The famous first lines of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE are clever and true to life, as well as being extremely effective in setting up a major theme in the book: the pursuit of an ideal marriage partner.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
Austen goes on to say that given this “fact,” whenever a single man of good fortune moves into a residential area the families with single daughters begin vying for “ownership” of that man.
It is interesting that this behavior is alive and well in the 21st century in the United States. Only in this case it is not necessarily the families who compete for ownership, but the women themselves. Anytime a rich, single, handsome and charming man enters the scene, the hearts of the single women begin to flutter and the battle begins. This is a perfect example of why Jane Austen’s novels appeal to contemporary readers. We can relate to the characters and the situations.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sad but true. This phenomenon is still alive and well in contemporary society. The woman was very insightful!
ReplyDeleteJust like Austen's characters, modern day women have a variety of reasons to "go after a guy." I'd like to think I'm most like Elizabeth Bennett in that regard: I wanted intelligence, wit, and compassion, and that's exactly what I got!
ReplyDeleteHilarious and true! I think we would all like to deny that these "battles" over the most desirable bachelors are not as petty as the pictures painted by Austin of gossiping women, with her bold narratives of what is going on in their hearts and minds. No one would say these days that they are going after a guy because he is rich, but it happens all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think a good modern-day equivalent of this familiar theme is the show "The Bachelor." I love how all the women on that show just happen to fall for the one bachelor. They all feel like they have this special connection with him, when it is quite obvious that they just want to be chosen as the best pick of the litter.
Good point. It is interesting that some attitudes and behaviors are timeless. I was also pondering that statement while replacing "man" with "woman" and "wife" with "husband," and I'm not sure that the statement would hold true in that case. I find that aspect to be interesting, as well.
ReplyDelete'Tis true that "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." But why stop there. Whether they would like to acknowledge it or not, I think ALL men, whether rich or poor are in want of a wife. Sure men are great at what they do and can get along just fine but how much better off are they when they do get a wife?
ReplyDeleteI also think this applies to women as well. Marriage is a great thing! Sure, it's a struggle at times and down right hard at others, but overall a good marriage is beneficial to all involved.
Austen hit not only on a timeless theme, but a timeless truth.