5 ms·

I'm not sure if you're being serious or not, but Elizabeth is still being sarcastic here, as is very much in her character, despite Jane's request to the contra

• TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
  It's not simple sarcasm. There's plenty of truth in it, so there's an element of knowing self-deprecation - not just on Elizabeth's part, but also Austen's, because the sentiment that would have been recognised by many of her readers. Austen herself was in the same position as Elizabeth, with a tiny inheritance that provided no financial security. So P&P is as much a fantasy about finding financial safety as it is about finding a man. For all the landscaped country houses and bonnets, it was a very brutal period for many women - and for men too, in other ways.
  • neaden 7y ago
    It's also because she sees how Darcy's servants and tenants view him. He is a popular man and treats the people who depend on him well which speaks positively to his character.
  • nathan_long 7y ago
    Sounds right, but she wasn't purely mercenary like her friend Charlotte, who admitted to marrying Mr. Collins for his money, which filled Elizabeth with horror.