Women as an Instrument for Marriage: A Critique of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Author(s)	Deepa Sehrawat
Country	India
Abstract	Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a profound critique of the socio-cultural dynamics of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly focusing on the role of women in marriage and society. In an era where women were regarded as second-class citizens, Austen uses her narrative to expose how societal structures reduced women to instruments of marriage, their value contingent on their ability to secure a prosperous match. The novel highlights the limited agency of women, portraying marriage not as a union of equals but as an economic and social transaction. Through characters like Elizabeth Bennet, Lydia Bennet, and Charlotte Lucas, Austen critiques the patriarchal pressures that confined women to a single life purpose—pleasing and marrying men. This paper delves deeply into Austen’s exploration of female identity, autonomy, and the pervasive inequalities of her time.
Keywords	Keywords: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Marriage, Patriarchy, Female Identity, 18th-Century Society, Gender Inequality
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 5, September-October 2024
Published On	2024-09-10

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