Relationship Advice: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet

Although Pride and Prejudice was written a long time ago and the times have changed there are many parallels that can be made between courtship in Austen’s time and dating in ours.

 
          One similarity between dating now and back then I will advise against is how fast paced the relationships were formed. In Pride and Prejudice relationships moved extremely fast because women especially had to be married at a very young age. You met at a ball and if you hit it off were very soon in a courtship, with marriage and children following soon after that. Mr. Collins for example proposed to Elizabeth after knowing her for less than a week. Nowadays people can be extremely impulsive as well when it comes to marriage. So I advise anyone to take things slowly, make sure you get to know your partner and ensure you will be compatible in the long run before jumping into anything serious. Even though Mrs. Bennet would be telling you to find the first man willing and never let him go, I suggest you Elizabeth’s lead and allow for a longer courtship in order to ensure a lifetime of happiness with the right partner.
 
         A major difference between Austen’s time and our time is available partners. Back then there were limited choices in marriage partners. The only people around were neighbors and others who were physically close by. Travel was limited so people had to choose from a limited supply of potential partners. This is completely different from today’s dating pool. With online dating, social media, and simply greater access to travel the dating pool has expanded from the neighborhood to world wide. If you do not find a match in your current location you can move to a new city, town, state, or country and try again. So my advice is to take advantage of this opportunity and to utilize it in order to find your perfect match. Do not let the boarders of your town keep you from finding your true love.
 

-Moriah Alten Flagg