How Does Jane Austen View Of Marriage

Through the use of her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen critiques her era’s view of marriage. By examining several of Austen’s narrations, Charlotte Lucas’s nearly mechanical approach to marriage, and Mrs. Bennet’s relentlessly pragmatic wish to see her daughters married, it becomes evident that Austen does not view society’s definition of marriage in a positive light. During the time period in which the novel was written, marriages often revolved around money and social status. Jane Austen herself never married, which, given the time period she lived, raises the question about how she viewed her era’s definition of marriage. Based off of how she portrays marriage in her novel, Pride and Prejudice, it becomes evident that Austen viewed
Charlotte Lucas is a character that showcases how Austen is offering a criticism of her culture’s courting style. Upon visiting the Bingley household, Jane Bennet converses with her friend, Charlotte Lucas. During her conversation with Jane, Charlotte says “If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him” (Austen, 15). This showcases the idea that marriages in her society are transactional, and that Austen believes they are not authentic. By stating that a wife “may lose the opportunity of fixing him” (Austen, 15). Again, this showcases and furthers the idea introduced by Austen in the beginning of her novel, sort of by implying that women are the dominators of society, and that men play a subordinate role. Due to the time period in which this book was written, many readers would find it comical that a woman would be leading or “fixing” him, and relying on that to continue the element of satire present in portions of Austen’s
Throughout her work, Austen uses satire as a method of keeping the reader engaged, yet communicating her point. By examining how Austen narrates sections of the story without dialogue, how Charlotte Lucas acts in general and in specific instances, and by how Mrs. Bennet interacts both within and without her family. Due to the highly conservative yet class and wealth based marital system ingrained into society at the time, and as a result of Jane Austen’s continued pointed satire, it becomes evident that she is offering a critique of society’s way of marrying by expressing her ideas in an unusual way. Additionally, the fact that Austen never married and lived on an estate that she did not and was not allowed to own serve to further the idea that Austen is criticizing