Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is a novel that goes into great detail discussing the reasons for marriage. Marriage in the 1800's, when this novel took place, was very different from conventional marriages today. In that period in time, reasons for marriages were wealth, convenience, and most uncommonly, love. The first of these reasons is the subject of wealth. The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice states, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that …showed first 75 words of 484 total…

…showed last 75 words of 484 total…for this reason, but their relationship sprouted from hatred. The fact that only one couple in the novel married for love proves how rare that occasion really was. Wealth, convenience, and sometimes even love, are three reasons for marriage in nearly every novel. The novel Pride and Prejudice takes this subject to a whole new level of understanding for the reader, though. This makes this novel an important contribution to the world of English literature.