'Pride and Prejudice' is credited as being one of the most romantic books of all time. But is it? There is so much talk of money, property and what people are worth, that marrying for love alone, is rarely something ever considered by the sensible characters in Austen's novel. What do you think?
[See pupil comments below.]
'Lizzie only begins to love Darcy after she has seen how wealthy he is...'
Illustration of Elizabeth, by Ruby.
I think if someone has a philosoophy of life about love and marriage they will only marry someone they love no matter how poor or loaded they are.
ReplyDeleteJane loves Mr Bingley and marries him because she loves him not for his money which is the reason the mother wants them to marry.
Mr Collins only cares about money, a stable life and his social position and wouldn't even know what love feels like if it hit him in the face but Lizzy says at the start that she will only marry for love but is easily swayed by money which kind of makes her a hypocrite.
David
I think that Jane Austens book is romantic but it does show that someones wealth and social status can change even the most sensible persons opinion of someone.
ReplyDeleteLeah
Pride and Prejudice is one of the greatest romantic novels of all time regardless of the talk of money, power and social status because all that adds a sense of realism and makes the book more believable. It doesn't take away from the romantic moments in the novel but makes family life fit in with the times.
ReplyDeleteJM
I think that the book says that ideally, one shoulod marry for love, but that somemone's wealth is, realistically, going to be a factor. Lizzy's opinion of Darcy begins to change when she first sees how rich he is. Lydia's marriage with Wyckham only really begins to go down the toilet once he gambles away all their money. However, Jane and Bingley were married more because they love each other than the fact that Bingley is rich. However, if he wasn't rich, they would never have been introduced.
ReplyDeleteLB
I feel Jane Austen was trying to project a story of how love was overshadowed by money. The novel is quite romantic as it shows how Elizabeth fights for her own happiness rather than the need for money from her unwealthy parents. Elizabeth's struggle between Mr.Wickham and Mr.Darcy is heartwarming as we are shown how money isn't everything, that there is infact love in this novel.
ReplyDeleteAK
In my opinion, Pride and Prejudice is still a romantic novel. It must be taken into account that all the talk about money, property, etc. were all factors of love in their own ways during those timesa and might even still apply in a sense.
ReplyDeletexoxo Gossip Girl
I think Pride & Prejudice is a very romantic book because Jane and Bingley marry for love. Yes he has money but Jane would love him even if he didn't . Although the other characters don't marry just for love , which makes Jane and Bingley look even more romantic . It shows that back then marrying for love was seldom the reason , but when it happened it was romantic .
ReplyDeleteCatherine
I think that pride and prejudice is a very romantic novel but i wouldnt consider it being the most romantic book of all time. I think it is romantic because there is relationships in this book that are based purely on love. But in alot of the relationships money does get in the way. So thats why i dont think its the most romantic book.
ReplyDeleteLizzy!
I think pride and prejudice shows romantic relationships and relationships based on money. We can see that Colins and charlottes marriage is purely based on money. We can also see that Darcy is ready to give up everything for Lizzy.
ReplyDeletemacmanus.
I think this is not a romantic book because once elizabeth see's darcys house she starts to like him. Indicating that wealth plays a big part in love for Elizabeth.
ReplyDeletepaddy
In the novel, Pride and Prejudice, I think most of the characters put money first in marriage. For example, Lizzie only begins to love Darcy after she has seen how wealthy he is and how extensive his estate is. But there are some exceptions, for example Lydia marries the first man who offers her his hand in marriage.
ReplyDeleteEsmay
I think that Pride and Prejudice is a romantic book, but there is so much emphasis on wealth and property that most of the time the characters marry for money not love. Lizzy only falls in love with Darcy after she visits his home and sees his wealth, while Darcy knows Lizzy has no wealth, he still loves her. Ideally the characters want to marry for love and money although this rarely happens.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Marriage is portrayed in a strange way in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. I think money and property clearly dominates marriages like Jane and Bingley and Lizzy and Darcy. We can see love between Jane and Bingley but Lizzy only gets a better impression of Darcy after seeing how wealthy he is. In Lydia and Wickham's marriage we can see that Lydia was marrying first chance she got and Wickham was only marrying to get the pay off from Darcy. I think this shows marriage can occur for so many different reasons but at this time in history money was the most important thing to look for in marriage.
ReplyDeleteA.B.
Money in marriage is the main concern of many people in Pride and Prejudice. Jane loves Bingly, but her mother sees it as a chance to marry a rich man into the family which complicates thing for their relationship. Elizabeth is is very much against marriage for money and believes love is the only reason to marry, this is shown when she rejects Mr Collins. On the other hand her best friend Charlotte is desperate for money and to offer of marriage to a wealthy man is one she cannot refuse. Lidya is stupid and unable to see the fact that Wickem was paid off to marry her. Elizabeth's first impression of Mr Darcy was not a good one and she views him in a bad light. When she realises how much he gave up and has done for her, her opinion changes. She falls more in love with him as time goes on and realises that they are so alike that they let their own stubbornness blind them from the love they have for each other.
ReplyDeleteYes Marriage for money is a factor in Pride and Prejudice, but the marriages that work are for love.
N.O'L.
I think Pride and Prejudice is romantic because even though Bingley and Darcy are rich, Lizzy and Jane do love them. Charlotte just married Collins for his money and that showed how bad it would have been if Lizzy had married just for money. In the end, Wickham's marriage just proved Darcy's love for Lizzy because he paid for the marriage.
ReplyDeleteBy Shane