What is the writer’s thesis?
-The whole marriage concept back then was basically a business partnership. Women were seeking financially stable men to marry. Social standings by far outweighed love.
What are one or two key points the writer makes in support of the thesis?
-The Chart: These were words that continuously popped up throughout the book. These words were put into categories, which were: Money, Material Possessions, Social Integration, Trade, and Arithmetic. All of these words either dealt with social class or business.
-Pg. 301: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”… What we read in it is its opposite—a single woman must be in want of a man with a good fortune.
-Both these points as a whole showed that as people developed relationships they were more concerned with financial well being than in love and happiness.
Were you persuaded? Do you agree with the writer’s thesis? Why?
-English’s societies leisure class (don’t work and live off of daddy’s money) primary focus was how to continue their life style. They ignored all aspects of life that did not contribute to their comfort (ignore war, poverty, disease; they could care less about any of societies problems and felt that it was someone else’s job to take care of it.)
-Yes, I would agree with the writer’s thesis because this was simply how life was back then. This was considered normal. However, I would only agree from an early 19th century viewpoint. If taken from the 21st century viewpoint I would not agree because you should be marrying someone you love not by how much many the person has.
In what way does the information give you new or increased understanding of the novel or of Jane Austen as a writer?
-With the scene with Lady Catharine and Elizabeth, I thought Lady Catharine was being outrageous with her reasoning and absurd with how she viewed things. But now realizing that these were societies ideals, Lady Catharine doesn’t seem to be as ridiculous as I first considered her to be.
-Jane Austen as a writer, her reputation of high English society is well deserved. She provided an excellent insight to the English leisure social class and an accurate account to what life was like back then.
