Jane Austen s Lessons On Dating And Marriage - 1528 Words

Jane Austen’s Lessons on Dating Marriage Writing a paper for the purpose of discussing Jane Austen s Lessons on dating and marriage in the 19th century, English novel, â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, is truly a challenge because there are many obscure as well as obvious lessons to be learned. Elizabeth Bennet, the novel’s protagonist, takes us on a journey into her thoughts, feelings and experiences as she learns to deal with various family crisis as well as her own quest for love. There are good lessons and then not so good ones. But there are lessons to be learned in both. In some instances, lessons that apply to the 18th century culture do not readily apply to our culture today. The reverse is true as well, where there are clear moral†¦show more content†¦Added to this prejudice against women in general, was the specific devaluation of a woman without material wealth. A woman’s life centered in the home and the indisputable number one goal for any young woman was to find a husband. Only then co uld she overcome the disgrace of being single and poor and only then was she awarded some level of respect and dignity from family, friends, and society. In this context, an unmarried woman was viewed as a financial drain and a burden to her family. To make matters worse, there was the legal statuate, called entailment, that would not allow a father to leave his estate to his daughters. Entailment required that an estate pass from father to a son or male heir. This posed a hardship for the Bennet family and in the event of Mr. Bennet’s untimely death, the estate would go to a nephiew, causing Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters to lose their home and financial security. I As a result of these values and social norms, a woman’s sense of identity and self-worth was completely wrapped up in finding a suitable husband. It was completely understandable for a young woman to feel like she was â€Å"helping out† her family by finding a husband and setting up a