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Pride and Prejudice, a la Shmoop: Keeping Up With the Bennets.

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Independence gets a lot of good press. . . . . .as well as some epic celebrations.

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When we go to the movies. . . ...we can't get enough of characters who are

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fearless. . . . . .feisty. . .

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. . .and know how to stand up for themselves. Which pretty much sums up Elizabeth Bennet.

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So, if she was so independent. . . . . .why did she cave and marry Darcy?

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Was it because she was in looovvve? Once she and Darcy got through all that messy

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miscommunication. . . . . .she probably thought they had a good

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shot at a marriage of equals. . . . . .even if he did majorly diss her at that

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party. And if a little romance wasn't reason enough,.

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. . . . .let's not forget her family's situation.

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The Bennets were broke. . . . . .and Darcy had a boatload of cash and

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a sweet place to live. Maybe she was just being a dutiful daughter.

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 Marrying into money and privilege to lift her family out of their financial woes...

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Was it really her fault that marrying Darcy would make her life easier?

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And it was the 19th Century, by the way. Women didn't have a lot of options.

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Internet dating wouldn't come around for another hundred years or so.

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Marriage was something expected of a woman. It wasn't about love so much as forming unions

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between families, and moving up in the world. Even royalty would use marriage as a way to

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form alliances with other kingdoms. After all, a princesses was expected to marry

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a prince... it was her duty. Even if he was a little less than charming.

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So, why did Elizabeth and Darcy get hitched? Was it all about the love. . .

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. . .a great opportunity to help her struggling family. . .

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. . .or was she just doing what a woman was expected to do?

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Shmoop amongst yourselves

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