Balls and Roses

I know that the story takes place in the 18th century and all, but Pride and Prejudice can't emphasize more on the balls (dance parties) and all the so-called romance that happens between the characters.

Yes, I think I sort of get the balls part. Back then, balls were very formal and fancy-looking. Only high class people (or at least not the poor people) were able to attend them. It is understandable that rich people wanted to mingle with other rich people, because they wanted to always keep their status of being at the top of the food chain (economically of course). And yes, the parties today are very different. But, it makes sense that the continuous changes in culture and even things like technology have affected our perspective of a party. What doesn't really make sense to me is the perspective of love in the 18th century according to the book.

It might seem that there is no difference between modern-day love and the one showed in the story. Both of them show some kind of desire for another person. But, in the novel, love is actually shown more like a business rather than a feeling and emotion for others. Mrs. Bennet, the mother of Elizabeth and Jane, always looks so needy to obtain husbands for her daughters. Obviously most mothers would want their daughters to get married at some point, but Mrs. Bennet has her life revolve around it. This makes her daughters perceive love as a desire for a person based on his or her wealth and social class. This actually still goes on nowadays even though it's not very well-tolerated, but the social environment within the story makes it seem so normal and very common.

I guess, in a way, Mrs. Bennet's attitude represents an exaggerated form of women's inclination to base their love on the person's affluence. Whether it be modern day or two centuries ago, that fact, or more correctly worded as a bias, will never change.