GR: not JA's minimum
Written by Barbara
(10/23/2003 8:31 p.m.)
in consequence of the missive, GR: A question of money, penned by Line
Marianne tells Elinor and Edward that she would consider 2000 pounds a year to be a 'competence'--or an income that would allow her and her husband to live comfortably but not extravagently. However, Elinor considers half that amount to be wealth. Mrs. Ferrars, in trying to buy Edward out of marrying Lucy Steele, was going to settle 1000 a year on him--or 1200 if pressed, so 2000 is considerably more than that. 2000 a year is Colonel Brandon's income, but at that amount his friends consider him 'rich'. It's an important point, though, that Marianne doesn't consider that to be particularly well-to-do, because we know that when she does marry Colonel Brandon, it isn't for his money.
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