Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

Collins is "low" born, someone without property, and
certainly not bred to be the keeper of an estate, while
Wickham, also low born, but more importantly, ill bred,
mistakenly weasels his way into the Bennet family, only
to find he marries into the entail fallout. The
property, therefore, becomes the centerpiece of the
novel. Longbourn is rarely spoken of directly, but it
remains the silent constant, representing the backbone of
upper class English society, and the ultimate objective
of strict settlement practice.
Mona Scheuermann points out, "It is impossible to
speak of falling in love, courtship, and marriage in
Pride and Prejudice without speaking of property" (201) .
If we focus on the marriages of our three minor males
characters rather than on the marriages of Darcy and
Bingley, then we also say that it is property that
becomes the impetus for falling in love, courtship and
marriage. The women Bennet, Collins and Wickham marry
seem incidental when it comes to love and courtship; they
seem more for money and show though they have little of
each, Austen believing as much in marriage for money as
in marriage for love (McMaster 290). Further, with
Wickham, one could even say that spite plays a part in
some marriages.