“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.” Question 1 options: Austen’s commentary on “fortune” and “marriage” demonstrates the economics of her time period. Were marriages of this period arranged? Wow! Austen’s characters were only concerned with money and not love. Interesting! Austen’s introduction implies that rich men are on the hunt for a wife.
