Jane Austen s Pride And Prejudice - 1693 Words

The study of two comparative texts emphasises the understanding of social, historical and cultural contexts through the reflections of illicit and explicit similarities and differences in the values and attributes presented. Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice and Fay Weldon’s 1993 epistolary text Letters to Alice, both challenge the worth of their time as contexts change, but values are upheld. Weldon’s reflection on Austen’s nineteenth century environment, conveys to responders how marriage, gender roles and social class continue to be relevant issues in both regency times and the modern world. Through witnessing Aunt fay’s commentaries on the world of Austen, responders are provided with a foundation for a modern understanding†¦show more content†¦By placing the ideas of wealth and marriage together, Austen is presenting the financially beneficial values of marriage in 19th century England, as an honourable way security. Austen uses this idea that marriage is vital for social stability, through her characterisation of Charlotte Lucas as a woman who does not â€Å"think highly of men or matrimony† and believes that â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.† With the acceptance of Mr Collins’ marriage proposal, despite not being a product of love, she is able to ensure her financial security with a man of fortune, hence her marriage acts as a product of her time. As responders, Austen’s reflection of marriage in 19th century England allows for the enhanced understanding of societal values. The importance and values associated with marriage in Pride and Prejudice are reflected and strengthened through Weldon’s discussion of similarities and differences between contexts. Weldon juxtaposes the age of marriage between both contexts as Aunt Fay states that â€Å"Marriage was later, too: on average between twenty-five and twenty eight, though Jane Austen’s heroines seem to have stated panicking in their early twenties.† Through this comparison she is stating that although the rite of marriage is still an important aspect in life, it is not as significant as it was in regency times. This is reinforced by Fran