Jane Austen's Time Research Paper

Marriage Now vs. Jane Austen’s Time According to Google the definition of marriage is “The legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship.” But marriage is not just about a legal document binding two people together, it’s about love and commitment. Back in the 1800s when Jane Austen wrote Pride and prejudice, marriage was not based off of what it should have been, love. Marriage has greatly improved since Jane Austen’s time. Women were not being treated as equal partners back in the time of Pride and Prejudice. Men found it ok to claim women. In the book Pride and Prejudice, it opens with a statement saying how if a single man is wealthy he must be looking to get married. This makes families believe that their daughters are in a way his rightful property (Austen 1). By starting the book with this statement Austen immediately makes it clear that back in the 1800s the man had control essentially over the women, especially if he was wealthy. Women were also not seen as being capable of making choices. ‘But of course, “choice” plays little part in the matter since the primary social problem in the world of the novel is that its women have no choices.” (Prior). Marriage should be an equal relationship but in Austen’s time, the man was considered in charge. …show more content…
As stated in Why Get Married? The value of commitment, it explains that that you don’t just get married and everything is great. It takes effort and a real desire to stay with your spouse (White). In modern day marriage you also marry out of love and not because it is beneficial for you and your family. “It is a way of expressing your love and devotion to another person (White). Marriage now is based off of what it should be based off of, love. Back in Austen’s time marriage was based off of the fact that it was beneficial for their families and for themselves, especially when it came to