Posted by Barbara on April 26, 1997 at 17:13:53:
There has been some discussion already about this on the Austen-L. Despite the objections raised in CH 1 by Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram to the possibility of Fanny marrying one of the Bertram boys, marrying one's cousin was not regarded as a no-no in JA's time. In fact, their objection seems to be that Fanny will be brought up as though she is their sister, and probably even more, although they don't say it, because they don't think she is good enough for them. Henrietta Musgrove and Charles Hayter, first cousins, are to marry in Persuasion. Lady Catherine assumes Darcy will marry his first cousin Anne. Charles and Henrietta, and Darcy and Anne have exactly the same relationship to each other that Fanny has to the Bertram boys, as offspring of two sisters.
And yet, by the time Hardy wrote Jude the Obscure, two cousins marrying was no longer considered socially acceptable. Does anyone know when and how this change in attitude came about? Also, was it primarily due to concern about passing on weak genes or was there another reason?
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