiction. The Woman Question. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2016.
<http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/diniejko1.html>.
Singman, Jeffrey L. Daily life in Elizabethan England. N.p.: Greenwood, 1995. Print.
Starkey, David. Six Wives. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.

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Victorian Era Weddings/ Marriage Customs. Victorian-Era.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2016.
<http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-wedding.html>.