Is it possible to propose through card games?

 

Courtship through Card Games: 

A Critical Analysis of the Union of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice 

Figure 1: Tabletop card games in BBCs 2005 Pride and Prejudice  

 

    “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 43). The famous opening line of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice addresses many themes which are integral to the novel’s plot, such as societal pressures, fortune, and marriage. This quote sustains an emphasis on wealth as it underlies that all men with “good fortune” must desire “a wife” (43). By placing the role of “desiring” a wife on a man, the first line carries a hopeful tone that a single woman shall be desired by a wealthy man (43). By situating the reader within delicate manners and a subtle urgency of wealth, Austen begins Pride and Prejudice by placing importance on marriage prospects, and this theme soon becomes the central point of the novel (Alexander 14). 

The emphasis on marriage in the novel is a result of the socioeconomic factors of the time. To expand, we can assume the novel is set in the late 1700s to early 1800s due to references to the Napoleonic Wars which took place from 1797 to 1815 (Wiesenfarth 261). In addition, we can assume the story takes place in England as events of the novel transpire in real cities like Bakewell, Chatsworth, Matlock, Dove Dale, and the Peak (Dinter 112). Thus, based on the combination of geography, time, and social conventions, we can establish that the novel takes place in the Regency Era, which took place from 1811 to 1820. It is important to establish the era of the novel as this time period was involved in a changing time with the recent publication of Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. At its core, Wollstonecraft’s text advocated equal treatment of men and women (Wollstonecraft 127). In relation to the text, we will observe how many female characters attempt to assert intellectual independence that reflects a Wollstonecraft conception of gender politics, while hoping for an advantageous marriage to secure their future survival.

By opening the novel with a satiric yet restrained attitude towards marriage, the text begins by establishing a connection between marriage and wealth. Austen is well known for her restrained tone as Greenberg states that Austen “works through restraint, slipping her satiric knives in quickly and lethally” (169). Her “satiric knives” come in the form of dialogue and symbols which fit into the text comfortably, like her sarcastic comments on society’s obsession with marriage (169). One such symbol are the card games which exist in the background of the text. While on the surface it may seem like marriage and card games have no clear correlation, both present the chance to accumulate wealth in a short amount of time. In addition, similar to how the “truth” of the “universe” evokes an ideological smallness of the world in the ironies of the opening sentence, card games also represent a small society due to the limited number of people who could play at a time (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 43). This connection demonstrates that card games and marriage are synonymous with a chance at “fortune” in the text (43). While the restrained use of card games causes the reader to gloss over their importance, upon research it is evident how the text uses card games to explore chance and intellect in courtship. 

This paper will show how the novel uses card games to criticize the insistence on the likelihood of chance in marriage. To expand, particular emphasis is placed on the union of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins as their relationship represents a balance of intelligence and chance. Over time the novel reveals that their relationship is based on the Wollstonecraft conception of gender equality. I chose to observe the union of the side characters in relation to games of chance as much research has already been conducted on the characters of Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, Jane, and Mr. Bingley.

 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Despite the limited references to card games throughout the novel, Austen did not distribute the games arbitrarily throughout the text. Austen's vast knowledge of card games proves that the games were not assigned randomly, instead, they hold a great role in the text. In fact, Austen’s personal letters to her sister, Cassandra Austen, reveal the significance of certain card games.  

On 24 Oct. 1808, Jane Austen writes to her sister stating that she had “ introduced speculation” to her nephews, “and it was so much approved that [they] hardly knew how to leave off” (Austen, Jane Austen’s Letters to Her Sister Cassandra and Others 229). Although on 10 Jan. 1809, she reveals that the children preferred “Brag over Speculation” (247). While she was mortified by the preference of Brag over Speculation as the latter game had been taught “under [her] patronage”, she agreed with the preference as well because “when one comes to reason upon [Brag], it cannot stand its ground against Speculation” (247). Her letters reveal that Austen had card games she preferred over others, while she also paid attention to the implications of reason tied with certain games. Furthermore, she is also concerned with the financial significance of gambling as revealed by her letter on 7 Oct. 1808. She states that “there were two pools at Commerce, but [she] would not play more than one, for the Stake was three shillings, & [she] cannot afford to lose that, twice in an evening” (215). Through Austen’s personal correspondence we can infer how card games are associated with gambling, therefore underlining the access to such games based on class hierarchy. 

While previous papers have argued that card games are used to emphasize the social divide between upper-class and middle-class characters, I will use this paper to take the theme of hierarchies one step further and build connections between attitudes towards card games and the success of a marriage. While a surface-level reading seems to stress the prevalence of chance in both, card games and marriage, I will show how Austen’s deliberate use of certain card games subverts the possibility of chance and rather asserts that a financially secure future is subtly designed by the woman’s intelligence. In the case of the Collins marriage, we will see how Charlotte orchestrated her marriage to Mr. Collins instead of relying on chance. While Mr. Collin serves as a puppet for high society, his wife, Charlotte Lucas is a mastermind in games of chance. 

Card game rules. While Pride and Prejudice does not focus on card games as an integral part of the plot, the games add dimension to the characters by existing in the background. The card games included in Austen’s text are lanterloo, piquet, quadrille, whist, lottery tickets, commerce, and vingt-un. This paper will analyze the game that Mr. Collins is seen playing, and that is whist. While he also plays Quadrille with Lady Catherine, his patroness, the instances of these games do not signify the winning or defeated teams of the games. For instance, during dinner with the Bennet family, Mr. Collins boasts to the family about how he has received an invitation from Lady Catherine “to make up her pool of quadrille in the evening” (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 101). The only instance where he is revealed to have lost a card game is at the Phillips house where Mr. Collins loses a game of Whist.

Pole reveals that “quadrille was replaced by whist in the early eighteenth century” (Pole 26). He further explains that whist remained fashionable through the end of the nineteenth century (61). The rules of whist are revealed in The compleat gamester by Charles Cotton:

Whist is a Game not much differing from this [English Ruff and Honours], only they put out the Deuces and take in no Stock; and is called Whift from the Silence that is to be obferved in the Play; they deal as before, playing four, two of a fide. I fay they Deal to each twelve a-piece, and the Trump is the bottom Card. The manner of crafty playing, the Number of the Game nine, Honours and Dignity of other Cards are all alike, and he that wins moft Tricks is moft forward to win the Set. (54)

To summarize, Cotton’s collection of card game rules from the year 1725 illustrates that whist is a four-player game, with two players on each side. The game is based on partnerships, and the couple with the most tricks will win the set. To expand, to win a trick means to place a higher card than the last, based on the trump suit.  

ANALYSIS 

Before beginning a game of whist at the Phillips’ residence, Mr. Collins states that he “knows little of the game but is willing to improve” (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 110). His limited knowledge of whist parallels his ignorance towards matters of marriage and courtship. In fact when he “lost every point,” he relates his failure to a matter of chance (116). He believes that when people “sit down to a card-table, they must take their chances of these things” (116). While this quote expresses Mr. Collin’s hope for luck, it also shows that he is not intellectually adept. To elaborate, his inability to win a single point means that his team was unable to place a higher card for every round, indicating that he is either extremely unlucky or unintelligent. The first cannot be true as he has been significantly lucky with the accumulation of land throughout the novel. In fact, he claims it was a “fortunate chance that had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant,” which helped him to acquire the Hunsford property. In addition, it is simply through luck that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are unable to produce a male heir, which will cause the Longbourn property to pass on to Mr. Collins as he is the closest male cousin. Indeed, Mrs. Bennet comments on the entail of the Longbourn estate as she understands that “there is no knowing how estates will go when once they come to be entailed, for such things I know are all chance in this world” (100). So while he is unable to win a game of whist, he has been able to win two properties. This accumulation of land adds to his future stability. Thus we can conclude that his failure at a relatively easy game is not due to chance but rather due to a lack of knowledge. While chance plays an important role in this novel, it is surprisingly not intertwined with Mr. Collins’ card games.

On the other hand, while Charlotte appears to be an unlucky character, her intelligent and calculating nature is unveiled through her actions and dialogue. It is important to note that her character frequently receives backlash for her decision to marry Mr. Collins (Morgan 63). However, I argue that out of all three marriages we see in the novel, Charlotte’s marriage is the most skilled and well-informed match. Near the beginning of the novel, she declares that “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance”, thus expressing her belief in chance (Austen, Pride and Prejudice 61). Her statement shows that her stance on marriage is directly related to social security rather than romance. She reiterates her belief in chance when she explains her decision to marry Mr. Collins to Elizabeth. She is “convinced that [her] chance of happiness with him is as fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (154–155). Although, she tactfully avoids commenting on the “chance” of courtship and instead only comments on the “happiness in marriage” (61). Building on the theme of chance from Mr. Collins, we can note that while chance plays an important role in this novel, it is not intertwined with card games and courtship.

Soon after her proposal, she begins to “excitedly calculate how many years longer Mr. Bennet was likely to live” in order to determine when the Bennet residence could legally become her husband’s property (151–152). Not only does Charlotte secure her own future through her marriage with Mr. Collins, but she also plans for her younger sisters through this arrangement. Due to her newfound social status, the younger Lucas girls “had formed hopes of coming out a year or two sooner than they might otherwise have done” (152). Charlotte’s wedding allows her younger sisters to enter the marriage market more easily because there was an expectation that an older sister would be married off before a younger sister (Alexander 15). Overall, we see how Charlotte’s intelligence and Mr. Collin’s intelligence and luck exist side-by-side.

Instead of focusing on chance for her courtship with Mr. Collins, Charlotte uses her intelligence to design a proposal for herself, while her husband does the same through his luck. After Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins, Charlotte “instantly set out to meet him accidentally in the lane” (151) because she is aware that he simply desires a wife. His insistence on marriage is because he is a “clergyman, and as a clergyman, it is his responsibility to set the example of matrimony in his parish” (137). On the other hand Charlotte “wants an establishment, without any care for how soon that establishment were gained” (151). By using each other to design a future for themselves, both characters create a life-long union based on the fulfilment of responsibility. Surprisingly, when other characters unite for a more romantic version of marriage, the desire for love is still unable to disregard the desire for a secure future. For instance, the novel’s sharpest satire lies in the protagonist’s comment about falling in love with Mr. Darcy when she saw “his beautiful grounds at Pemberley” (372). So even though Elizabeth Bennet disapproves of Charlotte's decision to marry Mr. Collins to secure a future, Elizabeth follows the same trend. Despite the insistence of romantic marriages throughout the novel, the ending remains comfortable with the notion of marrying for wealth. 

As shown above, we have established that card games are assigned throughout the text with a clear objective in mind. Austen uses these games sparingly, yet effectively. For example, all instances of quadrille occur when a character wants to establish their dominance in society as quadrille was especially popular at French courts and among the British nobility (Mullin 997). Thus by showing Mr. Collins losing a game of whist, a relatively easy card game, Austen magnifies his lack of intelligence. By pairing Mr. Collins with Charlotte’s sharpness, Austen creates a marriage which is based on mutual responsibility. We can identify a glimpse of Wollstonecraft’s theory that women are able to plan their own future, similar to their male counterparts. 

 CONCLUSION 

I used card games to establish the theme of chance because I wanted to explore the weight of chance and intelligence in Regency Era courtship. Mr. Collins is the only character, with the exception of Lydia, who loses a card game, and I believe this is a deliberate choice. While Lydia’s promiscuous relations with Wickham represent her obsession with the card game called lottery tickets, I have found that Mr. Collins has a more complex relationship with luck. The card-playing in Pride and Prejudice contains within it a unique position that while luck is important, knowledge carries just as much weight. This is evident through Charlotte’s ability to single-handedly secure her future with a statistical approach to marriage, rather than relying on luck or expensive outfits. This shows that similar to card games, fulfillment in marriage is not only a matter of chance but a combination of luck and intelligence. For further study, it would be beneficial to look at the representation of intelligence in Pride and Prejudice and its adaptations. While luck is considered random, intelligence transcends through diverse cultures and locations in unique ways. In the future, I would be interested in comparing how the profession of teaching English and Urdu in Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal compares with the portrayal of intelligence in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

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2. Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters to Her Sister Cassandra and Others. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1952. ---. Pride and Prejudice. Broadview. 2002
3. Cotton, Charles. The compleat gamester: or, full and easy instructions for playing at above twenty several games upon the cards. 5th ed., 1725. Eighteenth Century Collections Online, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CW0102185908/ECCO?u=ucalgary&sid=bookmark-ECCO&xid=aa5fff9b&pg=1. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.
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8. Mullin, Janet E. “‘We Had Carding’: Hospitable Card Play and Polite Domestic Sociability among the Middling Sort in Eighteenth-Century England.” Journal of Social History, vol. 42, no. 4, 2009, pp. 989–1008. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/27696525. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.
9. Pole, William. The Evolution of Whist: A Study of the Progressive Changes Which the Game Has Passed Through from Its Origin to the Present Time. Longmans, Green Co., 1895. 
10. Wiesenfarth, Joseph. “The Case of Pride and Prejudice.” Studies in the Novel, vol. 16, no. 3, 1984, pp. 261–73. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/29532288. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.
11. Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. J. Johnson, 1792.