It is a truth universally acknowledged that Mr Darcy hasn't left the collective imagination of generations of women. The year was 1812, when Pride and Prejudice (P&P) — Jane Austen's most well-known work — was published; but women all over the world still pine for that brooding man they love to hate in the beginning, only to fall in love in the end. There's even been a survey to prove it. The Orange Prize for Fiction conducted a poll in 2004 to know which romantic fictional character was their all-time favourite — majority of women, cutting across age-barriers, voted for Mr Darcy. They also said that he's the man they would ideally date.
A lot has changed since Austen's spirited heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, challenged the set morals of society that defined a woman's role only in relation to a man's; women today are socially and economically independent. They are emancipated and in charge of their lives; but the appeal of the brooding Mr Darcy — often scoffed at by feminists for being arrogant and stereotypical — hasn't waned. What is the secret of his everlasting appeal?
Milan Vohra, India's first Mills & Boon author, believes Mr Darcy is the archetypal alpha male that women can't resist. "He is emotionally unavailable, glowering, obviously very much in his sexual prime, has dry wit, is in need of being reformed (which women take up as a challenge); and most important of all — he clearly comes through as the good guy in the end." Author Hazel Jones, who wrote Jane Austen and Marriage, analysing "the question of marriage" that lies at the centre of Austen's novels, says about Mr Darcy, "He is an intriguing man. We can't quite work him out. He is a mystery, a challenge. This is what attracts Elizabeth's attention (and possibly ours). He is also tall, dark and handsome, which are the necessary attributes of a hero. He is proud and aloof, but possesses good qualities too. Also, Darcy is never boring or predictable. As readers, we find him thrilling and a little dangerous, which is irresistible!" Author Anuja Chauhan says, "There's something very fascinating about a man who's guarded and stays aloof from people, and when such a man only confides in one woman, and makes her feel privileged, he immediately becomes all the more desirable, like Mr Darcy. He is always morally right and though it's an irritating quality, it makes him terribly appealing too! He is blunt, whether he is confessing his love for Elizabeth or criticising her mother. And then he has a soft side, where you can see that he's fiercely protective about his little sister. All these are qualities appreciated by women, more so today, because the men of this generation bullshit a lot!"
Greatness of a work of art is defined by its timeless appeal. And the irresistible Mr Darcy has stood that test, and come out with flying colours, as is evident from his various modern avatars. Think Mr Big from Sex and the City. Think Mr Darcy, yet again, in Bridget Jones's Diary. And think of the numerous modern remakes of Pride and Prejudice — from the 1940 Laurence Olivier-Greer Garson starrer to the 1995 BBC adaptation that imprinted British actor Colin Firth as the eternal Mr Darcy in all our minds; and the 2005 Joe Wright version, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. The various Darcys over the years may have been tweaked according to the creator's vision and the audiences' preferences; but one thing that hasn't changed is Mr Darcy's emotional unavailability.
Explains psychologist Seema Hingorrany, "Emotionally distant men are sexually attractive because women perceive them to be dignified, intelligent and enigmatic. Women are turned off by men who chase them constantly." Austen, however criticised for her apparent lack of social commentary and failure to recognise the wider world in her novels, was an astute observer of the complexities of the mind, especially in regard to both the sexes. Ananya Dutta Gupta, literature professor at Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan, says, "Austen had great insight into the human mind. In P&P, she explored a bottom-line bedrock psychology — the battle of the sexes.
She knew that conflict gives a sense of adventure and adds zing to the dynamics of a love relationship. She created a character like Mr Darcy, whose mysterious persona would attract women. She had a natural sense of what clicks in erotic human behaviour."
Mr Darcy is the biggest proof that Austen, however much criticised, was far ahead of her times.
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