Preview

Dating Vs. Marriage In The 1800's

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
498 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Dating Vs. Marriage In The 1800's
Choosing a life partner is probably one of the most important decisions one could make in their entire lifetime. It could either make one’s life abundantly happy, or exceedingly miserable. Standing at the alter and saying “I do” is probably the easiest part of it. The process before that special day is where it is challenging. “Do I truly love this person?” “Is he/she the right one for me?” These are the usual questions asked by modern couples before they wed. But in the 1800s, when Pride and Prejudice was written, the only question that filled the minds of single men and women was, “Will this person be beneficial to my social and/or financial status?” This is the one of the most significant differences between dating and marriage in the 1800s, and dating and marriage in our contemporary world. People today and in the 1800’s take into account the qualities that are incorporated in a person that make them fit for marriage. Financial stability is an essential element that determines whether that person is worthy to be one’s partner, or not. However, that is not the main aspect that is looked upon by single people of our modern era. Most people today take into account happiness, love, family, appearance, talent, and character when choosing a lifelong partner. But in the 1800s, it didn’t matter if …show more content…
It takes years before couples marry or even consider marriage. The reason for this wait is so that the couple could get to know one another. After all, they will be spending the rest of their daily lives with the one other. Therefore, choosing correctly is incredibly vital to one’s lifelong happiness. However, in Pride & Prejudice this is not a consideration that is emphasized. One can get married a few months after meeting a suitable man or woman. If the person was of good social and economic standing, then their marriage application has already been accepted. Why wait when you’ve found “the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “People don’t really know how to choose a long time partner” offers Dr. Alvin Cooper, director of San Jose Marital Services and Sexuality Center. So things like arranged marriages and even online dating (sometimes leading to marriage) exist. Yet Razdan says that the very idea of an arranged marriage offended her ideas of both love and liberty. Yet her belief in the Western romantic idea of “happily ever after” where based on love instead of social or economic gain. So are we supposed to make sure that our hearts are filled or our pockets. Dr. Cooper states that the moment we pick a mate we are often blinded by passion and therefore virtually incapable of making a sound decision.…

    • 623 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”(Pride and Prejudice 1.1-2). Simply put, marriage is an agreement between two people to be joined together for the rest of their lives, but as shown in two passages from novels, Pride and Prejudice with Mr. Collin’s proposal along with Our Mutual Friend and Mr. Headstone’s proposal, there can always be added twists and turns to each marriage. The proposal of Mr. Headstone to his respective woman is more rhetorically effective than Mr. Collin’s proposal to his cousin due to Mr. Headstone’s display of his strengths and minimal weaknesses, in contrast to Mr. Collin’s proposal.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courtship and Marriage Courtship and Marriage in Twelfth Night, Pride and Prejudice, and High Fidelity The idea of courtship and marriage throughout history has had defining points that have led to today's views over the matter. In the three books we have read: first being, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; second being Jane Austin's, Pride and Prejudice and the third; Nick Hornby's, High Fidelity, are all historical steps that define marriage and courtship today and how it got there.…

    • 651 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I thought it was surprising how many people during this era married for money, inheritance, land or even a title. It seemed that during the 1780’s these objects were more important than factors I personally would consider. Women were considered less value when compared to men and men…

    • 173 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Stephanie Coontz’s essay on “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love” shows her opinion that the expectations of marriage are unrealistic based on different societies around the world in different time periods. For example in George Bernard Shaw’s theory, he believed that married was “an institution that brings together two people under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive and most transient of passions” (qtd. I’m Coontz 378). In our history all of the world marriage has been said to be a tool of survival. Emotional love played a small part in marriage and was even sometimes discouraged. Even in today’s world love is still no seen as a necessity of marriage.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the nineteenth century money did make the world go ‘round, especially for a young woman trying to receive a hand in marriage. For women this obligation to get married off during this time period was really difficult to do unless they were handsome, well educated, and or had money running in their family. And numerous of gentlemen, with the exception of some, were too proud to marry below their social rank. In spite of the fact that everyone in the 1800s were either looking to marry into a wealthy family or marry a man or women with a the same or more worthy title than theirs nobody would only marry because they were in love. People in this time period pre-judged anybody based on any little assumptions made or heard of, however, these opinions were most likely untrue or irrelevant, but many still refused to change their conclusions only because they had a superior title and or they were much wealthier making them have a high sense of pride.…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One featured difference between the expectation and reality of marriage is that with whom they will get married. Young people hope to get married with people whom they love. However, it is the normal in the reality of married life that their parents will help them pick up a rich person who possesses a lot of fortune. As a result, the partners are forced to depart from each other. In my country, there are endless of meetings designed to help those millionaires, who are single or the divorced, to choose wives. Certainly, there will have thousands of girls and females flooding into the meeting to compete. It is so hard to know whether they love or will love each other in the future. Obviously, the young people just yield to the reality---social status, money, and good background, and the difference of whom they choose to get married is a fact. Just as an old saying, “we have no qualification to talk about love if we do not have milk and bread.”…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article” The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love “the author gives a global interpretation of what marrying for love means to different cultures. While Americans strive to focus on the love connection before marriage, the writer of the article Stephanie Coontz points out that other countries practice the total opposite. Although marriage is an institution that brings two people together, Coontz describes this as being “under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive and most transient of passions” and are required to feel excited about each other every day for the rest of their lives until death do them apart.…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marriage is a big part of life today and it has been for a long time. But despite how important it is, marriage hasn’t always been done the same way it is today. In fact, marriage used to be played out in a lot of ways, and those differences were shown in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. One way that those differences were key is how marriages were set up in the Elizabethan Era, the setting of Romeo and Juliet. Another way marriage played a key role in Romeo and Juliet was how the actual marriage went down. The way Romeo and Juliet wedding would have actually resembled Shakespeare’s own wedding. The normal and legal marriage ages were all over the place at the time of Romeo and Juliet from modern day. The bride and groom actually didn't really get to pick who they would get married to. There were a lot of things about marriage at the time that varied from today’s ways that…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Renaissance Marriage

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the history of marriage there was no such exertion of free will until Pius IV's 1563 bull at the Council of Trent, prompted by the Protestant Reformation, relaxed rules. More often than not, Renaissance marriage arrangements remained pretty much the way they had been set up in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. As this is a sensitive topic, it is not suitable for all ages, but the true beauty of its art can be appreciated by all.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thesis: As the world is becoming more diverse, people have different opinions as to whether to get married or stay single, and contributing to their decision are the amount of money they used, the freedom they get, and the responsibilities they have on their shoulders.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The authors begin this chapter by defining mate selection as process by which unmarried couples get to choose who they will marry. They proceed to distinguishing mate selection in traditional cultures versus modern cultures. In traditional cultures, families have the power to select their children’s spouses. In this kind of selection, the spouse comes mostly from their extended families depending on who they see as the fittest partner for their child. On the other hand, in the modern era, the two young people get involved in the process of selecting who they will marry. Additionally, in this era people believe that finding a mate is mainly about personal attraction and romantic love. The authors also go on to…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This research paper is about three societal institutions, including: family, government and religion, which do in fact play a role in marriage and mate selection. I will be looking at this from an exchange theory point of view. So I will be presenting these points as how the costs can outweigh the rewards, deeming the relationship not worth your time. Essentially outlining how worth = rewards - cost. Family, if not agreed with your choice of mate, could virtually destroy the whole relationship. The government’s laws could alter your decision on a mate and marriage due to all the legal hassle than it can cause. Finally religion, which can cause many disputes with you partner regarding family, family practices, holidays, children and each other’s point of views. These three social institutes can have a huge impact on your life; specifically mate selection and marriage wise.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Emma's World (Jane Austen)

    • 2973 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Wealth and breeding were both very important considerations when contemplating marriage at the beginning of the 19th century and of the two, breeding was the more important, even though it was becoming easier for wealthy people to buy their way into society.…

    • 2973 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pride & Prejudice Themes

    • 2256 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In the world of Pride and Prejudice, marriage is a necessity (for women at least) – and a good marriage is like winning the lottery. Notice that we didn’t mention the l-word (that would be "love"). Marriage is celebrated in Pride and Prejudice as a goal in and of itself. Part of what makes Elizabeth, the protagonist, such an interesting character is her refusal to view marriage in those terms. Other characters show us alternate reasons for marrying: practicality, infatuation, etc.…

    • 2256 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays