Illustration of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy with neutral expressions on their faces

Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

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Discussion Topic

Analysis of the opening sentence of "Pride and Prejudice."

Summary:

The opening sentence of "Pride and Prejudice" satirically sets the tone for the novel, highlighting themes of marriage and social expectations. It humorously suggests that wealthy single men are always in need of a wife, reflecting the societal pressure on women to marry well.

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How is the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice ironic, considering Regency England's "marriage market"?

As the reader comes to understand the characters in this novel, it becomes clear that the character most likely to utter such a line is Mrs. Bennet. It is also clear that we are supposed to find Mrs. Bennet to be a ridiculous character with few redemptive qualities and no sense. She is a neglectful parent, failing to properly educate her daughters to secure the kind of husbands she insists they have; she is indulgent and at least partially responsible for Lydia's horrible temperament; she is witless and dull, taking more interest in balls and gossip than she does in practically anything else. Further, the fact that Elizabeth Bennet , a young woman who is kind and loving as well as witty and intelligent, is Mrs. Bennet's least favorite child tells us a great deal about her lack of judgment. Mrs. Bennet is loud when she should be...

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discreet, rude when she should be polite, and entitled when she ought to be grateful. Throughout the narrator's descriptions of her, we come to understand that we are not to respect her character or agree with her opinions, and because we can most easily imagine her character taking the position stated in the first line, it is a good clue that we are not supposed to agree with it either.

In fact, Mrs. Bennet often says things that others think and feel but are too tactful to actually say aloud. For example, at the Netherfield ball, she speaks loudly of her expectation that Jane and Bingley will soon marry—a not unreasonable supposition, but one not to be spoken of since he has not yet proposed—and her happiness that it will "throw the other girls into the path of other rich men." Now, most mothers in her position would also rejoice at her daughter's good fortune in having caught the eye and heart of a man who is rich as well as handsome and kind. However, most mothers would know better than to shout it from the rooftops before the pair are even engaged. Further, most mothers in her position would equally rejoice at the advantages which one daughter's marriage will confer upon her other daughters, but these mothers would also know better than to crow—publicly—about their daughters' new proximity to wealthy bachelors. Mrs. Bennet, like most mothers at this time, wants the best for her daughters, and what is considered "the best"—what makes a match a good and advantageous one—is wealth. She is far from being alone in her belief that this is so; what sets her apart from her peers is that she is too tactless to keep quiet about it.

The narrator speaks this line, however, and not Mrs. Bennet, but given the characterization of Mrs. Bennet, and the marriage traditions of the era, we can understand this line to be an example of verbal irony on the part of the narrator. She, who is so apt to point out Mrs. Bennet's flaws (and, through her, society's flaws), does not believe that "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." The narrator, based on the love matches made between Elizabeth and Darcy, and Jane and Bingley, as well as the loving relationship of the most idealized couple in the book—the Gardiners—seems to believe that love should come first and foremost. Financial security will not necessarily make one happy: consider the Collinses and the Bennets. Thus, the narrator says the opposite of what she means in this first line; instead, the line gives voice to the idea that society would most support (though might not say aloud).

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How does the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice relate to the theme of class?

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (p. 1, Ch. 1, Vol. 1).

One of the themes Jane Austen presents throughout the novel deals with the social issue surrounding the middle class marrying into the noble class in order to increase their wealth and social status. The above quote perfectly portrays this social theme through Austen's use of characteristic irony.

It was socially believed, as we witness through the behavior of Mrs. Bennet, that all men with substantial fortunes who enter the neighborhood should become married to one of the neighborhood's daughters. The irony in Austen's opening line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," is that, in actuality, it was the women in the neighborhood who were in want of rich husbands and not necessarily the rich me who were in want of wives. Hence, through irony, this line portrays the social belief that all wealthy men were fair game for marriage. But, through irony, it also portrays the theme relating to class intermarriages because it depicts the social truth that middle class women, like Elizabeth, frequently tried to marry men in the noble class. Although Darcy is an untitled gentleman, he is descended of many noble connections, and therefore socially higher than Elizabeth.

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What is the irony in the opening lines of Jane Austen's "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."

Irony is created when what we expect is different from what actually occurs. Verbal irony, specifically, occurs when one says that opposite (or something different from) what is true. For example, if you break your leg in three places and someone asks you if it hurts, and you say, "Yeah, just a little," you'd be employing verbal irony. Your breaks would hurt much more than "just a little"--they'd hurt a lot--and so you'd be saying the opposite of what is true. Verbal irony often employs sarcasm, sort of poking fun, as you can see from this example.

The narrator, perhaps Austen herself, is employing irony in this opening line because the idea that every wealthy bachelor must be looking for a wife is most certainly not a universal truth that everyone believes. It is something that a person like Mrs. Bennet believes, and she immediately shows herself to be self-centered and gossipy and ridiculous. She is so silly, in fact, that we quickly identify her as a character with whom we are not supposed to agree. Much more reasonable and level-headed characters like Mr. Bennet or Elizabeth Bennet do not subscribe to this idea. Therefore, we can ascertain that the narrator is not serious in making such a statement but rather is poking fun at it, using verbal irony to do so.

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Does the opening line of Pride and Prejudice still apply today?

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

This question is up to individual interpretation and opinion, so I encourage you to think through what you believe in addition to hearing the opinions of others.

In many ways, this opening line is meant to be humorous, as Austen is clearly commenting on a societal norm that she herself did not necessarily pursue.  I do not think women today life a similar life to the Bennet girls.  Mothers tend to encourage daughters to pursue an education before pursuing marriage.  Society today tends to encourage everyone to be financially independent.

That said, I do believe that the human condition presented in this line has not changed.  Even in today's society, people tend to seek two things in adulthood: career and family.  I believe humans are hard-wired to desire a relationship with a committed partner, for life.  Also, in many ways, even if the quote isn't completely true today, the opposite is.  Men and women who are immersed in education and career often do not make time for building a marriage relationship.  This is one reason proposed for the rise in average marrying ages as well as the rise in age for having children.

So, no, while I do not believe the heart of the opening line reflects today's society quite like it did in context, I do believe that the human desire for a committed adult relationship is universal, and made easier to pursue when making money is not a person's primary focus.

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This line is among the most famous in all of English literature and is the opening line to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Although by itself this sentence comes off as rather straightforward—prosaic even—its tone and meaning quickly change as we get further into the novel.

On first glance, the sentence simply seems to say: "Everyone knows that rich, single men are looking for wives." Read as such, the content of the sentence comes off as fairly self-evident. Rich, single men, especially during the nineteenth century, were indeed often on the lookout for wives.

However, once we have read a few chapters of Pride and Prejudice, we quickly come to realize that it is not a novel about men looking for women but rather women looking for men. Although there is a rich, single man in the novel, he is not our main focus. Rather, we are focused on and invested in Elizabeth Bennett, a girl with no financial means who desperately wants to avoid the life of a spinster.

Therefore, while it is understandable that the first-time reader would understand the sentence to mean exactly what it says, the re-reader should recognize that the tone of the sentence is deeply ironic.

References

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The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice does several things very adoitly. It serves as a thesis sentence for the entire novel. It displays Jane Austen's subtle sense of human. It also displays her understanding of her world and of human relations. The construction of the sentence also suggests that the novel is going to be full of contradictions, circumlocutions, subterfuge, equivocation, and outright deceit. What the sentence really means is that when there is a single man who is possessed of a good fortune living in the neighborhood, a number of young unmarried women are going to take a keen interest in him. Their mothers, aunts, and other older female relatives are also likely to take a keen interest. The novel is about young women competing for husbands in a world where women were largely dependent upon men and had no really attractive career oppoortunities outsie of marriage and child-bearing. The opening sentence of the novel has been frequently discussed by eNotes editors. You can see some very good and thorough answers by clicking on the reference links below. What is especially appealiing about Pride and Prejudice is that Austen deals with an extremely serious matter in a witty and satirical fashion.

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