In Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, marriage is a very serious topic, it determines a woman’s class, their happiness for future life or even if they will have a life at all. Marriage Forms alliances between families as land, income and title are extremely fruitful topics. "Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong argument in favour of matrimony" -- Jane Austen, letter of March 13, 1816 In Jane Austen's time, when Pride and Prejudice was written, there was no real way for young women of the "genteel" classes to go out on their own or be independent. Professions, the universities, politics, etc. were not open to