We’ve talked about Tom Lefroy, Jane’s short-lived flirtation. Then we discussed Jane’s mysterious seaside love which appeared to be something deeper, although the identity of the man remains a mystery. This month, we’ll look at Jane’s marriage proposal from a wealthy, future estate holder.
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In 1802, Jane and Cassandra travelled from their home in Bath to Manydown House, near Steventon, to visit their good friends. While there, Jane received an offer of marriage from their friends’ younger brother, Harris Bigg-Wither. Bigg-Wither was 21-years-old, and Jane was nearly 27.
This site is ending, so I’ve moved this post. Read the rest here & see my theories on why Austen turned Bigg-Wither down.
8 responses to “Was Jane Ever in Love? (Part 3: The Marriage Proposal)”
Very intelligent summary.
Speaking of Cassandra, I strongly recommend MISS AUSTEN, the BBC’s attempt at Gill Hornby’s book about (mostly) Cassandra. Acting and casting sublime. Costumes, lighting, direction great. A few stupidities, probably from the book, but not right for the period (such as: a passionate and public kissing episode).
Thanks for stopping by, Alice.
I love recommendations. I’ll check it out!
I think she did want love! It would be hard to marry someone and not love them. I admire her for wanting to help her family though.
It would be hard to marry someone without loving them…a hard thing most people must have done at the time. The pressures from family that you mentioned must have been hard too.
I really hope she and Tom Lefroy did not fall in love because he would have been disinherited by his uncle. That happened to his oldest brother, and I imagine that his brother had a difficult time providing for his family. And Jane’s family already had money problems that she would not have been able to help them with. Marrying without enough money to live on had to be a problem possibly even more so than today.
Maybe that’s why Tom and Jane never became too serious, if he had already witnessed what happened to his brother. Hm. Interesting to think he might have taken a chance otherwise.
I think the seaside man was a more serious match for her.
Yes, the money problem must have meant a lot of people married without love.
So I am a Aromantic woman (In short I’m not attracted to anyone- Man or woman) this means I am not going to be in a relationship or married. I find a kinship with Jane and like to imagine she is like me, where she enjoys the ideas of love but dosen’t actually feel attraction. The way she writes Emma’s character, its pretty aro-coded. Either way Jane proves a relationship and marriage is not the only way to live your life.
That’s an interesting take on Austen, and I imagine it must have been harder to know you didn’t want to marry as a woman in Austen’s time, since marriage was a woman’s whole financial future.
But you’re right–Austen shows us there are many ways to live a fulfilling life.