If you haven’t yet read Pride and Prejudice, you clearly aren’t hanging out with the same women as me. I am sure there are many women out there who don’t like Jane Austen; it’s just that I don’t know them.
I have been “made” to read this book once for a girlfriend, once for my sister, and once again for my class at Brandeis. Aside from being a literary classic, with an almost perfect plot, intriguing characters and writing that has been knocking people’s socks off for 200 years, it may just be the perfect romance book. So, if you are interested in dazzling the lady or gentleman of your choice, open your notes app, because I know you don’t have a paper notebook.
Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth, the second daughter of a poorer aristocratic family in Regency England, as she seeks to find a worthy husband. The book begins under the impression that all “single men in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Whether or not that is true (and it is not), all of the unmarried women in the book, affluent or poor, are definitely in want of a husband.
Elizabeth’s main love interest is the proud and reserved Mr. Darcy, brought to the silver screen by the likes of Matthew Macfadyen and Colin Firth. As I was sitting in class this week, the group realized that every woman in the room had developed a crush on Mr. Darcy. Naturally and with no ulterior motives in mind, the three men in the class asked, well, why?
Here is what I have discovered:
Firstly, Mr. Darcy plays hard to get, not just with Elizabeth, but with every girl who tries to catch his eye, which there are a lot of, because Mr. Darcy is tall, good-looking, and stupid rich. At the beginning of the book, Darcy offhandedly dismisses Elizabeth at a ball. But only eight pages later, he has become besotted with Elizabeth and her wit.
Secondly, he is totally and single-mindedly infatuated. As Mr. Darcy is a member of the British aristocracy, he can spend every waking moment attempting to woo Elizabeth. One way he does this is by memorizing her favourite walking routes in the park and walking them all day in the hope that she shows up. This level of attention and care is critical.
Thirdly, Mr. Darcy is good with the family, or at least with all the family that has not been fed nasty lies about his character by the villain of the novel, Mr. Wickham. For example, when Elizabeth’s uncle comes to meet Mr Darcy, the two get on exceedingly well, not least because Mr. Darcy is an accomplished fisherman and offers to let Elizabeth’s uncle fish in his stream. However, I have been assured that the fishing itself has nothing to do with Darcy’s allure.
Fourthly, Mr. Darcy does not hesitate to sacrifice himself for others, especially those whom Elizabeth cares about, and never takes credit for the good deed. One example is when he spends more than 10,000 pounds (over a million dollars today) to help Elizabeth’s younger sister out of a jam but neglects to share this with Elizabeth, who learns of it from her aunt.
Lastly, there is Mr Darcy’s dual character—abrasive on the outside and caring on the inside. He is impetuous and disinterested on first appearance, often reading rather than engaging in pleasant conversation, but as Elizabeth and the reader peel back the layers, he unveils an astonishing amount of tenderness and care. One critical moment for Elizabeth is when she visits Darcy’s mansion for the first time and speaks with his maid. This maid expounds on how kind and caring Mr. Darcy is to her, the other servants, and his younger sister, for whom he has just had a whole room decorated and purchased a brand-new piano forte.
After discussing what made Mr. Darcy so attractive, the class conversation turned to whether this kind of man was a naïve fantasy or if men could actually ascend to such heights. The general consensus was, no, men are generally incapable of romance anywhere near Mr. Darcy’s level.
But I beg to differ! To any men out there reading this, I dare you to prove them wrong. I know the five steps outlined above could, in the right hands, help suitors bring more romance into the world. I just hope there are a few tall, good-looking, multimillionaires reading.
