Sunday, February 24, 2019
Jane Austen strongly emphasises the links between romance and finance: her attitude is always practical
At the time in which Aus tenner was writing women were to a lower place enormous pressure to sweep up for the purpose of securing their pecuniary futures. Therefore, brotherhood, though ro hu troops raceticised, was in many ways a financial transaction and social trammel rather than a matter of passionateness. Although Jane Austen did non cond atomic number 53 loveless marriages (she stayed atomic number 53 all her life), she did approve of couplees having equality in various aspects, including wealth, social status, love and principal. Austen strongly believed in non marrying for the wrong reasons.With reference to bullion this meant that a person Austen would disapprove of would be someone who unite purely for the pretend of wealth. Perhaps those who argon well of anyway, provided want a great financial security in life, or those who were of mediocre wealth who married for money to avoid being a sad spinster in later on life. An example of someone who wishes to marry for money in superbia and Prejudice would be Caroline Bingley. Caroline Bingley, by way of her brothers good draw is a wealthy character, with a dowry of, twenty thousand hammers Her financial interest in marrying Mr. Darcy would be for the gain of a greater financial standing. dribble Bingley shows littler true eye or sagaciousness for his character, thence head for the hills Bingley says to him, You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many evenings in this manner- in such society The assumption made here is that over looking at Bingley thinks herself to throw away the uniform status and therefore feelings as Mr. Darcy. We are told later on that Miss Bingley whilst reading a book in Mr. Darcys company, quite an exhausted by the attempt to be amused with her own book, which she had sole(prenominal) chosen because it was the second volume of his This shows us that Miss Bingley has few of the same interests or indeed the same superior mind as Da rcy, do the match unsuitable, for in Jane Austens mountain a couple should generally not only pick out equality in status but in mind as well. This relationship is comparable to that of the Eltons in Emma.Mrs. Elton, formerly Miss Augusta Hawkins is from a trade background in Bristol, is one of the characters that Jane Austen classifies as neuveau riche. Mrs. Elton is married to Mr. Elton, who at the beginning of the novel appears to be a relatively overstepsome, agreeable village vicar but who quickly becomes a character who is presented as being proud, conceited, and superficial. This match of these characters in a financial manner is considered, by Austen to be suitable. Mr Knightley says to Emma, Elton knows the value of a good income as well as anybody, Elton may talk sentimentally, but he will act rationally. By marrying Mrs Elton he is gaining a good financial source. She has a brother with a large fortune residing at Maple Grove and thanks to her brothers good fortune she is financially secure.How forever this is where Jane Austens view on the match becomes negative. At the ball at Randalls, Mrs Weston suggests that Mr Elton dance with Harriet but he refuses profusely within her range of hearing, his married muliebrity who was standing immediately above her, was not only listening also, but even encouraging him by significant glances. This quote shows that Mrs Elton is a poor match for Mr Elton as she encourages him to be cruel to Miss Smith. Indeed finished Emmas thoughts later on in the novel, Jane Austen informs us that Mr Elton, was growing precise standardized her his wife.This implies that Austen believes that a marriage between two people should be a productive one. Not one in which the couple encourage the sad mannerisms in each other. Jane Austen also portrays the foolishness of not taking money in to consideration when choosing a partner. Austen shows the reader here that money is not an irrelevant matter in marriage. This radic al is shown through the marriage of Mr collins and Miss Lucas in plume and Prejudice Charlotte Lucas says to Elizabeth Bennet, Happiness in marriage is on the whole a matter of chance. This shows the practical side to Austens view of marriage, sometimes marriage must be a practicality and financial gain is an important gene in making the pickax of who to marry. Later on the reader is told that Miss Lucas accepted the proposal she received from Mr Collins, solely from the pure and disinterested rely of an establishment This shows the logicality behind the acceptance of Mr Collins marriage, without it Miss Lucas, although she would not have to work, would have to look after her parents in their elderly earth as a spinster.However we also hear Jane Austens opinion on this matter later on when Mrs Gardiner advises Lizzy, saying, Do not involve yourself, or endeavour to involve him in an affection which for the want of fortune would light upon so very imprudent. Later in life a womanhood would rely on her husbands income when her own dowry had run out. A man with little income had few prospects for a woman and so the match would be unwise and thoughtless. Austen presents the point here that it is difficult for a woman to go up the line between marrying purely for financial gain and not being improvident and choosing a man without some money to his name.This is contrastable with the marriage of Jane Fairfax and unmannerly Churchill in Emma. Frank Churchill disregards the fact that Jane has no money, and wishes to marry her nonetheless. This situation is represent by Austen through the use of her Cinderella plots. This is a term used when a woman marries above their class, Jane, who is facing the threat of a life of, self-mortification and mortification as a governess is saved by both the financial and social status of Frank Churchill. In these plots lines the woman is generally shown to be intellectually astute, so as to match up to her husband.Jane i s extremely gross(a) in music and manners as well as having a, an beautiful education. Living constantly with right- minded people and well- informed people, her heart and understanding had received every advantage of discipline and culture this infers that Austen approved of this match, in spite of the fact that money has been disregarded in the relationship. Arranged marriages feature in Austens work. The finance and romance conundrum of these is a point of interest explicit through many of the main protagonists.Austen portrays the belief that money should marry money. The match between Mr Darcy and Miss Anne de Bourgh made only in Lady Catherine de Bourghs mind shows this point of view. Miss Anne de Bourgh is the daughter of a noble woman and so in this era should be marrying a rich aristocratic man such as Mr Darcy. Indeed Elizabeth exclaims, She will make him a very proper wife. This is possibly the truth but Austen encourages the reader to view the estimate of this match with some irony. Miss de Bourgh is a very quiet preteen lady, unable to hold a lively conversation or debate.She is, peaked(p) looking and unaccomplished, as stated by her mother when she says, If I had ever learnt to play the piano I would have been a great proficient, so would Anne, had her health allowed it. This description of Miss de Bourgh shows Austen with a low opinion of her. Mr Darcy would never have married the kind of person who matched his social or financial status, unless they matched him in his intellectual dominance as well. This arranged match is contrastable with that of Mr Knightley and Emma Woodhouse in Emma. In this match Austen gives the reader her approval.The couple are shown to compliment each other, Mr Knightley is give tongue to to be, one of the few people who could find fault in Emma Woodhouse this shows the idea that although Mr Knightley is not under the view that Emma is perfect, he still wish wells and admires her greatly. The fact that Emma h as a i30, 000 dowry and Mr Knightley is a rich aristocrat also shows the suitability of the match. They are similar in many ways and the fact that Emma doesnt need to marry to secure her future shows that their marriage is purely for love and admiration of one anothers qualities.The gentle nature in which he reproaches her about Miss Bates and how frequently admiration he shows for her at her remorse is shown in the actions, He took her hand and certainly was on the point of carrying it to his lips and later when he addresses her, Emma, my love I feel that the idea of money marrying money is a strong Austen point. She both agrees and disagrees with the idea. Those who have money and wish to marry someone else with money should also look for equality of mind and standing in order to secure a worthy relationship.The idea of finance being considered whilst a man chooses his wife is also represent by Austen in many of her novels. Mr Wickham in Pride and Prejudice is said to have want ed to marry Miss Georgiana Darcy, a materialization lady with a great fortune behind her name. However when this affection on his behalf is abruptly ended by her brother Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Wickham looks for an alternative wife. remittal on Elizabeth Bennett this encourages the idea of Mr Wickham being a male fortune seeker.Having little money of his own it is Mr Wickham who is looking for financial gain through marriage, which Lizzy then denies him. Austen disapproves of this idea, perhaps not surprisingly so because in Regency England men were hypothetical to provide for the woman, as apposed to the other way around. This match is comparable to that of Mr and Mrs Elton. Mr Elton starting signal proposes to Emma Woodhouse, a young woman with a thirty thousand pound dowry, when refused he looks for a alternate source of money. When Emma suggests that he might like Harriet, a poor and illegitimate woman with little money to her name. in conclusion Mr Elton marries a woman na med Augusta Hawkins, a woman with a ten thousand pound dowry. This shows that Mr Elton considered the gain of financial wealth through his choice of wife very important in the match. Jane Austen shows many different situations in which finance should affect your choice of who to marry. In many of these situations she lours upon those who seek money through marriage, Mr Elton and Miss Bingley are fine examples of these people, and the irony with which their characters are portrayed shows the disdain that Austen feels towards them.However Austen also shows the foolishness of not considering finance in a match, pointing out that in later life a woman will be reliant on the wealth of the man that she has chosen to marry and so she should choose carefully. I believe that although Austen would like to frown on those who look for financial support over love she sees the susceptibility and logic in doing so. Austen who remained single for all her life shows an insightful view to the probl ems of finance and romance in the 18t century.
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