"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.
This is, of course, the opening line that kicks off Austen's Pride and Prejudice. But why did she choose this particular sentence to begin things?
First of all, we must remember that this is of course not a "universal truth". Never in the history of the world has every man wanted a wife specifically*. However, at the time Austen was writing, it was true that it was the expectation, and so as far as Austen and her peers were concerned this was a "universal truth". The assumption was that a rich man would marry a woman, and have a child who could inherit your wealth.
So Austen begins with what was, at the time, a mater-of-fact statement. She is affirming a 19th century fact and at the same time concreting the subject of her work - it is as though I were to compose an essay about light waves and begin with "it is a truth universally acknowledged that the sky is blue".
Not only has Austen set the tone of her work, but she has also closely aligned herself with her readers - she says "this is true" and "I believe this is true" and "you believe this is true" and "everyone believes this is true" all at once, in regards to a fact that everyone did believe was true**. Her readers are alongside her now, they are at the same level. This is highly important for the style in which Austen writes - she has a certain humour and cheek that, although it is composed in an omniscient third person perspective, would not work should she talk down to her audience.
The line also works to catch that audience's attention. How often have you read a book that begins with a long, detailed description of a setting, or the look of a character, and found you'd read 10 pages without actually taking anything in? In the same way that creative writing classes suggest you start your book in media res or at least jump right into the plot or dialogue in order to grab the reader's attention, Austen "dives right in" - although, instead of using this opportunity to set up the plot or characterisation, she sets up the philosophical outlook of the work, and the context that her characters will be in. We know that Austen is going to discuss marriage with us, and that thereby the plot will involve marriage and courtship, and the characters will involve a rich man and probably a woman. Austen sets up our expectations.***
Thus, combined with the title ("pride and prejudice" I mean, come on) Austen utilises this opening line to set the scene for a deep dive into the marital relations of the upper class, with a cheeky fictional charm.
*There are a number of ways a "single man in possession of a good fortune" may organise his relationships, and it is a shame that such a famous quote must simplify matters to one path. Unfortunately, the erasure of LGBTQ+ identities is unsurprising in the classic novels due to their context, which only makes critical thought and discussion around them all the more important.
**If I were to say "it is a truth universally acknowledged that the earth is flat" that would be alienating to the many of my readers who don't believe the earth is flat.
***Which then allows her to subvert these expectations - is anyone more subversive than Elizabeth Bennet! Austen also allows us to become suspicious of her subversion. Beginning with "this is a fact and everyone knows it" makes us wary that she will probably turn this "fact" on its head - why else would she say that?
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