Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

Like most of the female writers we have learned about this semester, Jane Austin used many parallels from her own life within her writing. From our research of this time period, it seems like most women married due to societal standards, however Jane Austin didn’t. For the most part, it seems as though Jane Austin had little to no money through her life. This makes me wonder whether or not she didn’t marry due because of her poverty. During this time, many people were “married off” between their families in order to gain more wealth or status. If Jane Austen didn’t have much to give in those aspects, it makes sense that she would never acquire a husband. In high school I had to read Pride and Prejudice however I did not learn much about Jane Austen herself. From the documentary, I learned that many themes in the novel were quite similar to her life. From details in Elizabeth's life such as wealth to her personas, the main character and Austen herself  were quite similar, however, Elizabeth married unlike Jane Austen. This makes me wonder if Jane Austen was living vicariously through her characters which she wrote. The concept of true love in my opinion is hard to write about when you’ve never felt it, however she captured both the ups and downs within a relationship perfectly. Partners don't have to be perfect to be in love, which is a theme I saw when re-reading.  

I find it quite sad that Jane Austen wasn’t really recognized as a strong female writer until after her death. It makes me wonder that if she had lived today, whether or not she would have still faced poverty or instead would be celebrated for the amazing writer she was.