Friday, May 28, 2010
DISCUSSION QUESTION #4
Austen suggests that in order to marry well a woman must be pretty, respectable, and have money. In the world of Pride and Prejudice, which of these is most important? Spare a thought for some of the unmarried women in the book-Mary and Kitty Bennet, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Georgiana Darcy, poor, disappointed Caroline Bingley. Which of them do you picture marrying some day? Which of them do you picture marrying well?
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I find that in the time period that this book was written that money would have been most important. I picture all the women marrying someday, but the only women that would probably marry well would be Miss de Bourgh, Miss Georgiana Darcy, and Caroline Bingley because they are pretty, respectable and wealthy.
ReplyDeleteWhy would money be most important? Support with cites from the text. What makes you think that these three are respectable, wealthy, and pretty? Support is lacking.
ReplyDeleteIn the world expressed in Austen's novel, in order for a woman to marry well she must be respectable above all else. Being respectable to others as well as oneself gives a woman a sense of strength and power which adds to her beauty. When Darcy first sees Elizabeth he makes the claim that she is not as beautiful as Jane to Mr. Bingley. As time goes on however, his opinion of her changes. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth because of how well she carries herself as a woman and in the end she becomes the most beautiful being in his eyes. The marriages of Jane and Elizabeth seem to be the healthiest marriages in the novel and neither were based on wealth, beauty, or respectability but a balance of all three factors. Lydia's marriage points out the flaws in marrying for social reasons because in the end she is married for her money and doesn't have a healthy marriage. The marriage of Mr. Collins shows the flaws in marrying a man for money because neither he nor his wife seem 100% happy. Out of all the women that weren't married in the novel, I believe that Georgianna Darcy will marry very well. Based on what Elizabeth claims of her she seems to be the only one out of the unmarried women to retain wealth, beauty, and respectability in a balance. Mary and Kitty will probably marry better than Lydia but not as well as Jane and Elizabeth because of their lacking in wealth as well as respectability and beauty. As for Miss de Bourgh and Caroline Bingley, I see them struggling with finding marriage because of their focus on wealth.
ReplyDeleteIn the world of Pride and Prejudice, money is definitely the most important quality. Although when people first meet, beauty is a big factor in the process of choosing a wife. In the book, Jane is approached by most of the men because of her undeniable beauty. At the first ball, she is the “only handsome girl in the room” and therefore dances with a variety of men, including Mr. Bingley. When Mr. Bingley suggests dancing with Jane’s sister Elizabeth to Mr. Darcy, he clearly explains that “she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” Beauty is usually the first factor in choosing a mate. If one is not pretty, they are usually not approached. However, beauty is not everything. Money is usually the main deal breaker. A beautiful woman can be denied permission to marriage due to her lack of wealth. For example, Mr. Bingley’s family does not approve of Jane’s status and money in life and therefore disapproves of Jane as a partner. I picture Miss Georgiana Darcy and Miss de Bourgh marrying well one day. Miss de Bourgh has the luck of having a very high reputation and tons of money—two very desirable qualities in a woman of that time period. Miss Georgiana Darcy will probably marry well, too. She is fortunate enough to have all qualities; she is pretty, respectable, wealthy, and smart.
ReplyDeleteOut of money, looks, and respect, I would say that the most important quality is money. Wickahm looked for money, Collins got married because of his money, Mr. Bennett was married becauseof his money as well-money was the main concern for marriage back then because people wanted to have the comfort of a stable financial future. Beauty was also looked at, but it is mainly the ice breaker for who to pick. In the beginning the men wanted to dance with Jane and Elizabeth for their looks, then after that they looked for wealth and how they were socially. Mary is the only character I could see not getting married; she has no social status, she isn't the prettiest, and she only wants to sit around and read. Kitty I could see getting married, however I don't believe she would marry well. I believe she would marry whoever would first give her the chance, because she is just like Lydia and is desperate to marry. Miss de Bourgh would certainly marry, and marry well, because she Is wealthy and has a decent reputation. Miss Darcy would also marry well because of her beauty, reputation as being intelligent and musical, and because of the wealth running through her family. Miss Bingley would also marry, however I'm not sure it would be a well marriage because she looks only for wealth.
ReplyDeleteIn Pride and Prejudice the most important quality in a woman is for her to be respectable. Although the time period was one that was often driven by money and looks, the characters seem to not always be impressed with it. Darcy was given several opportunities to be with women who had much more money than Elizabeth. He also said himself that he was not impressed with her looks, but as time passed and he began to pay more attention to her he became fascinated with the way that Elizabeth carried herself and the way she respected herself and others. The same is true with Jane and Mr.Bingley. Mr.Bingley was a very wealthy man and was expected to marry a very wealthy and beautiful woman. However, he did not care about how much money Jane had. He was drawn to her for her kindness and respectable personality which made her the most beautiful creature to him.
ReplyDeleteI believe that even though money may have played a big role in marriages of the 1800s, respectability has to be the most important. No matter whether a woman is rich, poor, short, tall, plump, or skinny, if she respects herself, then she can be respected and admired by others. Darcy and Bingley were both offered chances to marry women with a lot more money than either of the Bennet sisters, but they choose them for their respectable attitudes, and probably a little bit of their prettiess. As for the other female characters, most of them seem as if they'll never gain respect for themselves. Kitty and Lydia have quite a bit of growing up to do before they can become respectable young women. Caroline Bingley is too obsessed with pride and wealth to learn how to recpect herself for who she is rather than what she has. Miss de Bourgh is overpowered by her mother's need for pride and wealth. But if these characters could find respect for themselves, then they might be able to find respectable men who would marry them
ReplyDeleteIn the world of Pride and Prejudice, money is by far the most important. Throughout the novel Mrs. Bennet, the mother of the girls is constantly trying to get her daughters in with the most wealthy and noble men around. Jane was noticed because of her looks, not her money. But because she lacked a wealthy family background, many guys looked down upon her. Mary and Kitty Bennet, in my opinion, will not marry well. They aren't very wealthy, they aren't the best looking, and they are viewed as the promiscuous girls of the family. They were always seen with military men, only looking for a good time. I can see Miss De Bourgh marrying well because she was described with attractive looks and a good deal of money, both of which were qualities that were considered necessary for a well marriage in the time period.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that beauty is more predominate in the world of Pride and Prejudice. The men always speak of a women being pretty and that because of that it is a reason to marry her. Also women feel very strong about the way a man must look. They do not pay much attention to the officers friend who is not very easy on the eyes. However, the officer who is attractive they pay attention to. Money, and respectfulness is also key because they add that to the list when they are describing someone. I believe however someone must be pretty to get a decent marriage. Except for the case of Mr. Collins who only married for money but neither of the people were easy on the eyes so the match was fit.
ReplyDeleteAll of the people have a chance at marrying well if someone happens to be on their same "beauty level" because not all rich people are pretty so there is a chance they can marry well.
In “the world of Pride and Prejudice,” it seems that the most important aspect of a “good” marriage is the collection of wealth. Throughout the novel, Mrs. Bennet is constantly urging Elizabeth to marry off a wealthy man. She continuously suggests Mr. Collins as a husband, based on his wealth, without taking Elizabeth’s feelings toward the man in consideration. The novel stresses the idea that if a woman is married and wealthy, she is successful. While money is the most important factor, the importance of a woman’s looks isn’t very far behind. The Bennet sisters have a great reputation based on their incomparable beauty. The bachelors that they meet throughout the novel are first attracted to the girls because of their looks. Miss Georgiana Darcy has the highest chance of marrying well because she has all of the qualities listed above- beauty, respect and money. She is a very sweet and sincere girl and will have no trouble in finding a husband.
ReplyDeleteI think all of those factors had a big role in marriages, but respectability was the biggest one. Even if a woman has money and is beautiful, she can have a horrible attitude and be ugly enough on the inside to where nobody likes her. When Darcy and Bingley came to town, unmarried women were excited to meet the rich newcomers. They had many chances to marry a women with a lot of money or the prettiest woman they could find. Although the Bennet sisters were pretty, they were also chosen because of their respectability. I think Miss Georgiana Darcy has the biggest chance of getting married because she is pretty, has money, and respects herself.
ReplyDeleteThe way it seemed was that money and looks were most important, they were important but in my opinion, respect was most important. Respect for yourself and the way you present yourself is everything. Mr.Darcy who said at the ball that Elizabeth was "tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me", but throughout the novel Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth not for her money ,or looks but because the way she carries herself. Georgianna Darcy would marry very well in my opinion, for she has it all, wealth, beauty, and respect, whats to pass up.
ReplyDeleteI expect Miss Georgiana Darcy to marry well. She is amiable and good-natured. Georgiana is extremely talented. She sings, plays the piano and the harp, paints and draws. Georgiana is described to be tall and “good humored” in the face. Georgiana also comes from a line of wealth. In the world of Pride and Prejudice respectability is most important. Elizabeth is not the most attractive sister out of the Bennet family, nor is her family wealthy. However, she is respectable. She is well read, lively, and quick-witted. Darcy is attracted by her eyes and her intelligence.
ReplyDeleteIn Pride and Prejudice period of time social classes were a big deal and often dealt with wealth. Marriage to me seem to have the same factor, the more money you had the better you looked for marriage. For example, Mother Bennet was very overwhelmed when Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley entered the town because she was in hope of one of her daughters marrying one of them because of their wealth status not because they were good gentlemen or because they looked hansome. Money revolved around every aspect of marriage. Lydia would have to be my bet on one who will marry the fastest because she always played around like a tart with the soldiers and she always were all over them but she wouldnt have a healthy "well" marriage. The sister of Eithebeths that would have a successful and healthy marriage would be Mary Bennet because she would have found some gentlemen out of love. Honestly she isnt the prettiest tool in the shed but she is intelligent and kind and there is always a man for a women and vice versa. I truely think that Mary has a great chance for a well healthy marriage.
ReplyDeleteFor the time period of th novel money would be the most important factor in marrying well. Yes, the men looked for beauty first to find who they want, money is the most important. Without a substantia amount of money, a woman would probaby not get married off to the upper class men. Also, in the story many of the women didn't get married off. However, i do see Miss Georgiana Darcy and Miss de Bourgh getting married n the future of this story because they do have money, are respectable, and have beaut in their own way.
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