Analyze, and then develop an argument about how Austen, as a novelist, manages the varying levels of risk her female characters take on as they negotiate the partnerships that will determine their future security.

In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth mentions that her sister, Jane, and Jane’s beau, Mr. Bingley, “both like Vingt-un better than Commerce” (23). A footnote informs us that, while both Vingt-un and Commerce are card games, “Vingt-un involves more risk and requires less strategic attention to others’ moves” (419). What might this shared preference signal about Jane and Bingley’s relationship, over and against the other pairings in the novel? Keep in mind that in the tightly regulated “marriage market” of Austen’s society the stakes for women were extremely high. Analyze, and then develop an argument about how Austen, as a novelist, manages the varying levels of risk her female characters take on as they negotiate the partnerships that will determine their future security.

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