“At the beginning of the 18th century most marriages among landed or moneyed families were essentially financial arrangements designed to cement powerful alliances and exchange or acquire land and property.”(Moor, W., 2009). Money, as a result of this reality, plays a central role to the plot of Pride and Prejudice and has an equally prevalent presence in Persuasion. In the late eighteenth-century England, the era in which the novels are set, life was defined in specific ways by income and class. Women of the upper and middle classes, despite being born into wealthy environments, were expected not just to marry but to marry well, in order to ensure that their affluences followed them through life, improve her position in society and make her mistress over her own household. Likewise, a gentleman was expected to marry to improve his position, secure his wealth, advance his political ambitions and improve his influence. In chapter 8 of The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, Edward Copland states that “with the loss of the breadwinner, there is the loss of his income as well.” (Copeland, E., 1997). Both novels by Jane Austen illustrates this “essential economic fact” (Copeland, E., 1997) attaching itself to her stories as a vice to remind the reader the importance of that material circumstances. This essay will demonstrate the ways in which Austen epitomises the importance of marrying and marrying well, in addition to this it will demonstrate how money plays an important factor in one’s decision to marry.
Though her novels are agreeably considered rich in both comedy and romance, Jane Austen’s novels are notably described as pedantic reflections of, what was, her social and geographical settings during that era. A study by Anne Laurence revealed the operations of the marriage market in England and the economic basis of society. Laurence’s work discovered that London based newspapers regularly published announcements of marriages and the wealth of the brides. The newly wedded brides were predominantly “daughters of merchants and businessmen, MP’S and professional people” (Ehs.org.uk, 2018). Austen recognises that wealth was an inescapable and obligatory part of her culture, thus making it the underlying theme in her novels. This much is clear from the opening of Persuasion, readers see immediately the importance of class to Sir Walter who for “amusement” spends time reading the “history” (Persuasion, pg. 9) of his own status in society.
The plots of Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion revolves around wealth, status and class distinction. Social values and pride exist as the main obstacles that stands in the way of love between the hero and the heroine of both novels. As a result, the romantic relationships between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot in Persuasion, experience problems. Pride and Prejudice embodied the ideals of eighteenth-century values in accordance to marriage and money, dictating that “a genteel woman must either have money or marry money” (Robert D. Hume; 2013). Through characters like Charlotte Lucas, Austen illustrates these ideals, particularly those pertaining to love, money and marriage. Her character demonstrates an understanding of these views and expresses marriage to be “the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune” (P&P, pg.94). Charlotte presents the most armoured and cynical analysis, when she advices Jane to “secure” (P&P, pg.15) her rich husband first and think about “love” (P&P, pg. 15) once they are married. After all to Charlotte “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” (P&P, pg.16). Likewise, the desire for financial security is highlighted in Persuasion, when Mrs Smith confides in Anne Elliot the history of her cousin, Mr Elliot’s, first marriage for money, describing it as his “duty” (Persuasion, pg. 162) to do the “best for himself” (Persuasion, pg. 162). Lady Russel, the type of “rich” (Michie, E. 2000) woman who stands as a representation of “the principle of engrossment” (Michie, E. 2000), also imparts her ideals on Anne, encouraging her to break off her engagement with Captain Wentworth, who she considered to be “a young man, who had nothing but himself” (Persuasion, pg. 27) to offer and thought that Anne would be “throwing away” (Persuasion, pg. 27) all future opportunities to form, what even her father considered, a “degrading alliance” (Persuasion, pg. 27) marrying a man with “no fortune” (Persuasion, pg. 27) for the sake of love. This relates closely to the argument that Elsie B. Michie provides in her journal article, Austin Powers: Engaging With Adam Smith in Debates About Wealth and Virtue that “ideal marriages are financial mergers, uniting one great estate and/or fortune with another” (Michie, E. 2000). Such external influences from society, demonstrating the weight put upon upward mobility, are what keeps the lovers apart. Evidently the need for upper class mobility is sought to raise status or to attain material gains. Nevertheless, the personalities of the characters are of significance as they play a vital role in helping them to overcome these societal pressures. To drive home the importance of wealth and status, Austin creates a sense of competition to raise status and to raise monetary conditions through marriage. A representation of this is found at the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, with the narrator presenting the ball dance, held by Mr. Bingley, a man of formidable wealth and status. The ball dance is the centre of attention for the ladies of Netherfield. Here is where it appears that Mrs. Bennet’s prime motive in the novel is to marry her daughters to rich men, as she continuously brags about the possible match between Mr. Bingley and Jane to her friends. Mr. Bingley’s status and wealth therefore, stands to be the main attraction for Mrs. Bennet who’s concern, when it comes to her daughters, is the kind of “establishment this would be” (P&P, pg. 2) if any one of them were successfully matched, given that their family is one of a comparatively low status. The same obsession to raise status through marriage is found in Persuasion as discovered earlier through the likes of Lady Russel the rich saviour of the Elliots full of advice on both money and love. Lady Russel expresses a deep affection for Anne which one could argue is her reason for ensuring that the other Elliots do not ruin things for her. Another reason could be her “value for rank and consequence, which blind her a little to the faults of those who possessed them” (Persuasion, pg. 15). In other words Lady Russell’s long standing relationship with the Elliots is purely founded on merit and social rank, the two same systems that clash throughout the novel. However, Lady Russell also shows that in the case of Captain Wentworth, she is incapable of seeing personal merit without a high social rank to support it. Another way in which Austen signifies the importance of wealth and status is by describing the financial situations of the characters, Copeland said that “the heartbeat of romance lies in a good income” which would explain the fortune hungry Mrs Bennett’s knowledge of Mr Bingley’s “four or five thousand a year income” of which she was pleased because it would be “such a fine thing” for whichever of her daughters fortunate enough to marry him. Later in conversation with Elizabeth Mrs Bennet who is elated to hear of the news of Elizabeth’s engagement to Mr Darcy, is once again overjoyed and pleased that Elizabeth will be “rich” (P&P, pg. 290) and have all the nice “jewels” (P&P, pg. 290) and “everything that is charming” (P&P, pg. 290) thanks to Mr Darcy’s “ten thousand a year” (P&P, pg. 290). Adam Smith said that the “disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition, [which] thou necessary both to establish and to maintain the distinction of ranks and the order society, is, at the same time, the great and most universal cause of the corruption our moral sentiment” (Adam Smith, quoted by Michie, E., 2000). Smith’s fear was that the rich would no longer care about or have an interest in virtue, Austen captured the likes of such characters through Elizabeth Elliot and Sir Walter Elliot who both came across quite conceited and narcissistic. However, with opposite characters like Mrs Croft and Mrs Musgrove, images of wealthy women whose personality and “behaviour is appealing rather than distasteful” (Michie, E., 2000), Austen, recognises that the quest for wealth was an business that would interest even the most honourable individuals.
Copland’s suggestion that “money as a spendable income, is the love-tipped arrow aimed at the hearts of Jane Austen’s heroines and her readers” (Edward Copeland, quoted in A334 Book 3, p. 167) implies that Cupid’s arrow is money and money is the primary reason to marry. Likewise, the arrow being ‘love tipped’ suggests that love is just a decoration, love is just a performance that everyone has to believe in. So far this statement has proven to be true. In a letter from March 1816, Austin had written in that "single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong argument in favor of matrimony" (Jane Austin quoted by Stasio, M., & Duncan, K. 2007). Contrary to that acknowledgment, Austin, in her novels, invites the reader to think that the views of characters like Charlotte of Pride and Prejudice and Elizabeth of Persuasion are bleak and depressing and while privy to the pressures of family expectations, without reservation, Austin endorses the goal of marrying for love. Austin explores the idea that true love can overcome class distinction and illustrates this through her central characters Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and through Anne Eliot and Captain Wentworth. Mr Darcy who initially displays an attitude of prejudice towards Elizabeth, begins to notice and admire her appearance as “light and pleasing” (P&P, pg. 16) realising a mutual and tender love. This seems to imply that Austen views love as something separate from the social forces and more as something that can be captured if the individuals are able to escape the damaging effects of hierarchical society.
A marriage that is based on love between a man and a woman in Austen’s novels are considered the exception not the rule. Only once Captain Wentworth returned home from the war, having gained the status of a wealthy naval officer, was he accepted by Anne’s family. Some marriages however, put love at the head of their relationship above all else. One such marriage is that between the Admiral and Mrs Croft, who adore one another exceedingly and Captain Harvile along with his wife who have lived a happy simple life. Anne certainly sees these naval marriages that have been successful despite periods of separation and other anxieties. She sees that love is the key to the couple’s strength. These examples of success and the lessons she takes away from the bad marriages, are what persuade Anne to accept Wentworth’s second proposal, as she at this point of the knowledge, that love is the most important ingredient in a marriage. Fortunately for her the captain is able to provide security as well as status for Anne as the wife of a naval officer. Much the same as Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice displays a lot of marriages but loveless ones and of all the characters Jane and Elizabeth stand to be the only ones capable of true romantic love.
To conclude, issues of class, money and marriage are central in Austen’s because it reflected the limited choices that were available to the contemporary woman of her era. Ultimately women, even those who were honourable and sought happiness, had to make practical decisions about their futures. Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion are generally read as a charming romance, but after an in depth look, truth is seen in the initial arguments of Edward Copeland about romance because it is indeed designed to disguise a dismally realistic depiction of the very bleak position of genteel women in Austen’s society and he considered this to be “the universal truth” (Copeland, E. 1997). for women’s fiction. Though we may enjoy the romantic conclusion of the novels, which plays a key part in the stories and of the course of the plot that runs through them, we're forbidden to forget that material circumstances matter.