Among her works, the most popular work is Pride and Prejudice, which firstly came out in 1813。 This novel was based on the theme of love and marriage, focusing on the Bennet family and Mr。 Bennet’s five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia。 The story began with Mr。 Bingley, a young wealthy bachelor who moved into Netherfield Park near the Bennet family。 Mr。 Bingley soon got accustomed to the surroundings while his friend, Mr。 Darcy was considered proud by people, including Elizabeth, who was prejudiced against him。 However, as time went by, Mr。 Darcy was gradually attached to Elizabeth, but he was unwilling to admit that because of his pride。 And after paying a visit to Mr。 Darcy’s house, Elizabeth saw a different side of Darcy and Elizabeth found that she had fallen in love with Darcy。 As a result, the couple got married with their parents’ and friends’ blessing and so do the other couples: Jane and Bingley, Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins。
Even though the story is set at the 19 century, Pride and Prejudice is still spread abroad in the modern society。
2。 Literature Review
The works are the children of the author, in other words, the works show the authors’ personal attitudes and feeling。 Similarly, we can find Jane Austen’s views and values in Pride and Prejudice, such as her view of marriage。 In Pride and Prejudice, by analyzing several different females and their different marriages, Jane Austen shows readers different views of marriage。
In sum, Jane Austen advocates free choice of partners, and is not against the sense of hierarchy。 In Analyzing View of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice, Gao Huiling concludes that love is the cornerstone of marriage and marriage needs the guarantee of property, at the same time, the couple should be matched for marriage。
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen fully expresses her opinion on the relationship of marriage, hierarchy, sense and love。 She holds the view that everyone should be serious when it comes to marriage。 Zhang Qian, who comes from Xi’an International University also has analyzed the view of marriage by researching three couples in Pride and Prejudice: Lydia and Wickham, Elizabeth and Darcy, Charlotte and Collins, and found that Jane Austen held the view that love and marriage is in complete harmony。 In addition, property also plays an important role in the marriage。 If one gets both love and property, he or she will win a true happy marriage and live a happy life。 Love is most important in a marriage。 In Pride and Prejudice, we can also find this。
Liu Yingjie, a professor of Liaoning University of International Business is also in favor of this opinion that it is wrong to marry for property or hierarchy while the marriage without considering property or hierarchy will also be considered to be wrong。 In some other papers, we can also find the view that people should not make property a priority but the marriage without the basis of money will finally break down。
In addition, we all know that women could not inherit property and they could only depend on their fathers and husbands。 “The law deprived their rights of inheritance, vote and education。 The theology, by input of the males’ ideology, ordered their subjection。 Women could not in any way possess property, engage in business or dispose their children and even their own persons。” (Das。 56) So the only way they could get social status and property was to marry a wealthy man。 In Breakthroughs and Limitations in Pride and Prejudice: A Feminist Reading, Tu Dena also expresses this opinion: “Women were deprived of the rights of education and inheritance, thus they had no capabilities to be independent either intellectually or economically。 Marriage served as the only way to get rid of their predicaments。 A successful marriage was vital to their future life。” (Tu)