FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE: Marriage in the World of Jane Austen with Lise Rodgers

The development of medicine and the strengthening of family ties in the ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife’, wrote Jane Austen as the opening line to Pride & Prejudice. Marriage was frequently a ‘business’ affair rather than one of the heart, and a woman’s security could be dependent on her making a good match.

Lise Rodgers is an accomplished Melbourne actress whose career has spanned stage, screen and radio. An interest in the world and characters of Jane Austen is the inspiration behind her series of ‘Jane’ performances.

Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth in 1995's TV mini-series "Pride and Prejudice"