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ManypeoplesimplyregardPrideandPrejudiceasalovestory,butinmyopinion,thisbookisanillustrationofthesocietyatthattime.Sheperfectlyreflectedtherelationbetweenmoneyandmarriageathertimeandgavethepeopleinherworksvividcharacters.
Thecharactershavetheirownpersonalities.Mrs.Bennetisawomanwhomakesgreateffortstomarryoffherdaughters.Mr.Bingleyisafriendlyyoungman,buthisfriend,Mr.Darcy,isaveryproudmanwhoseemstoalwaysfeelsuperior.EventhefivedaughtersinBennetfamilyareverydifferent.Janeissimple,innocentandneverspeaksevilofothers.Elizabethisaclevergirlwhoalwayshasherownopinion.Marylikesreadingclassicbooks.（Actuallysheisapedant.）Kittydoesn’thaveherownopinionbutlikestofollowhersister,Lydia.Lydiaisagirlwhofollowsexoticthings,handsomeman,andissomehowalittleprofligate.WhenIreadthebook,Icanalwaysfindthesamepersonalitiesinthesocietynow.ThatiswhyIthinkthisbookisindeedtherepresentativeofthesocietyinBritaininthe18thcentury.
ThefamilyofgentlemaninthecountrysideisJaneAusten’sfavouritetopic.Butthislittletopiccanreflectbigproblems.ItconcludesthestratumsituationandeconomicrelationshipsinBritaininhercentury.Youcanfindthesefromtheverybeginningofthisbook.
Thefirstsentenceinthisbookisimpressive.Itreads:“Itisatruthwellknowntoalltheworldthatanunmarriedmaninpossessionofalargefortunemustbeinneedofawife”。Theundertoneisveryclear:thefoundationofthemarriageatthattimeisnotemotionbutpossession.
PeoplealwaysthinkthatAustenwasanexpertattellinglovestories.Infact,themarriageinherbookisnottheresultoflove,buttheresultofeconomicneeds.Afterreadingthisbook,Iknowthetruthisthatapoorwomanmustbeinneedofahusband,awealthyman.
Icouldn’tforgethoweagerMrs.Bennetwantstomarryoffherdaughters.Ifyouwanttoknowwhysheissocrazyaboutthesethings,ImustmentionthesituationinBritainatthattime.Onlytheeldestsonhadtheprivilegeofinheritinghisfather’spossessions.Youngersonsanddaughterswhoareusedtoluxuriousliveshavenochoicebutmarryamanorwomaninpossessionofalargefortunetocontinuetheircomfortablelives.Thus,wecanseethatgettingmarriedisawaytobecomewealthier,particularlyforwomenwithoutmanypossessions.JaneAustentoldusthatmoneyandpossessiondeterminedeverything,includingmarriageandloveinhercentury.
In“PrideandPrejudice”，thesisterofMr.BingleystronglyopposedhisplanofmarryingJanebecausetheBennetsdon’thavemanypossessionsandtheirsocialpositionsaremuchlowerthanthem.Fromthis,wecanseetherearealotofobstaclesforanotveryrichwomantomarryawealthyhusband.Thesociety,therelativeswouldnotallowthemtogetmarried.
Inmodernsociety,althoughthemarriagesofeconomicneedshavedecreasedrapidly,theconceptof“moneydetermineseverything”isstillrootedinsomepeople’smind.Alotofparentstryhardtointerferetheirchildren’smarriages.Educationbackground,possessions,jobsremainsthemainreasonthatmayinfluenceone’smarriage.Marryformoneyisstillabigprobleminoursociety.Wecan’thelpthinking:canmoneydetermineeverything?
Austenleftthisproblemforustothink.ThegeniusofJaneAustenliesinthisperfectsimplicity,thesimplicitythatreflectsbigproblems.AlthoughAustenwasonly21whenshewrote“PrideandPrejudice”，hersharpobservationofsociallivesmakesthestyleofthisbooksurprisinglymatureandlively.Theplotsinherworksarealwaysverynatural.Thedevelopmentoftheplotisasinevitableasaprobleminmathematics.IthinkthedepthofPrideandPrejudiceisthereasonthatmakesthisbookprominentandclassic.Today,herbookstillcanbetheguidetellingustheeconomicrelationshipsbothathertimeandinmoderntime.