Pride, Prejudice and the Entail
I'm a huge Jane Austen fan (must be the English major in me), and took in the latest version of Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightley and, for some reason, an ampersand in the title) over the weekend.
Perhaps I love the story for its mix of real estate and estate planning? One of its main elements involves an "entail," which prevents Mr. Bennet from bequeathing his home to one of his five daughters. Upon Mr. Bennet's death, the property will instead pass to a distant relative, Mr. Collins (who of course shows up and attempts to woo Elizabeth Bennet). Luckily, Elizabeth and her sister Jane are able to find true love with men whose money can save their sisters and mother from destitution.
This page has a great introduction to the entail (and inheritance) issues in Pride and Prejudice.
