Melanie is right. The first sentence is disturbing. I think that is Austen's purpose. It's an ironic statement and can, thus, be read in different ways. It has to do with her satire which I want to get into more in another post.
In one sense, the statement ("It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife") is quite literally true. In 19th Century England, a single man who inherited an estate had to have a legitimate male heir or the estate could be disbursed. It was part of the entail/primogeniture system which I want to look at further in another post.
I agree with Melanie: I'm glad things have changed. I think Jane is smiling.
I think the Masterpiece Theatre series "Downton Abbey" shows the entail and oldest son heir problem quite well. We are waiting for the next season to start. Excellent acting.
ReplyDeleteTOOOoooooo laTE!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHoooooooOhhhh Nooooooooooo
The dark side has let us down and I have no idea what is happening to Rio