Original artwork, not a still
Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong argument in favour of matrimony.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Austen's letter makes a blunt, practical case for marriage. Unmarried women, she says, tend to end up poor. The dry phrase 'dreadful propensity' treats poverty like a bad habit, which is how the joke and the worry sit together.
Context reviewed
