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Case Report | Volume: 5 Issue 3 (July-Sept, 2024) | Pages 1 - 4
The Concept of Marriage in Jane Austin's "Pride & Prejudice”
 ,
1
Department of English, College of Education, Sawa University, Almuthana, Iraq
2
Assist Lect Department of English, College of Education, Sawa University, Almuthana, Iraq
Under a Creative Commons license
Open Access
Received
June 15, 2024
Revised
July 17, 2024
Accepted
Aug. 9, 2024
Published
Aug. 9, 2024
Abstract

The current study represents an attempt to display the most fundamental social factors in life " Marriage". The idea of marriage takes a huge area in Austin's literary productions. Among her literary productions, Pride and Prejudice is a world- famous sample, in which she originated four phenomenal marriages, and demonstrated us her visions on the idea of marriage. The visions have some directing significances to modern women. The writer also utilized her own experiences as female and writer. This issue added more potentiality to convey her message to the people and community. The main goal of this study is to investigate the situation of females and the most important issue the marriage. There were various causes that made women conducting marriage, one of these reasons is the simple social status of women. They live in poor families. They keep on seeking marriage to secure their life. In this paper, researchers have chosen this literary work to display vividly the conditions of women at that time. Austin shows various marriages and main causes behind each marriage and reveals the good type of marriage. Finally, the writer encourages females to establish companion marriages

Keywords
INTRODUCTION

Jane Austin, one of the most prominent female writers who was famous for her pragmatic writing style. Pride and Prejudice represents her masterpiece that tackled sensitive social topic that arranges human life. Marriage has different concept as far as Austin's concerned. She created four various kinds of marriages that's why she gained a great reputation among writers especially the early 19th century. Pride and Prejudice, among Austin's works is the most accommodation and interesting novel. It was written in 1813 and became widely read all the time. It exhibited the form of the daily lives and respects of the Middle-Class Englishmen at that period of time. It was male-centered and was a mirror of the society. Then it portrayed the writer's reflection for the relationship between male-female as well as money and marriage.

Women at the Victorian society were not allowed to work out of home, therefore, there are many obstacles faced them and considered work as a kind of shame on the family reputation. This made their contributions at a low rate. They believe that the best place for women is home and taking care of children. These issues made women weak and depend economically on husbands. The Victorian society had special view about women education and they considered it unnecessary for them to study. This study displays the various points and the purpose behind writing this literary work. Also the writer displays the main factors stood behind hindering women from practicing their contribution. The factors were social and political. Thus the study provides us with an appropriate picture of the women circumstances at that time. 

 

Jane Austin very much sketched the characters in the novel. She clarified their own identities and personalities. Mrs. Bennet who tried her best to make great endeavors to marry off her young daughters. Mr. Bennet is an old gentleman who has a special an old-style. Mr. Bingley is a social and friendly person who tries to establish social relationships with others. Darcy is an arrogant and proud of himself. The five females in Bennet's family are of special ideas. Jane is naïve, plain, and she didn't like to speak on others in an evil way. Elizabeth is an independent female who has her thinking and opinions. Mary is a teacher; she is much interested in classic books. Kitty follows her sister, Lydia, and doesn't have independent opinion. Lydia is a female follows strange things. The pictures of the characters seem to be the same personalities reflecting the society in the late 18th century in England. This paper will show the idea of marriage in this novel as well as its importance to modern people.

 

The forms of the Marriages in Austin's Novel.

Literature of the 19th century has a great focus on the concept of marriage as a universal and social institution. If the reader pays a great attention to "Pride and Prejudice" by Austin, the change of marriage can be noticed as an institution that presents the appreciation of the personality of women.( Hammerton, 1990). 

 

The writer sketched four marriages in her literary works especially " Pride and Prejudice" are all unusual forms Through these various marriages, the writer was succeeded in displaying the actual social problems of that period of time and presented her appreciation of marriage.

 

1.Lydia and Wickham

Lydia is the third daughter of Mr. Bennet She was an arrogant. Her mother spoiled her and made her behave frivolously whereas Wickham was attractive and takes care of his physical appearances. He has troubles because of his debts. Lydia loves Wickham and decided to marry and runaway of their family. In fact Wickham doesn't love Lydia because she was not beautiful but because she has a rich family. Her sisters think that their life will not continue because the new relationship is based on material principle.(Cecil, 1935). 

 

The marriage between Lydia and Wickham is described as not model one. The writer refuses such kind of marriage. Lydia is at the age of sixteen and Wickham is immature in his behavior. (Brook, 1999).

 

2. Charlotte and Collins

When the naïve and plain Charlotte chose to marry Collins. She agreed to marry him because the idea of marriage occupied her mind and marriage was her object. She was well-educated female and has not fortune. Collins and Charlotte marriage is equal because they are parallel of living. They never allow their friends to interference their private life. Charlotte clarifies her marriage in reasons which her needs to form her future life. 

 

As a matter of a fact that charlotte requires is only a comfortable shatter. She asks for living and settlement. That is clear in the novel when she told Elizabeth "I am not romantic, you know, I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins character, connections, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with Charlotte is as fair as most people state" (Austin, 1970). 

 

As far as Collins is concerned, he doesn't know what love is. Collins decided to marry Charlotte is only because of Elizabeth's rejection to marry him. What he wishes is just a female to be his wife and helps him to get rid of single life.

 

3. Jane and Bingley

Jane was a pretty girl of sweet and gentle behavior. She was the oldest one in Mr. Bennet's family. Bingley was a successful person in a local society. This made Jane get a good impression of him. They were attracted to each other once the reader reads the following statement in the novel "When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him" (Austin, 1970)

 

4. Elizabeth and Darcy

Darcy is very rich person and a man of a high social status. He has a superior look of upper class and look down upon the middle class. He believes that Elizabeth is a female of middle-class girl. At the beginning of the novel, he used to insult Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a girl of spirit and open-minded. She was her father's favourite daughter in the family. (Austin, 2009). Though Darcy proud of himself and looks down to middle class girls, he started admires Elizabeth for he intelligence. Elizabeth do believes that love is the core of life and represents the most important element of marriage. With the pass of time, Darcy discovered that Elizabeth's opinion of life is actual vision. Later he knows the disadvantages in himself and that matter made Darcy fell in love with Elizabeth. Their story in the novel represents the best ending. 

 

Synopsis of the Novel 

Jane Austin is a female British writer who has her traces in the history of English literature. She was the youngest of seven kids. She influenced by her family and was spending her time reading books because she lived in the middle of a family hat fond of reading literary books. She learnt from her father that man must be sincere and unselfish. She guided by Christian standard that was why the reader can trace her implicit in her writing. She took from social life her subjects to consolidate her ideas and believes. (Austin, 2007). 

 

Pride and Prejudice is a novel that tackled the life of prosperous villagers in the British countryside in the late of 18th and the early of the 19th century. The novel was composed and published in the Georgian era. The novel had the bewildering of Mrs. Bennet who wishes to marry her five daughters. The tale is inspired from actual life and the characters were real people.( Austin, 1993).  The major themes of the novel are about love, status, and prejudice. Jane Austin inspires the theme of love by searching thought relationships and various types of marriage. The themes of status is utilized to gain ideas about class in society particularly Georgian people and the effective power between male and female. Prejudice is the essential theme of the novel and expedites the major part of the plot about the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth.

 

Jane Austin's Attitude Towards Marriage

Marriage is a social fact that all human need to practice in life. It is the process by which male-female establish their relationship official, public, and continual. It is the contract between two people lasts until death or cut short by divorce or separation. To put it simply, marriage is a commitment that is related with love, respect, and support. But this is no always the case which shows why some marriages finishes with divorce. As far as Christianity is concerned, marriage is valuable gift from the supreme being whereas for Islamic regulation marriage represents is a social commitment between male and female. Sociologists think that marriage is a union involving two or more persons depending on their society. (Austin, 2009, 102). 

 

Because marriage is one of the major themes in the novel, it is obvious that the writer elaborates much on the idea of marriage.  Therefore, studying the concept of marriage in the novel looks a valuable point. It is clear that the writer depicts the social life of the 18th century people as well as their economic and social conditions taking into account the social circumstances of the British society during that era. (David:1935, 65). 

Considering the "Pride and Prejudice", it is clear that marriage has a special significance that is the core of the current study. The study is also examining the narrative technique used by the writer to broaden the rearder's imagination just like the interior monologue concentrating on the inner thoughts of the characters more than their actions. 

 

Females who brought up at the middle class had not enough education and haven't had any profession except dancing, music, or needlework. In addition to that females could not legally inherit their parents. The people at that time stick their eyes on good husband. "to hook a good husband". Nevertheless, Austin criticizes such actions, but the writer sees that it is unfair to criticize them for all the actions happened in their "husband hunting". (Sethoraman, 2009). 

 

 Jane Austin's once mentioned in her novel "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (Gillie, 2005). According to Jane Austin's perception that marriage is built on mutual attraction and this is an important for both lovers. Actual love is more respect than social position or money. 

 

Plots of Austin's works 

Jane Austin's works has special dependence of women. The writer gives more attention and highlights the subjects of female’s marriage. These works brought her enormous fame and made her knocks the doors of literature. Starting with her first novel "Pride and Prejudice". (Kaplan, 1994) sees that the heroine is a female of spirit. Then her second novel "Sense and Sensibility" which focuses on human and their relations. Love and marriage represent her major concentration. So she was female writer and wrote about women. In her second novel, Austin considers love and marriage to be the essential issues in human life that was why her novel occupied a very high position among English writers. 

In Pride and Prejudice, the writer consecrates her efforts to the idea of marriage in the Victorian time. She displays multiple-marriages. She proposes females to conduct marriages based on love and clear relationships. She shows short periods of marriages that based on materialistic benefits. Charlotte Bronte had the following attitude on Jane Austin's. 

 

"She does her business of delineating the surface of the lives of gentle English people curiously well. There is a Chinese fidelity a miniature delicacy in the painting. She ruffles her reader nothing profound. The passions are perfectly unknown to her; she rejects even a speaking acquaintance with the stormy sisterhood. Even to the feelings she vouchsafes, no more than an occasional graceful but distant recognition-too frequent converse with them would ruffle the smooth elegance of her progress. Her business is not half so much with the human heart as with the human eyes, mouth, hands and feet. What sees keenly? Speaks aptly, moves flexibility, it suits her to study but what throbs fast and full, though hidden, what the blood rushes through, what is the unseen seat of life and the sentiment target of death this Miss Austen ignores".(qtd. in Walt 127).

CONCLUSION

From the current study, it is concluded that this novel is a satirical way of criticizing people of the eighteenth century. That is clear by referring to marriage as " husband hunting" and how they are managing marriage without love and social intimacy.

 

In "Pride and Prejudice", it is shown that marriage conducts due to the attraction of physical appearances, it is established according to the wish of stability in the society as well as a matter of lust. Most of them are seeking for wealth rather than love or appreciation. The writer tries her best to depict this kind of marriage that doesn't continue forever. It is built on false concepts. The writer also coveys a moral message to the readers of her time and next generations. She manifests several marriages and their bad results, meanwhile she also lists the kind of marriages that have power side; the two marriages between Jane and Mr. Bingley and the other one between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth.

 

According to Jane Austin's point of view that marriage is not staying at home and taking care of house and children, but it is something higher. It is a spiritual, intellectual, and emotional relationship between husband and wife. Money is not real object of marriage

 

As far as fathers are concerned, they were obliged to follow the society's regulations for instance Mr. Bennet was completely conscious of his wife's dullness, he went with the flow of his wife and he was not courage enough to stop her from whatever she was employing. Mr. Lucas agrees with his plain daughter's marriage by Mr. Collins thinking that he cannot refuse this man, he was afraid there were no other suitors would ask his daughter's hand in the future.

REFERENCES
  1. Austen, J. (1993). Jane Austen, London: Aurum.

  2. Austen, J. (2007). Pride and Prejudice, New York: Vintage Books. https://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/25146/frontmatter/9780521825146_frontmatter.pdf

  3. Austen, Jane, 2009, Pride and Prejudice, Harper Collins Children‟s Books.

  4. Austen, Jane. 2007. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin Classics. Kindle edition. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/183689/pride-and-prejudice-by-austen-jane/9780718198756

  5. Austin, Jane. (1970). Pride and Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/owc/9780198826736.001.0001

  6. Brooke, C.N.L. (1999). Jane Austen, New York: https://archive.org/details/janeaustenillusi0000broo

  7. David, Cecil (Lord), 1935, The Early Victorian Novelists, Constable & co., ltd. https://archive.org/details/earlyvictorianno0000davi/page/n11/mode/2up

  8. Gillie, C. (2005). The Preface to Austin. Peking. Peking University press. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315837628/preface-jane-austen-christopher-gillie

  9. Kaplan, D. (1994). Jane Austen among Women. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315837628

  10. Sethuraman, 2009, contemporary Criticism: An Anthology, Macmillan. https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Contemporary_Criticism.html?id=JjTzAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y

  11. Twayne Hammerton.A. J (1990). Victorian Marriage and the Law of Matrimonial Cruelty. Victorian Studies.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/3828359

  12. Walt, Ian. Jane Austen. (1917). A Collection of Critical Essays. New York: United States of America Press.   https://archive.org/details/janeaustencollec0000watt

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