Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

welfare. Although several of her brothers went on to
become titled and inheritors of large estates, Austen
was aware of the mercenary nature of inheritance, placing
females of her family in so vulnerable a position once
their male provider (her father) passed away (Perry 47).
Austen does not give us an heiress, unlike
Richardson and Burney. She gives us, instead, a bevy of
daughters incapable of inheriting an estate, strapped by
a lack of good portions to enhance their chances for good
marriages. Eileen Spring explains the Bennet legal
situation:
The entail that Mr Bennet never ceased to rail
bitterly against was a strict settlement. By
the date of Jane Austenfs story, had it been a
simple entail, Mr. Bennet could have ended it
at any time. That he could not do so is the
starting point for the story. (33)
Austen also incorporates into her novel the varying
positions of members of the middle class. Mr. Wickham,
Mr. Collins and the Lucases all depend on inheritance and
marriage settlements to enhance their lives. The
Bingleys, on the other hand, are nouveau riche, with each
of them displaying a range of attitudes toward the power
of their wealth. Mr. Bingley takes his cue from Darcy,