Intro paragraph for P&P Essay

In Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen satirises the role of women in 1813 England. In her time, women experienced a lack of power and were accustomed to having their voice suppresed by men. Austen utilized the power of a novel to express her critical views towards the patriarchal society she lived in. Her critiques are most prevalent about the power of women in society and the lack of respect they received. While her book is perceived as an excellent display of a woman seeking to change the ideas of her time, the satire was lost and had little impact until the 20th century. Austen sees marriage as a vehicle for love and happiness and not for wealth and social status. This challenging idea of marriage is expressed through her main character, Elizabeth Bennet, who is a character way ahead of her time. Her relationships with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins reveal the unfair and troubling expectations men had towards women in the process of courtship. At the time, men were expected to marry within their social class in order to maintain their families name while also expecting women to accept their proposal even if the couple barely knows each other. Therefore, Elizabeth’s relationships embody Austen’s highly critical views of the instution of marriage and the process of courtship in early 1800s England.