Thursday, February 2, 2012
Money
Chapter 9 from the Cambridge Companion really helped me gather an understanding for why Jane uses such strong metaphors and examples of how money can be used to easily manipulate and persuade people. She sets certain standards for success by giving the characters in her book an amount of money. She stresses the fact that money is power and that everyone social standards depend on that amount. It is very different as to what we do now. For example, most people's marriage now-a-days do not necessarily depend on money. You may ask before you get married, but it is not as important as it was back then. She makes sure that everyone has it written "on their forehead" how much money they or their family has. She uses it as a tool for manipulation.
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Why is it do different now? How has society changed from then to now in order to make the money issue do different? Food for thought...
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. Reading this chapter of The Cambridge Companion also helped me understand the "meaning behind the money" within the novel. I feel like by knowing this meaning, I am able to understand more about who the characters in the novel really are. Learning that the Bennet's don't have very much money, I can better understand why Mrs. Bennet tries so hard to get her daughters married.
ReplyDeleteThe Mrs. Bennett connection is good- so how much can we assume that the Bennetts make? Based on Elizabeth's conversation with Lady Catherine, the details of the story in general, and your knowledge of chapters 9 and 10, how much did the Bennetts make and can this help you understand Mrs. Bennett's motives?
DeleteI agree with what you are saying. It's weird how much we can change over time and how everyone back then knew exactly how much one owned. Money definitely manipulates people. I don't think it will ever stop. Now we may not know how much people make but I believe in higher class people they compete more and they can see more of what each other make.
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