Love, Courtship, and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice.

1
Love, Courtship, and Marriage in Pride and
Prejudice.
2
The Status of Women

• In Jane Austens time, there was no real way for
  young women to become independent.
• Many professions, like jobs at the university,
  were not open to women.
• The few jobs that a woman could have were not
  highly respected, did not pay well, and had poor
  working conditions
• Governess (live-in teacher)
• Only a small group of women could be considered
  professionals
• They had to make enough money on their own to be
  independent

3
The Status of Women cont.

• If a woman left home without her parents
  permission, there would be very serious
  consequences.
• She would most likely be an embarrassment to her
  family and they could decrease in social status.
• She could also be cut-off from her family

4
The Status of Women cont.

• Therefore, most women could only get money if
  they got married or inherited it
• The eldest son generally inherited most of the
  estate as the heir
• A woman could only inherit (be a heiress) if she
  had no brothers.
• An unmarried woman also had to live with her
  family or a family-approved protector
• It was unheard of for a woman to live by herself,
  even if she was an heiress.
• A woman would have to be dependant on her family
  for the rest of her life.

5
Engagement

• One important rule of protocol of the period is
  that a correspondence between two unmarried and
  marriageable unrelated young people of the
  opposite sex is a sign that the two are engaged.
• For a continuing correspondence to be carried on
  in the absence of an engagement is a breach of
  propriety
• This is why Darcy hand-delivers his letter to
  Lizzy
• This is why Lizzy doesnt answer the letter

6
The Legalities of Marriage

• Marriage was almost always for life.
• The only grounds for divorce was
• Sexual infidelity of the wife
• Needed to get permission from Parliament
• The trial would be between the husband and the
  wifes alleged lover
• Cruelty
• Husband generally had absolute custody rights
  over any children and could prevent the wife from
  seeing them.
• Divorce was very expensive- only the rich could
  afford it.
• Neither person was allowed to remarry

7
Money and Marriage

• Any property that a woman possessed before her
  marriage automatically becomes her husbands
• Unless a settlement is agreed upon
• a legal document that usually ensures that some
  or all of the property that the wife brings to
  the marriage ultimately belongs to her, and will
  revert to her or her children (though she does
  not necessarily have personal control over it
  during her marriage)
• The woman and her money are legally in the
  husbands power

8
Entail and Inheritance

• An entail was a legal device used to prevent a
  landed property from being broken up, and/or from
  descending in a female line.
• Entailed property is usually inherited by the
  nearest male-line descendant (son of son etc.) of
  the original owner of the estate or title, whose
  ancestry in each generation goes through the
  eldest son who has left living male-line
  descendants
• Entailment prevents a father from disinheriting
  his eldest son
• Women generally inherit only if there are no
  male-line heirs left, and if there is more than
  one sister, then they are all equal co-heiresses,
  rather than only the eldest inheriting.