Austen Quote by Catherine Reef
““Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous sentences ever written: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." With these words, Jane Austen announced to her readers that they were about to meet such a man and the people eager to marry him off. What was more, they were going to have fun. The dark cynicism of Sense and Sensibility was largely gone, blown away by a clean, fresh wind.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Pride and Prejudice, 1813
A witty opening line sets up the social expectation that wealthy men seek wives, hinting at satire and romance.
In simple terms: Wealthy men are expected to marry; the novel will explore this.
Key Takeaway
Notice how societal expectations shape personal choices.
Themes
social satire
marriage
class
humor
romance
Mood
playful
ironic
lighthearted
Type
literary
satirical
When to use this quote
- reading the novel
- discussing Victorian society
- analyzing character motives
Key Concepts
gender roles
economic pressure
courtship
Questions to Reflect On
- How do expectations influence characters' decisions?
- What does the opening reveal about 19th‑century society?
A Different Perspective
The humor may downplay serious gender inequities.
![“I read "Pride and Prejudice" [by Jane Austen]. I was gobsmacked by it - it's so funny and so modern. Unbelievable. You don't expect funny to come through after 200 years - humor doesn't transcend decades, let alone centuries.” quote by Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/33d/julie-walters-10631_austen_i-read-pride-and-prejudice-by-jane-auste_2088019.jpg)
![“For [Jane Austen and the readers of Pride and Prejudice], as for Mr. Darcy, [Elizabeth Bennett's] solitary walks express the independence that literally takes the heroine out of the social sphere of the houses and their inhabitants, into a larger, lonelier world where she is free to think: walking…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/654/rebecca-solnit-569_austen_for-jane-austen-and-the-readers-of-pride_2924842.jpg)
![“[Jane] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's stories -- entering into their feelings, validating their experiences -- is the highest way of acknowledging their humanity, the sweetest form of usefulness.” quote by William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2bb/william-deresiewicz-15471_austen_jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothi_62623.jpg)
