How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"An engaged woman is always more agreeable than a disengaged. She is satisfied with herself. Her cares are over, and she feels that she may exert al her powers of pleasing without suspicion. All is safe with a lady engaged; no harm can be done" (5.12).
Henry's statement reveals two things. First, it shows that Henry enjoys going after "hard-to-get" girls and is a bit of a playboy. Second, Henry makes some interesting social commentary. In this time period, women were under a ton of pressure to get married and engaged women probably were more "agreeable" than their stressed out, un-engaged counterparts.
Quote #2
"You have been in a bad school for matrimony, in Hill Street."
"My poor aunt had certainly little cause to love the state; but, however, speaking from my own observation, it is a maneuvering business. I know so many who have married in the full expectation and confidence of some one particular advantage in the connection, or accomplishment or good quality in the person, who have found themselves entirely deceived, and been obliged to put up with exactly the reverse!" (5.22).
Mary's description of marriage as a "maneuvering business" is very revealing about her attitude. Mary sees marriage as a game of chance, basically, or like a Forrest Gump box of chocolates, where you never know what you're going to get.
Quote #3
"Depend upon it, you see but half. You see the evil, but you do not see the consolation. There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another: if our first calculation is wrong, we make a second better; we find comfort somewhere [...]" (5.23).
Though Mrs. Grant is speaking specifically about marriage here, her attitude makes a good life philosophy – it's a sort of an ongoing pursuit of happiness idea.
Quote #4
Maria Bertram was beginning to think matrimony a duty; and as a marriage with Mr. Rushworth would give her the enjoyment of a larger income than her father's, as well as ensure her the house in town, which was now a prime object, it became, by the same rule of moral obligation, her evident duty to marry Mr. Rushworth if she could (4.10).
Maria's attitude indicates the time period in which she exists. Getting married really was a "duty" for children in this period, especially for daughters.
Quote #5
Julia called Mr. Crawford's attention to her sister, by saying, "Do look at Mr. Rushworth and Maria, standing side by side, exactly as if the ceremony were going to be performed. Have not they completely the air of it?"
Mr. Crawford smiled his acquiescence, and stepping forward to Maria, said, in a voice which she only could hear, "I do not like to see Miss Bertram so near the altar."
Starting, the lady instinctively moved a step or two, but recovering herself in a moment, affected to laugh [...] (9.19-21).
As one of the most blatant flirting scenes between Henry and Maria, this scene also reveals the increasingly scandalous situation the two are getting into.
Quote #6
A well-disposed young woman, who did not marry for love, was in general but the more attached to her own family [...] (21.23).
Sir Thomas is making a faulty assumption about Maria here, but his thoughts provide some interesting insight into the time period. Lots of people didn't marry for love in this era and, as such, women might often hang around at their parents' house in order to avoid their unfortunate spouses.
Quote #7
"I mean to be too rich to lament or to feel anything of the sort. A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of. [...]."
"You intend to be very rich," said Edmund, with a look which, to Fanny's eye, had a great deal of serious meaning.
"To be sure. Do not you? Do not we all?" (22.36-8).
Edmund's look here is very telling and hints that he is troubled by Mary's attitude about money buying happiness. If Mary wants to marry for money then it doesn't bode well for Edmund's chances since he won't ever be extremely rich.
Quote #8
In thus sending her away, Sir Thomas perhaps might not be thinking merely of her health. It might occur to him that Mr. Crawford had been sitting by her long enough, or he might mean to recommend her as a wife by showing her persuadableness (28.34).
Since marriage is a "maneuvering business," both men and women often tried to "market" themselves to potential spouses by showing off certain qualities. Since women and wives in this period were supposed to be obedient, Sir Thomas is basically marketing Fanny as a good potential wife by showing how easy she is to boss around.
Quote #9
Henry Crawford had too much sense not to feel the worth of a good principles in a wife, though he was to little accustomed to serious reflection to know them by their proper name (30.16).
Henry may like flirting and having a good time, but he's smart enough to want to marry someone with good principles. This reveals an interesting facet of Henry's often un-serious character, and shows that he does have some "principles."
Quote #10
[Mrs. Price] might have made just as good a woman of consequence as Lady Bertram, but Mrs. Norris would have been a more respectable mother of nine children on a small income (39.5).
The nature vs. nurture debate emerges again here. Mrs. Price and Lady Bertram are a great deal alike, but wildly different marriages and life circumstances altered the two. Life circumstances thus have the power to impact a person's personality, and this novel often asks "what if" questions about people's lives, questioning how characters would be different if their life paths had gone in different directions.
Quote #11
She had not eloped with any worse feelings than those of selfish alarm. It had appeared to her the only thing to be done. Maria's guilt had induced Julia's folly (48.17).
We see a lot of motives for getting married in this book: love, money, anger, pride, and in Julia's case, panic. Julia is so worried about returning home after Maria's scandalous behavior that she impulsively elopes instead.
Quote #12
[Maria] hoped to marry [Henry], and they continued together till she was obliged to be convinced that such hope was vain, and till the disappointment and wretchedness arising from the conviction rendered her temper so bad, and her feelings for him so like hatred, as to make them for a while each other's punishment, and then induce a voluntary separation (48.10).
Maria and Henry's messy and complicated relationship comes to an equally messy and complicated end. Rather than make it down the aisle, the two live together and end up hating each other and breaking up. It's notable that Maria had little to no power here – she could "hope to marry" Henry, but she lacks the ability to convince him.