The Cambridge Companion: "Money"

Chapter 9 of the Cambridge Companion, "Money," discusses how money was distributed and used during Jane Austen's time. It explains that men counted their money per year while women counted the amount they made in a life time. So if Mrs. Bennet said she made L2000 and Mr. Bennet said he made L2000, this would actually refer to Mrs. Bennet making L2000 in her life time while Mr. Bennet is making that same amount in a single year. This amount, L2000, would be a grand amount to live on during this time, and it was interesting to read about what a family on this income lived like. Reading about families that make L500 or L400 a year really made me realize how rich Mr. Darcy really is, making sums of L10,000 a year! These incomes really altered a persons life in deciding how and who they were to marry, if at all, who their friends would be, and what kind of life they would have. The only way really to marry without money would be romantically and the couple is then doomed to be 'miserable.' Mr. Darcy, although unliked by so many, is very rich and because of that, he is attractive to eligible women.