The Marital Relational Contract Perspective on Jane Austen’s Marriage Economic View in Pride and Prejudice

（浙江師范大學，浙江 金華 321004）

Introduction

Jane Austen is a famous British realistic novelist in the 19th century. Through the description of pairs of ladies and gentlemen’s circuitous love which leads to marriage， Austen depicted many images of British love and marriage situation in rural areas. The responsibility of women is sacrificing every moment of their life to husband and parents； otherwise it would be regarded as turning down the god’s will.

Pride and Prejudice is a sweet and gentle work. The four marriage types in Pride and Prejudice are all take money as the plot lines. This novel reflected Britain’s local conditions and custom， social relations， class conscious， marital family… at that time.

The British Rural Environment during the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries

The Industrial Revolution

In 18th century， the land revolution and industrial revolution began to take place in Europe and America. Britain stepped on the rich and powerful road from then on. However， many people lived in rural areas still make their livings from the soil. Until the late 18th century， wool textile industry became the pillar industry in British countryside. With the expansion of rural industry and increase of non-agriculture population， rural areas’ demographic composition has changed.

In Pride and Prejudice， the squire class represented by Bennett； the new rules class represented by Sir William Lucas and the hereditary ruling class from industrial cities， such as Bingley and Darcy gathered together in countryside. Upper-class in the country of Britain can gain a relatively high social status， which equips them an advantage of marriage. Men had rights in policy and economy， which means that women had to rely on men for a living， because they couldn’t work or do business as men for a living.

The Pursuing of Money

The final result of love is marriage. But the Britain in 18th to 19th centuries， money and social status are two necessities of marriage compared to love， because of the rigorous social hierarchy and women’s inferior social status. Men were considered as fortune to women at that time， and that is the reason why parents want their daughter to marry a single man so hardly. However， many people treat the woman who has a large amount of wealth as the ideal marriage partner out of the financial burden. For example， Mr. Bennett married with Mrs. Bennett is not for her beauty but for the four thousand pounds dowry. So it is not difficult to find that the pursuing of money is kind of a factor promoting the success of marriage.

Jane Austen’s View of Marriage

Jane Austen once said marriage only based on money is not right， but considering no poverty’s marriage is also foolish. Actually， Jane Austen was a rebel against male- chauvinist society. Her action represents a departure from the universal demand of her time. In some way， a woman was a mere appendix to the man. As a woman， even you have your own brilliant ideas， you would better to keep it in mind and pretend that you are very shallow. What was worse， men would envy those brilliant women. However， Austen never gave up and she dared to be an intelligent female with brilliant ideas. Maybe this is the reason why she lived a single life until the end of her life.

Austen’s View of Marriage： Money is Necessary

Austen does not believe that happiness can be achieved only by wealth. But she believes marriage should be based on material， and the ideal marriage can become better because of the stable economic basis. She displays her new view of marriage through the novel： true love should be appreciated by each other rather than the promise. Austen indicates that economic status can influent a lot to the views of marriage coming into being.

Pride and Prejudice exemplifies Wollstonecraft’s critique of marriage—namely that woman is socialized merely to please and obey man and that such an education leads to inequitable unions—and her vision of marriage based on friendship. Ultimately， framing Austen within the milieu of proto-feminist argues for a contemporary feminism with broader and more extensive boundaries.

Elizabeth’s View of Marriage： Purse Her Own Happiness

The marriage view of Elizabeth is the embodiment of the author’s view of marriage to some extent. The biggest characteristic of Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage is that they have the same value and appreciated each other. They chose the marriage partner freely， which is different from the mainstream approach in 18th century to 19th century. What Austen reveals is that marriage is not only a happy ending for a woman who will be sheltered by a husband， who in turn will indirectly grant her for the significance of being of his wife， but also an opportunity for her heroine to maintain her individuality， make mistakes about relationships， and learn to overcome her fear of losing herself in her relationships.

The Marital Relational Contract Theory

A relational contract is a contract whose effect is based upon a relationship of trust between the parties. In many related marital relationship theories， viewing marriage as a contract is most popular and attracting， which became the dominate theory in educational circle of the marriage law in many capitalist countries. The marital relational contract theory offered us a totally new research perspective and provides us the theoretical basis for proper understanding to marriage. Using the marital relational contract theory to explain the marriage can avoid the utilitarianism and vulgarization of marriage.

Relational contract theory would encourage the couple promise for a long time， share the benefit together， prevent the potential inequality in marriage， punish the opportunistic behavior in marriage， and distribute the marriage benefits and lost reasonably.