High stakes, low stakes
In Jane Austen’s novels, the stakes of the courtship game could hardly be higher: Her heroines face irrevocable decisions that will determine not just their personal romantic and sexual fulfillment but also their future financial security, class status, family relations, and moral outlook. But the terms in which Austen couches these high-stakes dramas are typically understated. No one spells out the fact that marriage is forever and that husbands hold virtually all the social