In Jane Austen's novel, "Pride and Prejudice," is one of the main themes in this novel, and Jane Austen refers to this theme consistently but from different points of view. It is therefore harder to accumulate the author's true perspective of marriage because of the way she favours certain characters with a more agreeable nature than the less favoured members of her cast, who also seem to lack in manner and sense, as well as the application of propriety and decorum to their everyday lives. Examples of such characters are Mrs Bennet, Lydia and Mr Collins. However, the behaviour of such people was not the only criteria for marriage, and the novel highlights the several other areas that people would be judged upon before making a match of any kind. Pride and Prejudice's opening statement is a bold one: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must want be in want of a wife." In one way, this line mocks the idea it states, but the mere fact that the novel is really based on the subtext of this statement is a contrast to Austen's humour at the thought. The novel hones in on the late 18th, early 19th century attitude to matrimonial affairs “ that money, ˜a good fortune' here, played a vital role in marriage, and shows how the effect of fortune on one's mind when considering marriage. Mrs Bennet often highlights this point, especially in the first conversation of the book that we read where she and her husband are discussing the arrival of Bingley: ˜A single man of a large fortune...What a fine thing for our girls!' and ˜You must know I am thinking of his marrying one of them!' Here Mrs Bennet presents marriage in exactly the way that Austen describes “ marry a man for his wealth, not his love, and marry quickly, for everyone wants this man for their daughters. This was not uncommon behaviour for mothers of the time “ Mrs Bennet's character is made to seem peculiar but is in fact a representative of all women with daughters. We see this in both Lady Lucas and Lady Catherine's conduct later in the novel as well, and this is proved yet again at the end of Chapter 1: ˜The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.' Several relationships, both with and without marriage, are presented to us throughout the novel, though interactions in marriage are, of course, more prominent. One of such marriages is Mr and Mrs Bennet's; Mr Bennet is intelligent where Mrs Bennet is ignorant, hence a heavy contrast between the two. Here, there is a difference in understanding of situations as well as general character; however the start of their marriage did not immediately highlight these issues because physical attraction and money were prioritised over understanding at that point. It seems to be the view of 18th century society, though, that as long as both partners bring something into the marriage “ in this case, Mrs Bennet bringing a fair amount of money and beauty, Mr Bennet an income, intelligence and an estate “ the marriage shall be successful, which Jane Austen proves incorrect with her presentation of the Bennets' marriage. Contrastingly, Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins did not marry for mutual attraction, but the basis of their marriage is still on matters of money and status, as Charlotte describes here: ˜I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.' Again, Wickham's attentions switching from Elizabeth to Miss King would not be irrational because of the dire need to marry for money, but Elizabeth is not angry with him for this. On the contrary, she is indifferent, if not condoning, of his behaviour, though she is a strong believer in marrying for love. Her beliefs, which are identical to Jane's in the delicate case of marriage, are what guide her and her sister to make marriages with (arguably) the most understanding, trust, friendship present, combined with the strongest adoration, and we often notice that Austen herself is speaking through Elizabeth's character and stating her own ideas on marriage through her works of fiction. Mr Collins is one of the characters who have been adapted to fit the first, ironic statement of the novel “ he is, for a short amount of time, in search of a wife. His attentions when first arriving at Longbourn are on Jane, but quickly shift to Elizabeth after he is told of Jane's securing of Mr Bingley's interest by their mother. After Elizabeth's rejection of his proposal, however, he is engaged to her closest friend after Jane, Charlotte “ and not within a few days. From the reader's point of view, we can sympathise with Elizabeth and her (more so) modern view on marriage, but we may find it more di