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1;s immediate opinion of Elizabeth is that she is ³tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me² (pg 13). Mr Darcy was not remotely attracted to Elizabeth and yet when he learns of her true personality he admits that ³My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you² (pg 157). From Darcy not being remotely tempted by Elizabeth he grows so passionate for her that he believes his love is strong enough to spend the rest of his life with her. This proves that he does not love her for his physical desires towards her but instead, he loves her for her personality. The relationship between the two characters reveals Austen¹s values on love not being centered around beauty or immediate attraction but rather, knowing the perso本论文由英语论文网 www.51lunwen.org整理提供nality of your partner before you devote your life to them. Darcy and Elizabeth are amongst the few characters within the novel that marry for love. They are also among the few characters who find happiness. Austen represented her beliefs on the importance of marrying for love through Darcy and Elizabeth and uses the Darcy-Elizabeth relationship to prove to the audience that happiness in marriage can only be achieved if the couple feel love for one another.

Austen uses the relationships of Wickham and Lydia, Mr and Mrs Bennet and Charlotte and Mr Collins in juxtapositioning with the relationship of Darcy and Elizabeth. The most fatal of these marriages is between Wickham and Lydia. These two characters are literary devices used and manipulated by Austen merely to prove the outcomes of relationships which are not based on the grounds of love. The marriage between Wickham and Lydia was based on appearance and youthful ignorance. Lydia is naive and attractive, she is oblivious towards Wickhams inappropriate behavior. As a result of this their relationship rapidly fades away to the point where Lydia enjoys regular visits to her elder sisters homes and Wickham constantly visits London or Bath, alone. Austen suggests, without stating, that perhaps Wickham isn¹t the loyal husband that Lydia perceives him to be. The marriage between these two was on the grounds of superficial attraction 本论文由英语论文网 www.51lunwen.org整理提供and neither characters felt true love for one another. As a result of this, both characters appear to be somewhat miserable with their married life and constantly try to escape.

The marriage between Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins is a comical and yet devastating relationship. Mr Collins travels to the Bennets home with the purpose of taking home a wife. He first lays eyes on Jane Bennet and, when discovering that she is ³likely to be very soon engaged² (pg53), his attraction immediately turns towards Elizabeth. Having proposed and been rejected by Elizabeth, his self-image is not even remotely blemished and his attention is quickly transferred towards Charlotte Lucas. Only moments later Mr Collins announces the marriage of himself to Miss Lucas. This relationship is very symbolic. Mr Collins could not possibly be in love with Charlotte, for only a week before he had loved Elizabeth. Yet Austen demonstrates marriage for purposes other than love. Charlotte marries Collins in order to gain financial and social security. She feels pressurized to marry fast and feels as though Mr Collins is her only option. Mr Collins is an intolerable man and Charlotte often finds herself rather embarras