The satirical piece A Bouquet for the Prospective Wife is meant to revisit the issue of whether or not marriage is a necessity for success in the eyes of a woman. In Austen’s novels, the main protagonist is often a heroine who is no more than a young girl in most instances. Austen’s Emma paints Emma Woodhouse as the determinant of her own future because of her inheritance of her father’s estate and fortune and as a consequence of his unconditional admiration towards her. Throughout the novel, her, her best friend Harriet and Jane Fairfax are all approached by a number of suitors who should (or should not) desire to marry the women, but Emma seems to be an advocate for feminism and representation for the women for whom marriage is not in the cards to help dictate her fortune. In fact, Emma’s marriage to Mr. Knightley is seen not to be for the expansion of her fortune but rather for her intimate connection with him and his ability to get through to her and keep her honest with herself. In Austen’s Mansfield Park, the women of the story despite their educated backgrounds are consistently asked about their marital plans, with Austen stressing that marriage was an important aspect that every woman was obligated to consider when making plans for her future. On the other hand, Northanger Abbey recognizes more of what Isabella is looking for in a bouquet, but allows me to pose a question of how willing a personality like hers was to submit to a man in a commitment such as marriage. Even in her manuscript writings such as her final piece Sandition, Austen makes marriage a theme that represents gender roles within marriage.

The bouquet in this drawing carries flowers that offer four main components that I saw present in what the male suitors of the novels felt were necessary to win over the female companions: money, represented by the three green bills, ‘the estate’ meant to represent property and assets, marriage to represent the written commitment as a contract, and ‘my total dominance over you’ which is both a satricial nudge at the sovereignty that a man expected came with marriage in context to the era of publication.

I was inspired by a series of comics and drawings that brought attention to the main themes presented within many Austen novels. Her indirect conversations of marriage were particularly important because of how they are compared to modern times where marriage is considered more of an option and a suggestion. I personally couldn’t imagine a world where a woman’s marriage was determinant of her future. In today’s generation, there seems to be a value for loyalty and a true connection and an equal partnership; one similar to Emma and Mr. Knightley’s or one like Fanny and Edmund’s secret romance. Austen does an exceptional job at separating the difference between what was offered to a woman for whom a man shared love for (or what her aspirations of a real romance should have been) and what was offered to a woman for whom a man was requesting his hand in marriage for. Her romantic relationships are fairytale like, appealing to the female perspective that she imposed upon her writing.

I wanted to choose an argument that is still present within the female audience today, because societal standards for marriage have changed from the early 19^th century to today’s 21^st century. It’s often questioned upon women whether or not marriage is a necessary component to here future, and today’s society increasingly brings many very successful, unmarried women who have made a name for themselves. However, while undeniably there are benefits to marrying a man with a fortune, as Emma’s Frank Churchill married Jane Fairfax, which gives her his fortune as needed (despite the debated unfairness of the marriage), it should not be the case that a man’s fortune is the only way a woman can gain her own. Today’s society still represents problems of unequal salaries between men and women, which ultimately still gives women not much of a choice but to meet a man who matches her fortune or holds a larger one than hers (if one of her main values is so).

Finally, when considering the conversation of marriage one will likely encounter the topic of gender roles. Austen does a great job at exhibiting the gender roles within married couples in the era. The bouquet helps question what gender roles are different now in comparison to Austen’s written texts and what has remained the same over time. Is there still a dominant and submissive relationship that exists within today’s marriages or is it more of an equal partnership as aforementioned? Is it safe to say that gender roles don’t exist within a healthy partnership or are gender roles necessary when remaining successful within marriage? And finally, is marriage really a necessary component of success or is there beauty in rejecting the bouquet?