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This paper attempts to conduct a comprehensive study on Austin’s views of marriage through comparative analysis of her early works and later works, so that the changes of her later view of marriage can be explored. The paper consists of five chapters. The first chapter introduces the background, significance and structure of paper. The second chapter expounds Austin’s view of marriage embodied in her early works. The third chapter analyzes Austen’s later view of marriage embodied in Persuasion. The fourth chapter analyzes the reasons for the changes of her views of marriage. The fifth chapter concludes the whole paper.
II. Analysis of Austen’s View of Marriage in Her Early Works
2.1 Austen’s View of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice
In Pride and Prejudice, Austen wrote many kinds of love and marriage of the genteel-class woman. She mainly depicted four marriage types: the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy is based on love and fortune; the marriage of Jane and Bingley possesses beauty,virtue and fortune; the marriage of Lydia and Wickham wants both sex and money ;the marriage of Charlotte and Collins is rolling in wealth but no love.
Mr. Bennet is a country gentleman, his wife was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. The business of her life was to get her daughters married. As soon as Mr. Bingley, who made lots of money by business in the North and inherited large fortune of nearly one hundred thousand pounds from his father, moves to Nether field in neighborhood, Mrs.Bennet is obsessed with idea that he should get married to one of her daughters. Since none of her five daughters has succession, Mrs. Bennet is anxious to see one of them settle in Nether field. Fortunately, the eldest daughter, Jane Bennet, who is beautiful, good-tempered, sweet, amiable and selfless, and Mr. Bingley fall in love at first sight. In her opinion, Mr. Bingley is sensible, good-humored and lively with such good manners ,so much ease and with such perfect good breeding. In his opinion ,Jane is the most beautiful creature he ever beheld and he could not conceive an angel more beautiful an pleasanter. His sisters disapprove of their brother’s marrying Jane, for in their opinion,Jane is not rich enough or grand enough for Mrs Bingley. Mrs.Bennet does all she can to procure their marriage for the sake of Mr.Bingley’s income of five thousand pounds each year. In the end, when the news of their engagement spread around, the Bennents are speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the world. No doubt what others have valued is not only their beauty and virtue but also their fortune.