Marriage in Jane Austen’s time.

            In time of Jane Austen, woman could not be independent. Professions were not open to women. Few occupations were open to them, and those were not highly respected, they did not earn enough money or the working conditions were not good. Only a few number of women though their own efforts earned an income sufficient to make them independent, or had a recognized career. (Jane Austen was not one of these few women professionals).

            Most graceful women could not get money unless she decides to marriage. A woman could only be a "heiress" if she had no brothers. Unmarried women had to live with their families, or with family-approved protectors. Therefore, a woman who did not marry had to live with her relatives as a `dependent' (more or less Jane Austen's situation), so marriage is the only way of getting out from under the parental roof; unless, her family could not support her, in which case she could face the unpleasant necessity of going to live with employers as a `dependent' governess or teacher, or hired "lady's companion

            When a young woman left her family without their approval, this spawned an enormous problem, such as running away to marry a disapproved husband, or entering into an illicit relationship. Because all this reasons, some women were willing to marry just because of the fact that it was the only allowed route to economic security and a better quality of life.

            In Pride and Prejudice, this theme is expressed by the character of Charlotte Lucas: "Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want." She is 27, not especially beautiful (according to her and Mrs. Bennet), and without an especially large "portion", and so decides to marry Mr. Collins "from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment".

            According to Mr. Collins: "This young gentleman [Darcy] is blessed with everything the heart of mortal can most desire, -- splendid property, noble kindred, and extensive patronage". Mrs. Bennet's on Elizabeth's marriage exclaims: "What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! ... A house in town! ... Ten thousand a year! ... I shall go distracted!"

              Jane Austen expresses her opinion clearly enough by the fact that only her silliest characters have such sentiments.

Source: http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pptopic2.html

Irony in Pride and Prejudice: the main feature

We can consider the irony as a fundamental part in this novel. This not only happens in Pride and Prejudice, the presence of irony is repeated in Austen’s more elaborate novels where the ironic layer that covers them superficially (and that makes them be very funny) invites us to think and reflect on how pathetic were some aspects of the time.

Austen manages to make us think through this well-founded irony, and this is a reason why we admire this writer.

In Pride and Prejudice specifically, novel that the writer herself consider “too light, bright and shining”, we can see this irony from the beginning with one of the most typical examples of irony: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”.The irony here is twofold because ridicules both those who believe in universally acknowledged truths as mothers desperate to marry off their daughters with a rich man.

The grace of the first episode, in which Mrs.Bennet tries to marry one of his daughters with the newcomer, young and rich, is appeased by a more important idea: Jane Austen understands that Mrs.Bennet is dangerously stupid and she is playing with the most important decision of her daughters’ lives.

We can affirm that Pride and Prejudice is the Austen’s novel that has the most striking irony, irony is part of the novel. However Emma, for example, is characterized by a more subtle, elegant irony.