It has been remarked (by a lady infinitely cleverer than the present author) how kindly the world in general feels to young people who either die or marry. Imagine then the interest that surrounded Miss Wintertowne! No young lady ever had such advantages: for she died upon the Tuesday, was raised to life in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and was married upon the Thursday; which some people thought too much excitement for one week.Susanna Clarke,Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
A quick search says, "The narrator (a woman) is quoting another woman, likely a reference to Jane Austen (specifically, the opening of Northanger Abbey), regarding how society favors young people who get married or die." That totally checks out. Although with apologies to Jane Austen, nothing she ever wrote was quite as funny as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel.
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