Changing Views of Pride & Prejudice

AR head shotOne of the things that never ceases to amaze me in Jane Austen’s writing is how many different ways I can view the characters. Developing different sides of a character is part of the fun of writing Austen variations, but I’ve also found that my opinions of the original characters has changed over the years as I’ve re-read it and learned more about the historical period.

The classic case for this is Mr. Bennet. For years I found him amusing and admirable in his devotion to Elizabeth, then one day I realized that there’s almost nothing likeable about the man. He’s neglectful and verbally abusive of his wife and children, he doesn’t protect his daughters when he should, he makes no efforts to avoid leaving them all in the lurch when he dies, and he has the nerve to laugh at Jane’s heartbreak over Bingley. Mrs. Bennet may be silly, but she does take care of her girls and plans for their future.

Recently, as I’ve taken part in the P&P200 project and looked at the main characters from an outside point of view, I’ve seen other changes. I’ve started to notice Elizabeth’s immaturity in the way she dismisses her friendship with Charlotte when her friend makes a decision she doesn’t like, her cavalier disregard for the future (so like her father in that way!), her ready acceptance of Wickham’s blandishments, and how very willing she is to blacken Darcy’s name after the Meryton Assembly.

The latest casualty in my assessment of characters is Colonel Fitzwilliam. I wouldn’t even have thought it possible to change my opinion of him, since in many ways he’s more of a plot device than a character. He appears in many of my books, usually promoting a match between Darcy and Elizabeth as being in Elizabeth’s best interest. But in the book I’m writing now, the good colonel has been stealing some scenes which have made me look at things a little differently, especially after I carefully re-read the original scene from Pride & Prejudice where he takes a walk with Elizabeth:

“Do you certainly leave Kent on Saturday?” said she.

“Yes—if Darcy does not put it off again. But I am at his disposal. He arranges the business just as he pleases.”

“And if not able to please himself in the arrangement, he has at least great pleasure in the power of choice. I do not know any body who seems more to enjoy the power of doing what he likes than Mr. Darcy.”

“He likes to have his own way very well,” replied Colonel Fitzwilliam. “But so we all do. It is only that he has better means of having it than many others, because he is rich, and many others are poor. I speak feelingly. A younger son, you know, must be inured to self-denial and dependence.”

Suddenly I wondered whether the colonel was as laid-back as he seemed, or whether he might have been speaking bitterly about being at Darcy’s disposal. Was he amiable by nature, or had he learned to be amiable as a survival skill?

The answer showed up in the next scene I wrote. My new story starts after Darcy’s proposal at Hunsford is interrupted half-way through before Elizabeth has a chance to refuse him, which leads in a complicated manner to the appearance of impropriety between them. When Colonel Fitzwilliam, ignorant of the proposal, hears what has happened, he says that Darcy must marry her. With a surprise cut to his point of view (well, I was surprised, at least, but I’m usually the last to know what my characters are up to), he reflects on it:

Darcy, unaccustomed to defending himself against his usually agreeable cousin, snapped, “I had no idea you were concerned, and I had enough to worry about without that! Richard, if you have nothing better to do than to criticize everything I say and do, I hope you will find your way back to Rosings quickly.”

The colonel bit back a reply and turned to stare into the fire. He should have known better than to challenge Darcy. Still, after two days of uncertainty as to whether Darcy was even alive, and then a long, uncomfortable ride today, it was hard to settle into his customary deference to his wealthy cousin. He could not afford to turn Darcy against him, but sometimes the bit chafed, all the more so when Darcy insisted on playing fast and loose with the rules of propriety that bound the rest of society. One of the chief arguments for finding an heiress to marry was that he would no longer have to bend his will to that of his wealthy relatives. Darcy was the best of the lot, there was no doubt, but it would be even better to be independent.

At least Darcy seemed to accept that he had a responsibility to marry Miss Bennet. That was the crux of his anger, after all. He himself was accustomed to Darcy doing whatever he pleased, but it was another matter when a sweet and lovely girl like Miss Bennet was injured by his cousin’s heedless behavior. He wondered whether Darcy’s sudden concern with the niceties of when the engagement was announced actually had to do with concern for Miss Bennet’s sensibilities or whether it was simply to avoid any hint of scandal that might reflect on Georgiana in her upcoming first Season.

Richard seized on the question as a safer topic, not to mention one which did not cause him pain. “Has Miss Bennet been presented at Court?”

“Not yet, but she will have to be.”

“Is there anyone in her family who could sponsor her?”

Darcy made a scornful sound. “God forbid. That is the last thing I would wish for. No, I will have to find someone. Lady Catherine is hardly likely to agree to take on that particular task. One of my cousins might be brought up to scratch.”

Richard doubted that, given how many of them Darcy had managed to offend over the years. “My mother might be willing, given that it would mean she would not have to sponsor Georgiana since that would necessarily fall to your wife.” He did not particularly like the taste of that phrase in his mouth.

“My sister will be delighted in any case, simply because this will mean putting off her come-out for another year,” Darcy said dryly.

“At least someone will profit as a result of this predicament!”

Darcy gave him an odd look. “You refer to presenting Miss Bennet?”

He had not been, but it would hardly be wise to point that out. If Darcy did not already understand the effect his high-handed ways would have over the years on Miss Bennet’s lively spirit, it was not his place to tell him. The material advantages of the match would certainly outweigh the personal incompatibility, but he doubted Miss Bennet would find pleasure in spending time with her husband. There it was again – another phrase he did not like to consider. He had liked it much better when he had thought that Darcy would find an attachment to Miss Bennet as imprudent as he himself did. In truth, he had not at all minded watching Darcy for once wanting something he could not have.

A different view of the good Colonel, indeed! So, what Austen characters have changed in your estimation over the years?

 

40 comments on “Changing views of Pride & Prejudice”

    1. Sophia Rose
      I think I haven’t had much of change of feelings about the characters that I like or don’t like. But I did feel myself making a mental nod of agreement when you talked about Mr. Bennet. I know this is probably sacrilege, but I did go from thinking Emma cute and humorous to being interfering and thoughtless. I do not hate her because in the end she seems truly remorseful over Miss Bates and Harriet, but I cannot like her.I love the thought of a thinking Col. Fitz and a less than perfect Darcy. Enjoyed the excerpt.Thanks for the discussion.

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          I did just the same thing with Emma. Now I’ll never write a variation on Emma because having her voice in my head would drive me bonkers. ;)

    1. Oloore
      Wow! Thank you for the excerpt from the forthcoming book. The Interrupted Proposal? Very intriguing, especially those two days of uncertainty!I see your point about changing views of P&P characters. Though views often change in pessimistic direction:)I suppose it is necessary for a writer to search for new angles and traits in characters when creating a new book, to see certain sides of characters in a new light in order to expoit new possibilities/tones for plot development. And I fully agree that having met a real life Mr.Bennet I would think of him as of uncaring, unattentive, irresponsible short-sighted father, and in case of a real life Colonel I would have strong belief that deep inside him he certainly has poor relative complexes.But personally I still see original P&P characters as nice, amusing and amiable and so far I have not changed my opinion of them yet. Maybe because I’m a pessimist (though usually prefer to call myself realistist :smile: ) and more easily find flaws in people than good traits, I like to cling to my first good impressions of book characters.But I do like to read new interpretations! :wink:

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          I still think that the characters are amiable. Both Elizabeth and Darcy are fundamentally good people who care about the happiness of others and are willing to work for that goal. My points are about minor character flaws. They’re still both people I’d like to have as friends.

    1. Jakki L.
      Interesting! I love it when you authors point out new ways of looking at text. I often feel like I am looking at those black and white pictures where there are two images, but you tend to see only one, but if you change how you look at the picture or what you focus on, you can see the other picture. Like it is either an old lady or a candlestick, depending on how you look at it. (did I just make any sense?)Like you, my thoughts and feelings have changed for Mr. Bennet. He irritates me now. He can be so detached, aloof, apathetic, and much more about his family irritates me. And for him to not try to change and give up on securing his daughters’ future because it is “too late.” Agh! Anyway, let me stop here.As always, looking forward to your new book!

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          An excellent analogy, and it just shows Austen’s brilliance at characterization that we get that optical illusion effect.

    1. Kirk
      I agree with you about Mr. Bennet! Anyone who doesn’t do right(Dudley Do right?) by Jane Bennet shall be smote! Alas, I must also agree about Lizzy. On a brighter note, my opinion of Fanny Price has gone up upon rereading. I’ll never love her(I’m a card carrying member of Team Marianne :). However, her standing up to Sir Thomas, when he tries to push her into marrying Henry Crawford, is truly heroic! I was moved to tears. Further, she then stands up to Edmund Bertram too on the same issue. The two most important persons in her world!

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          Yes, Mr. Bennet’s attitude toward Jane’s heartbreak is, well, heartbreaking. If he couldn’t be sympathetic or supportive, he could at least have kept his mouth shut and not have made fun of her.I’m flying out to your neck of the woods tomorrow, so I sincerely hope the snow proves to be overrated!

    1. Tara Finlay
      Your observations are astute and are the very things that I used to argue with “scholars” about. But now, I agree with you on all points. Someone once asked me how I could love Elizabeth Bennet so much when she was so willing to do the things you mentioned. I realized that when I “met” her, I did not see those faults. I knew her for years before it became obvious to me and by that time, I was willing to continue to overlook them.” That happens a lot to me, in real life, with actual people. I think the Austen Authors helped me see more of Elizabeth after she grows, and that sustains my good opinion of her. In some adaptations and continuations, Mr. Bennet redeems himself to a point, but it is obvious he is too late. It’s never really been about Darcy for me (I know, a sacrilege) – I was always wanting to be like Elizabeth in terms of her wit and vivaciousness tempered with good (for the most part) manners. Versus, say, a Lydia.I am constantly in awe of all of your abilities (the Austen Authors) to come up with such wide and varied situations and character spins as to continue to sustain my addiction to the genre. I mean, what other novel has over 50 sequels and variations? I love it! I think at last count I was at 60 novels read in this genre. Keep ‘em coming ladies (and gentleman!)

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          Thanks! I do still admire Elizabeth – just my view is a bit more tempered, and really it’s a much more realistic view of what a 20 year old would be like. As for Lydia, she is a lot like Lizzy, but with the fatal difference that she doesn’t care what happens to anyone else as long as she gets what she wants. Elizabeth is a far more generous soul.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Really appreciated your thoughts on this, Abigail (and it was delightful to read your excerpt, too!) — I think my feelings about some of the characters have changed over time and with multiple readings as well. In regards to Col. Fitzwilliam, I’ll admit that, while I thought him a charming man (whether by nature or by learned skill), his words to Elizabeth about “being at Darcy’s disposal” always struck me as very nearly bitter. I can’t imagine anyone — man or woman — appreciating being at the whim of someone else, especially someone like Darcy, who doesn’t exactly exemplify easygoingness ;).

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          Bitter is an excellent word for it. If I had to be at someone’s disposal, I don’t think Darcy would be an easy choice.

    1. Rae
      My views of several characters have changed since my first reading of P&P, but then I blame it primarily on the fact that I was only 18 when I read it the first time and was NAIVE! I didn’t have enough life experience or maturity to look at the whole picture and read between the lines. I enjoyed it the first time as a wonderful story and missed all the social issues, most of the sarcasm, etc. I was shocked when Darcy proposed to Elizabetht the first time and believed all of Wickham’s lies right along with Lizzy! With age and experience comes understanding and wisdom – not to mention everything I’ve learned from other Austenites over the last 40+ years.Thank you for the excerpt. I am always ecstatic to find that Abigail has written a new variation. Cannot wait to read it.

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          I think you’re right that age makes a difference. When I first read P&P, 20 year old Lizzy was a glamourous grown-up, and now I see matters much differently. And as a youngster, a ‘fun’ parent like Mr. Bennet can seem more appealing. The consequences come later.

    1. Susan Kaye
      I think Rae makes a good point about age influencing your take on characters. I came to Persuasion in my late 30s and don’t find my opinions changing much. I have always seen Lady Russell as a woman who did the best to keep Anne from making a grave mistake so young. Louisa Musgrove is flighty but innocent of being a schemer. Sir Walter is dealt with kindly in the ’95 adaptation but was really quite shallow, mean, and neglectful of his daughters.Mary Musgrove is probably the person who annoys me the most now. I have been stuck in grocery lines and experienced the sorts of children mothers–and passive fathers raise–and am appalled.Reading Austen over and over is interesting and enlightening.

    1. Mary Simonsen
      I agree with you about Mr. Bennet. Although he’s witty and Lizzy’s favorite, he was derelict in his duties, and Lydia would pay for it for the rest of her life.

    1. Jack Caldwell
      Great post, as always, Abigail. I admit my view of Pride and Prejudice has evolved. I use the word “evolved” because from the beginning, I thought Austen was referring to Darcy with “pride” and Lizzy with “prejudice.” In the years since, I think that my initial understanding was wrong. I now firmly believe that Pride and Prejudice is about the coming of age of Elizabeth Bennet. It is not about Darcy at all.Think about it. Darcy really doesn’t change in the novel, except he becomes a little less reserved. It is Elizabeth that changes. Nearly the entire novel is seen through Elizabeth’s eyes. Mr. Bennet is her champion until Hunsford; it is only afterwards that Lizzy admits her father’s failings. The reader’s opinion of almost everyone—Mrs. Bennet, Jane, Mary, Kitty, Lydia, Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine, even Mr. Bingley—suffers in the aftermath of Lydia’s escapade with the now-revealed villain, Wickham. Only the Gardners and Darcy shine in the crisis. Lizzy sees this, and thus her transformation from the young, impertinent Miss Lizzy Bennet to the intelligent and formidable Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy is nearly complete. Really, could pre-Hunsford Lizzy stand up to Lady Cat as well as post-Hunsford Elizabeth?I may expand on this in a future CCC blog post. Thanks for the idea, Abigail!

        1. Susan Kaye
          I think most of Austen’s works are coming-of-age stories about the heroines. The heroes are pretty set in their character traits, though Wentworth does have to admit his evolution of feelings from anger to admiration for Anne.In Persuasion, Anne doesn’t change much. Her story is one of patience and virtue winning the day when all is said and done.Good points Abigail and Jack.

            1. Jack Caldwell
              I agree with you about Persuasion. I think Austen breaks the mold a bit in Mansfield Park, as well. Sure, it’s Fanny Price’s coming-of-age, but she doesn’t change much. In fact, her steadfastness is her strongest asset.

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          Interesting point, Jack. I’ve shifted in the meaning of the title as well, though I hadn’t quite reversed it, but you make a good argument. I hope you do a post on this!

            1. Rae
              I think both Lizzy and Darcy have equal shares of Pride and Prejudice. One noun does not go entirely to one person. I do disagree with Jack that Darcy only becomes less reserved. He learns to realize that a person’s value does not lie in social class or money in the bank or the number of acres he owns. There are people worth knowing in every level of society and all the upper class are not superior to those of inferior monetary status. Big lesson to learn if you’ve been raised your entire life to believe the opposite.That’s one of the things I love so much about this book – always a new opinion from another reader to consider and ponder. Wouldn’t you just LOVE to have a conversation with Jane Austen in heaven and find out what was really on her mind? Fingers crossed that I might have that conversation some day in the distant future.

    1. Monica P
      I love when an author or another reader makes me think about a character in a different way than I had previously. You’re right about Mr Bennet. The only good thing he does is not forcing Lizzy to marry Mr Collins. His blatant favoritism of Lizzy and Jane must’ve been hurtful to Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Mrs Bennet may have been irritating but at least she could be bothered to worry about her family’s future.I could buy Col Fitzwilliam as bitter and envious of Darcy, especially if he really was interested in Lizzy. He did throw in that little dig about Darcy’s “triumph” over the Bingley/Jane thing, maybe to make Darcy look bad to her.

        1. Monica P
          Thank you for the excerpt, by the way! I always look forward to your next story.

        1. Abigail Reynolds
          Oh, now there’s an interesting thought! What if he knew all along that the woman in question was Lizzy’s sister? It was, after all, a rather odd thing to bring up in conversation. Now my mind is going all sorts of new directions…

            1. Jack Caldwell
              Look out! It’s a new plot bunny!

    1. Susan Mason-Milks
      Great discussions! Thanks, Abigail, for stirring things up a bit and getting people thinking and talking about P&P!

    1. Monica P
      That’s what I was thinking – maybe he did know it was her sister. Maybe not. Maybe because he couldn’t marry Lizzy, he wanted Darcy not to have her either. At the very least he would probably think Darcy was high-handed in interfering in Bingley’s life. The more I think about it, his conversation could be viewed as a little Wickham-ish (did I just say that?) – bringing up Darcy’s tendency to control things and wanting sympathy from Lizzy about his plight as a poor second son. I prefer to think better of the Colonel than that, and see him as an ally instead of an adversary, but I’m sure he would enjoy seeing Darcy not get his way, for a change.

        1. Jakki L.
          Monica, I have often thought it was odd that Colonel Fitzwilliam brought that up in conversation. What if he did know Lizzy’s was the lady’s sister? Ooh, interesting, indeed!Another thing, I find that each time I read a variation or what-if, I am looking at the characters differently, thanks to the authors’ portrayal of the characters. I like the way each new book gives me a different insight to Jane & her characters.

    1. Barbara Tiller Cole
      Abigail:I really enjoyed your look at your changing views of the characters of P&P, as well as the exerpt. I, too, have changes some over the years. Perhaps it is age that has something to do with it. At times I think it may be prejudices that have begun to be instilled by reading as many variations as I have. I DO see what you mean about Mr. Bennet. I don’t think I loved him to begin with, because I did see his indolence. But there was an edge to it that had cruelty in it that I did not originally see.As for Elizabeth, I have also seen her immaturity, and yes I think she had pride and prejudice involved in that. Her wounded pride at the Meryton Assembly began the foundations for her prejudice that were in at times cruel. If it had been today, she might have been someone that would be accused of bullying on Facebook, for instance.I definitely saw jealousy in Colonel Fitzwilliam’s words in P&P, as well as a level of exasperation in what his cousin could get away with. His words hid not a little resentment. It is at the heart of THAT particular feeling that sometimes lead variation authors to create cruel characterizations of the dear Colonel. I enjoyed your take and am looking forward to you next story!Barbara

    1. Nina Benneton
      Isn’t it great? It’s like being in a perpetual book club about the same book… and each time, one comes away with a new tilting of the lenses.Great excerpt, Abigail.

    1. SuzeJA
      Enjoyed post… Mr Bennet was always humorous to me but his desire always to be left in peace so he can read his book goes against the grain of what should be important

    1. Ruth
      I have read Austen many times in the last 60 years. Until a few years ago, I don’t think my view of the characters had changed a bit. Like my 14 year old self, I just enjoyed great stories. Thanks to a JASNA membership and you authors, I’ve become more analytical. Mrs Bennett is no longer the haridan that Andrew Davies made her. She is trying (not effectively) to keep her girls safe now that she knows she cannot depend on their father.The authors must be grateful to Jane for keeping the colonel as a plot device, leaving it to the future to flesh him out.Sharon, I still occasionally say, “Elizabeth would never do that.” I think I now understand that the Elizabeth in my head would not do whatever, but the one in the author’s head might.

    1. BeckyC
      I have read so many variations that I sometimes question what I know about the true original characters. A P&P reread is essential every now and then! I love Colonel Fitzwilliam. He is one of my favorite characters. I’m a bit funny about him, though. I am not particular to him having a certain personality trait. I just want to see more of him! I love to see him taking any active roll in a story. I am thrilled to see him “get the girl” and deserve her. I have fun with him as a bit of a rake and everything inbetween. I am very intrigued by your Colonel Fitzwilliam and look forward to seeing more!!

    1. Mary
      Having been raised with a rather sarcastic father, I wonder now if Lizzie was ever disallussioned by realizing her father’s “feet of clay?”. It can be a shock to a young daughter.

    1. AngieK
      You touched on this theme in ‘Without Reserve’ when Coloniel Fitzwilliam called Darcy out at the piano when Darcy put his hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder – CF was bitter, but hid it. I’m looking forward to reading an expansion on this one!

    1. Vera Nazarian
      What a great and thought-provoking post, Abigail, thank you for making us all think of P&P in a different light!Personally I think my appreciation/like of Charlotte and Mr. Collins has evolved. Believe it or not, Charlotte is entirely prudent and more attractive to me in some ways than Elizabeth, while Mr. Collins is really not all that bad compared to other male prospects of the day, if we put it all in proper perspective. There are plenty of Wickhams out there, and a Mr. Collins is a blessing compared to that!

    1. Lúthien84
      As you mentioned earlier, sometimes I see Mr Bennet as irresponsible and insensitive to the feelings of his wife and daughters. He even laughed at his favourite daughter, Elizabeth after he heard the rumours from Mr Collins that she will be engaged to Mr Darcy. If I was in her shoes, I would have cried or betray some of my feelings.Thanks for sharing an excerpt from your novel-in-progress, Abigail. Can’t wait to read what mischief the colonel will cause. :smile:

    1. Lisa S
      Ooh yes! I love Jane Austen’s minor characters. Since none of them are terribly fleshed out you can really go whatever way you want with them. People generally like to think of the Col as a good guy because Lizzy liked him, but she also liked Wickham, and we find out that he is NOT a good guy by the end. So, who is to say that the Col is a good guy at all? I like to think he is a good guy because Darcy is meant to be a good guy and the Col is his friend, but other than that, we really don’t have much to go on since we know that Lizzy’s perceptions of most of the people in P&P are quite flawed. I agree that his little speech about needing to marry for money sounds very much like Wickham going for Miss King, except his needs are on an even larger scale. While Wickham goes for the 10k pound heiress, the Col is in the market for the 50k pound heiress.I’m actually reading a story over at AHA right now that has a completely different take on Georgiana that I’m actually really loving. She’s another minor character that most like to think of a certain way — sweet and shy — but in this version, she’s a very petulant teenager used to getting her way. The author opted to go this route because, well, she can, but also because this story is set right after Ramsgate and she is contemplating the type of characteristics that would lead a girl to disobey all she’s been taught and go off to elope with Wickham. So, instead of the shy girl who’s always playing her piano, she’s the reserved girl who is used to being pampered and is always either playing her piano or reading her romance novels and dreaming of being swept off her feet by the misunderstood hero. Anyway, my point being that many have very set opinions on how these minor characters should be portrayed but, in the end, JA left them pretty wide open to interpretation. They many of them seem to have many shades and I am always interested to read the different takes the various authors go with them.I have to say also, that I haven’t liked Mr B for a very long time either — for all the reasons you point out. I’ve noticed too that when authors try to flesh him out, they often come to the same conclusion — bad father — and then decide to make him more involved, more interested in his childrens’ futures, more willing to speak with them and improve their minds, etc. or they just leave him the way he is and call him a bad dad.Anyway, thank you for the snippet and the enjoyable post.

1 comment

    • Chanpreet on February 11, 2014 at 7:56 pm
    • Reply

    You raise a valid point Abigail, one I never even thought about it. I always liked Mr. Bennet more then Mrs, Bennet because he seemed to love Lizzie but didn’t embarrass her like her mother did. I can see how Mrs. Bennet could be the better parent. It’s scary thought!

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