The Formation of Three Marriages in Pride and Prejudice
Outline:
Introduction
1. Utilitarian Marriages.
1.1. The story of Collins and charlotte’s marriage;
1.2. The marriage of no passion and little affection but successful;
1.3. Analyze the character feature of Collins and charlotte;
1.4. Social background behind their marriage.
2. Moral marriage.
2.1. The story of Bingley and Jane’s marriage.
2.2. The marriage of genuine affection esteem shown as a real marriage but not an ideal one.
2.3. Analyze the character feature of Bingley and Jane.
2.4. Their marriage fit Austens’s ideal of happiness.
3. Perfect marriage.
3.1. The story of Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage.
3.2. The marriage with affection, esteem and passion, shown as a perfect, real and happy couple.
3.3. Analyze the character of Darcy and Elizabeth;
3.4. Social background behind their marriage and fit Austen’s ideal of happiness.
Conclusion：
傲慢与偏见中的三种婚姻形式
摘要：通过收集大量的文献资料作者论述了奥斯丁《傲慢与偏见》中三种不同的婚姻形式，介绍了三种婚姻——实利婚姻，道德婚姻和完满婚姻，并且分析了一个人的性格影响着他（她）对爱情和婚姻的看法，以及社会道德对婚姻形成的制约作用。这篇论文旨在说明第三种婚姻（完满婚姻）是物质生活和精神生活的完美结合，最后作者得出：财产，地位，爱情，知识可谓幸福的四大要素。
关键词：婚姻，爱情，社会道德观，社会地位，财产
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The Formation of Three Marriages in Pride and Prejudice
Abstract: The author collected a considerable amount of information of discussing the formation of three different marriages in Austen’s Pride and prejudice. The paper recommended the three marriages are utilitarian marriage, moral marriage and perfect marriage. It was analyzed that one’s character reflects his/her marriage and attitudes towards love and social mores were reflects their marriage’s formation. The emphasis of this study lies in the third marriage (perfect marriage) that arrived at the combination of physical life and mental life. Finally the author concluded the important factors of a successful marriage is fortune, love, status and knowledge.
Keywords: marriage, love, social mores, status, fortune
The Formation of three Marriages in Pride and Prejudice
Introduction
Among all the novels written by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has been valued as most successful and popular masterpiece. The ladies and gentlemen in the landed gentry, the plots of this novel revolve around the intricacies of courtship and marriage between members of her class, which is great attraction to many readers. In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I made an analysis of those three types of marriages and came to a conclusion that the formation of four different marriage. Nearly each marriage has a different flavor; each person’s character reflects his or her marriage and their attitudes towards marriage; each marriage was reflected by the society of those days and Austen’s personal experiences.
1. Utilitarian marriage
1.1. The story of Collins and Charlotte’s marriage;
The first marriage presented before us is the marriage of Collins and Charlotte. To begin with, Collins made up his mind to marry one of the daughters of Mr. Bennet as a way of reconciliation with Longhorn family. When Mrs. Bennet hints that Jane may soon be engaged, he fixes his attention on Elizabeth. Soon his proposed to Elizabeth was a failure. Having been refused by Elizabeth, Mr. Collins never sad at all. By the encouragement of Charlotte, Mr. Collins throws himself at her feet.
1.2. The marriage of no passions and little affection but successful;
Why can Collins and Charlotte marry in such a short period of time?
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There are several reasons of Collins and Charlotte respectively. First of all, let’s look at Collins attitudes towards marriage. He concluded reasons for marriage are: First, it is right for a clergyman to set example of matrimony. Second, the marriage will add to his happiness. Third, Lady Catherine believes that find the very noble lady whom he honor of calling patroness. (Austen, 64) Charlotte marries for the sake of marriage but she pretends to be happy. We can also see her attitudes towards love and marriage from her words: “Happiness marriage is entirely a matter of chance” (Austen, 75) Charlotte’s belief that it is better not to known one’s husband too well foreshadows her “practical” marriage.
The combation of Collins and Charlotte only come from their insistent mentality of marriage. Collins wants a marriage, which can have the honor of calling patroness. But Charlotte only needs a husband and a comfortable house. That is her idea of marriage, which accounts for her quick marriage with Collins. They all don’t need love. So they turn their utilitarian marriage come true.
1.3 Analyze the character feature of Collins and Charlotte;
Collins is a vulgar, pompous and rapacious man who is subservient to his parsons and always arrogant before his inferiors. The absurdity of Collins’s snobbery is played to the hilt when he approaches Darcy and falls to notice the contempt with which Darcy replies to his introduction. His pompous and rapacious character determines that his proposal to Elizabeth is a failure. His vulgar and servile character and his ridiculous concept of love lead to his quick marriage with Charlotte. To Collins, Charlotte was the only choice he could make.
Charlotte is a vain and mediocre girl. Her mediocre character and perception result in her marriage with Collins. She accepted Collins solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment. Charlotte’s letters about her married life to Elizabeth fully revealed her vain character. She knew that Elizabeth had looked down upon her for her choice, as no one could understand the strangeness of Mr. Collins making two offers of marriage within three days and “any woman who marries Collins, a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man, can’t have a proper way of thinking.” (Jane Austen, 110) Actually, she marries for the sake of marriage but she pretends to be happy.
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1.4 Social background behind marriage;
Collins, a parody of a serious cleric, serves as a vehicle for criticism of the practice of entail. (Douthat, 69) He would inherit the estate of Longbourn, the property of Mr. Bennet of everything. Collins functions as another example of Austen’s criticism of snobbery. He differs, however, from Miss. Bingley and Lady de Bourgh in that he is not snobbish because of his own rank; rather, he is snobbish by association. Charlotte, lacking a fortune, is a pragmatist; she must capitalize on any opportunity that presents itself in order to avoid the social scorn that accompanies old maid status. As Austen says of Charlotte: she “accepted (Mr. Collins) solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment.”(Douthat, 80)
2. Moral marriage
2.1. The story of Bingley and Jane’s marriage;
In the first at Netherfield, Jane began to make acquaintance of Bingley who fall in love with Jane at their first ball and their romance flourishes quietly and steadily. When their romance went smoothly, his sudden departure nearly ends his happy love. The cause of his departure stems from his relationship with Darcy. Darcy think that Bingley’s attachment to Jane was obvious, however he saw Jane liked Bingley, but he did not believe her to be in love, and therefore liable to be injured except in a worldly sense by Bingley’s withdrawal. So Bingley began to doubt Jane’s affection to him, he left her without saying good-bye. Later, when all misunderstanding clarified he comes back to Jane at Darcy’s assistance.
2.2. The marriage of genuine affection, esteem shown as a real marriage but not an ideal one;
The arrival of Mr. Bingley is the event that sets the novel in motion because it creates the prospect of a marriage of wealth and good connection for eager Bennet girls. Its declarative and hopeful claim that a wealthy man must be looking for a wife, it hides just beneath its surface the real truth of such matters; a single woman must be in wait of a husband, especially a wealthy one. (Douthat, 50)
Jane and Bingley engage in a courtship that occupies a central place in the novel. The first meet at the ball in Meryton and enjoy an immediate mutual attraction. They are spoken of as a potential couple throughout the book. Indeed, they are so similar in nature and behavior that they can describe together: both are cheerful, friendly, and good-natured, always ready to think the best of others. “Jane and Bingley exhibit to the reader true love unhampered by either pride or prejudice, though in their simple goodness, they also demonstrate that such a love is mildly dull.” (Douthat, 28)
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In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a story of how Elizabeth (and her true love, Darcy overcome all obstacles-including their own personal failings-to find romantic happiness. She questions weather she should marry Fitzwilliam Darcy for love or social stability. The first time he asked for her hand in marriage he was obviously was not wanting to marry for love but to upgrade her poor social ...
2.3. Analyze the character feature of Bingley and Jane.
Bingley was a popular person in the novel. He had a pleasant countenance and easy unaffected manners. Bingley is a cordial and simple young man who is easy to approach and constant in love. His affection towards Jane was obviously sincere and unaffected, but he lacks strength and independence in his marriage, so lead to his parting with Jane. Pleasant and modest as he was, Bingley was far from the man who was strong and determined. When their romance went smoothly, his sudden departure nearly ends his happy love. His departure to Jane and his back to Jane at Darcy’s assistance, Bingley’s indecisive character determine that his happiness was controlled by others.
Jane is a kind and mild girl with introverted disposition. She is constant in her love but lacks strength and self-confidence. It is quite natural for Jane, so kind and innocent, falls love with the pleasant and simple Bingley. She adored Bingley very much. But her tranquility and introversion nearly consumed her felicity. Jane cherished her feelings towards Bingley, yet she chose to conceal it. She tried to control her passion, lest anyone find it.
2.4. Their marriage fit Austen’s ideal of happiness.
Austen emphasizes the matter of entailment in order to create a sense of urgency about search for a husband. Though Jane is the eldest child in a fairly well off family, her status as a woman precludes her from enjoying the success her father has experienced. When her father dies the estate will turn over to Mr. Collins, the oldest male relative. “The mention of entailment stresses not just the value society places on making a good marriage but also the way that the structures of society make a good marriage a prerequisite for a ‘good’ life. Austen thus offers commentary on the plight of woman. Through both law and prescribed gender roles. Austen’s society leaves woman few options for the advancement or betterment of their situations.” (Douthat, 58)
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... her society. Austen was a realist and painted her time as they were. In this novel, love and money-based Darcy-Elizabeth marriage is the ... her household financially despite Darcy and Elizabeth’s continuous help. The Bingley-Jane marriage is another example of good marriage, like the Darcy- Elizabeth marriage, where mutual understanding, ...
It is the nature of Austen’s novels that romance must win out over all of the obstacles, whether social or personal, that it faces “in the end, in Austen, despite the undeniably relevant social issues of class, money and practicality, this question always proves most important.” (Douthat, 132) Of course Jane and Bingley were married in order to love.
3. Perfect marriage
3.1. The story of Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage
Mr. Darcy is less pleased with the evening and haughtily refuses to dance with Elizabeth in the first ball in Netherfield, which makes everyone view him as arrogant and obnoxious. However, Mr. Darcy finds himself increasingly attracted to Elizabeth charm and intelligence later. Mr. Bennet’s “hire” –Collins visiting Elizabeth’s household, Mr. Collins is quite enthralled by the Bennet girls. Shortly after his arrival, he makes a proposal of marriage to Elizabeth. She turns him down, wounding his pride. One day Darcy makes a shocking proposal of marriage, which Elizabeth quickly refuse. There were three things Elizabeth seriously holds against Darcy: she thought he had spoiled Jane’s chances with Bingley; that he had done this because he despised the social position of the family, and that he had ruined Wickham’s career without due cause. Darcy leaves her but shortly there after delivers a letter to clear the air. This letter causes Elizabeth to reevaluate her feelings about Darcy. After that hearing Lydia has eloped with Wickham. Darcy helps Bennet to pay off Wickham. After the marriage of Lydia, Lady Catherine come to stop Elizabeth married Darcy. Elizabeth spiritedly refuses. Later, Elizabeth and Darcy go out walking together and he tells her that his feelings have not altered since the spring. She tenderly accepts his proposal. They do not get married for anyone’s wish, or for convenience. They are a perfect match for each other.
3.2. The marriage with affection, esteem and passion, shown as perfect, real and happy couple;
Darcy is Elizabeth’s male counterpart. The narrator relates Elizabeth’s point of view of events more often than Darcy’s, so Elizabeth often seems a more sympathetic figure. However, that Darcy is her ideal match. Intelligent and forthright, When he proposes to her, for instance, he charms, beauty, or anything else complimentary. Her rejection of his advances builds a kind of humility in him. Darcy demonstrates his continued devotion to Elizabeth, in spite of his distaste for her low connections, when he rescues Lydia and the entire Bennet family from disgrace, and when he goes against the wishes of his haughty aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, by continuing to pursue Elizabeth. Darcy proves himself worthy of Elizabeth, and she ends up repenting her earlier, overly harsh judgment of him.
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Elizabeth’s admirable qualities are numerous-she is lovely, clever, and, in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly as anyone. Her honesty, virtue, and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behavior that pervade her class-bound and often spiteful society. Nevertheless, her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray; pride and prejudice is essentially the story of how she overcome all obstacles—including their own personal failings—to find romantic happiness. Elizabeth must not only cope with a hopeless mother, a distant father, two badly behaved younger siblings, and several snobbish, antagonizing females, she must also overcome her own mistaken impressions of Darcy, which initially lead her to reject his proposals of marriage. Her charms are sufficient to keep him interested fortunately, while she navigates familial and social turmoil. As she gradually comes to recognize the nobility of Darcy’s character, she realizes the error of her initial prejudice against him.
3.3. Analyze the character of Darcy and Elizabeth;
He is a good man of integrity with proud appearance. He is constant in his love and willing to make sacrifice for his lover. His true love to Elizabeth leads to his first proposal to her regardless of her humble family and her inferior position. Darcy first appears to us a handsome but very proud person, cold and ill-mannered. Finally, he chose to tell her that he liked her against his character, against his will and reason. So she indignantly hurled his proposal back in his face. Embarrassed and ruffled, he didn’t lose the control of himself, he acted like a real gentleman, he asked Elizabeth to forgive him for having taken up so much of her time, and accept his best wishes for her health and happiness. His love to Elizabeth was ardent and sincere, even Elizabeth herself was quite astonished at his court and sorry for the pain he suffered.
His decent character and true love to Elizabeth result in the fact that he did his utmost to rescue Wickham and Lydia from their trouble. Darcy’s steady character and noble minds determine that his love was not mere overnight’s impulse. After having been accused of arrogance and selfish of the feelings of others, Darcy decided to make a change of him. However, his affection for Elizabeth outweighed anything else. He did his utmost to rescue Lydia and Wickham from their trouble. He met Lydia and Wickham several times, extricate them from their debts and assist them in their marriage.
Elizabeth is an intelligent and sensible girl, who is self-dignified and prone to hasty judgments. She is also brave and discreet in her love. Her intelligence, bravery and discretion in love bring about the fact that she refused Collins’ first proposal against her mother’s will. She was self-dignified and sensible, valued true love as something noble and lofty, but never trade self-esteem with love, never trade money with love. Her refusal of Collins’ pompous proposal is a mirror, which reflects, for the first time, her perception and character, and her attitudes towards love. The fact that she is self-dignified and prone to hasty judgment leads to her refusal of Darcy’s proposal. In spite of deeply rooted dislike, she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man’s affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an instant, she was at first sorry for the pain he was to receive. Obviously, Darcy’s proposal was more impressing than that of Collins, as it derived from the true affection. But his haughty of words insulted Elizabeth’s self-esteem. She was by no means to sacrifice her self-respect to accept Darcy’s court. She hurled his proposal sharply and decidedly in his face. As a matter of fact, her harsh refusal of Darcy’s proposal increased his admiration instead of reducing his passion.
Elizabeth was a witty and sensible lady. She tried to find the real character of Darcy through her own observation and understanding. Then came the Lady Catherine’s visit. The spirited girl was not to be intimidated by the bullying Lady Catherine and coolly refused to promise not to marry Darcy.
3.4 Social background behind their marriage and fit Austen’s ideal happiness.
First of all, awareness of class difference is a pressing reality in Pride and Prejudice. While the Bennets, who are middle class, may socialize with the upper class Darcy, they are clearly their social inferiors and are treated as much, Through the Darcy-Elizabeth marriages, Austen shows the power of love and happiness to overcome class boundaries and prejudices, thereby implying that such prejudices are hollow, unfeeling and unproductive.
Second, social status reflected their marriage. Elizabeth think about social status on marriage might be illogical and unromantic. But Mrs. Bennet’s threat to her that “if you go on refusing every offer of marriage, you will never get a husband, and I am sure I do not known who is to maintain you when your father died.” (Austen, 115) So it is illustrate that social status is more important on marriage. This idea was so as Darcy. After the happy conclusion to Bingley’s courtship of Jane, Darcy has overcome this important obstacle at least to some degree; he now no longer cares about the Bennet’s sister’s low social status.
Third, love always a theme in Jane Austen’s works. The courtship between Darcy and Elizabeth, as in any good love story, the lovers must elude and overcome numerous stumbling blocks, beginning with the tensions caused by the lovers’ own personal qualities.
Conclusion
For different marriages lead different results. There are three typical features of marriage usually exist in society: utilitarian marriage, moral marriage and perfect marriage. It is clearly to see what makes the three marriages formed. At last, through the main line in Pride and Prejudice, I can conclude that fortune, status, loves, knowledge are four main factors of happiness marriage.
References
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妹妹 《婚姻伦理与文学叙事》 http:// www.starmate.com
“Pride and Prejudice—-Notes on Education, Marriage, Status of woman, etc.” .
