Reference no: EM13158262

I just need someone to edit. Also any suggestions for content: adding/deleting sentences... 

The Politics of Happiness in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”

In the late sixteenth century, England’s notions of happiness and individuality changed in what is known as the Individualism movement. During this time, many bold and intellectual minds argued that “the individual preceded society,” and that everyone had the right to achieve their own happiness (Jones 231). Their ideas led to a critical view of traditional social institutions and resulted in the demand for change. In the spotlight of the discussion, marriage received extreme and varying criticisms that expressed concern in its ability to provide happiness to the individual (Johnson 78). Amongst the writers to support marriage as a worthy means to romantic and economic fulfillment, was the novelist, Jane Austen. In her book, “Pride and Prejudice,” she takes a stance against marriage’s harsh critics and shows that their image of an ideal union, though it is possible, is not essential to the happiness of the individual. In her relationships between Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas, Mr. Bingley and Jane, and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, she achieves fulfilling different versions of society’s fantasy to combine personal and social interests. Her union of characters by different tokens of financial security, romantic interest, and intellectual likeness sets a more flexible bar for the standards of courtship.