The Role of Marriage in Jane Austens Fiction Free Essay Example, 2500 words

Often, marriage is about nothing more than money. Marriage is often arranged so that one partner can elevate social status. Mr. Elliot wears mourning for the early demise of his wife (though for him this was a fortunate accident, as it leaves him to the enjoyment of the wife's fortune without the encumbrance of the wife). (McMaster, 735). However, Austen tends to have a female character who transcends societal restraints on women. In Persuasion, this character is Anne. She is distinct from many of the other female characters who marry for the typical Victorian ideals. All the previous heroines have had to learn how and whom to love. But Anne knew this all along. (McMaster, 735). Austen s key line defining the differences in approaches to marriage is apparent in Anne. She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older" (Austen, 30). However, this is not to imply that either society or Austen see these roles and rules of Victorian society as ind estructible. Austen s role as a novelist is focusing on those who rebel against the norm. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Marriage in Jane Austen's Fiction or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Tim Fulford acknowledges Austen s tendency to discuss social issues of her time as he states critical inquiry into Jane Austen s novels has come to focus upon their relationship to the social and political issues of a nation (Fulford 152).