Conflicting views on marriage in Pride and Prejudice.

'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife' This opening paragraph of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen has become one of the most famous sentences in English literature. It states clearly that the novel will explore the theme of marriage and the connection between it and money. It often so happens that novels mirror the customs and values of …

…mutual respect and love, based on moral integrity and an understanding of each other, while possessing economic wealth and status.' 'The consensus, then , is that passions should be controlled by reason, and that feelings should follow the moral laws accepted by the society and taught by religion' In her book Austen how several marriages work and different reasons for becoming a husband and a wife. Some are happy, some not, and two are alike.