Abstract

Pride and prejudice is one of the most representative works of Jane Austen, a great novelist in the 18th century. In this novel, the author mainly depicts four kinds of marriages; they are Lydia’s ridiculous marriage, Charlotte’s realistic marriage, Jane’s happy marriage and Elizabeth’s perfect marriage. This essay is aimed at exploring Jane Austen’s views on marriage by analyzing the four different marriages in Pride and Prejudice. Through the analysis of the influential elements and critiques of the four marriages, Jane Austen's views on marriage are reflected, namely, an ideal marriage should be based on not only large fortunes but also true love and equality.

Key words: views on marriage, fortunes, love, affecting elements, critiques     

摘要

《傲慢与偏见》是18世纪伟大的女性作家简•奥斯汀最具代表性的作品之一。这部小说主要描写了四段婚姻，这四段婚姻的类型因为人物性格和他们追求婚姻目的的不同而各不相同。本文通过分析影响四段婚姻关系建立的因素，及作者对四段婚姻关系的评价及其现实意义，揭示了简•奥斯汀的婚姻观----经济因素是一段理想婚姻的重要基础，但也不能忽视爱情和平等对婚姻的巨大影响。

关键词：婚姻观；财产；爱情；影响因素；批评

1. Introduction
Jane Austen, one of the most influential and remarkable writers in the 18th century, is famous for her ironic and humorous language in novels. She was “in Hampshire, a country priest family located in Hants, the village of Kingston, Sidemen in north England. She was a beautiful, talented middle class woman with extraordinary temperament and good cultivation.”(Wang 64) She experts in criticizing and satirizing the snobbish reality of the society with her jocular language. As Wikipedia defines, her realism and biting social commentary has gained her historical importance among scholars and critics. What’s more, her works often stimulate readers to consider the essence of marriage.