In March, I received a letter from Wedded to My European Fantasy, asking if they could marry a man they don’t love just so they could get a European visa. “Can I?” they asked. So many questions that modern heroines (and sometimes heroes) send are asking me for permission, seeking external validation. Of course WTMEF can marry whoever they choose for whatever purpose they desire. But I understand what they’re really asking—am I a good person if I do this? Or am I polluting the shades of matrimony?1
To marry for love was a hope for Jane Austen’s heroines.— Today, it’s the standard, which is why WTMEF feels uneasy about using it as a means to become a European citizen. In my response, I considered what Austen, herself, might have thought about marriage & love based on her letters & novels: For women without fortune, status, a secure situation, marriage was a “Great Improver” (provided that the man they married had an income of £10,000 a year2). In most cases, remaining single would have been the harder choice, which is why Austen believed in love, believed in a marriage of minds. Her best heroine, Lizzy Bennet, deserves more than a man with a beautiful estate (though the estate helps!)—she deserves love.
But love has never been essential for marriage, just as marriage isn’t essential for modern heroines. Sometimes it can improve a heroine’s situation, offer greater opportunities. When I read WTMEF’s letter I thought, “Could I have received a more Jane Austen question? Nay, a more Modern Austen question?” In 2024 when everyone seems to want to remake their lives somewhere else, a visa is as sought after as Pemberley. It’s the modern heroine’s version of £10,000 a year.
What do you think, Modern Heroines? Do you agree with my answer? What’s your £10,000 a year? Share your thoughts in the comments!
If there’s a personal matter you’d like Modern Austen’s advice on, you can send her a message. Please indicate whether you’re comfortable with your letter being published, & do use a clever pseudonym.
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Is the European Visa the New £10,000 a Year?
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In March, I received a letter from Wedded to My European Fantasy, asking if they could marry a man they don’t love just so they could get a European visa. “Can I?” they asked. So many questions that modern heroines (and sometimes heroes) send are asking me for permission, seeking external validation. Of course WTMEF can marry whoever they choose for whatever purpose they desire. But I understand what they’re really asking—am I a good person if I do this? Or am I polluting the shades of matrimony?1
To marry for love was a hope for Jane Austen’s heroines.— Today, it’s the standard, which is why WTMEF feels uneasy about using it as a means to become a European citizen. In my response, I considered what Austen, herself, might have thought about marriage & love based on her letters & novels: For women without fortune, status, a secure situation, marriage was a “Great Improver” (provided that the man they married had an income of £10,000 a year2). In most cases, remaining single would have been the harder choice, which is why Austen believed in love, believed in a marriage of minds. Her best heroine, Lizzy Bennet, deserves more than a man with a beautiful estate (though the estate helps!)—she deserves love.
But love has never been essential for marriage, just as marriage isn’t essential for modern heroines. Sometimes it can improve a heroine’s situation, offer greater opportunities. When I read WTMEF’s letter I thought, “Could I have received a more Jane Austen question? Nay, a more Modern Austen question?” In 2024 when everyone seems to want to remake their lives somewhere else, a visa is as sought after as Pemberley. It’s the modern heroine’s version of £10,000 a year.
What do you think, Modern Heroines? Do you agree with my answer? What’s your £10,000 a year? Share your thoughts in the comments!
If there’s a personal matter you’d like Modern Austen’s advice on, you can send her a message. Please indicate whether you’re comfortable with your letter being published, & do use a clever pseudonym.
<3 Modern Austen
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“Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?” See Pride & Prejudice, ch. 56, p. 322.
See “Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband” on Jane Austen’s World.