PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

At the beginning of this year I saw the miniseries; until present, I can say I saw it five times and I'm planning to see it again, soon. So, what got me so fascinated with it? Of course, Jane Austen's beautiful story and sense of humor, but also Colin Firth's interpretation of Mr. Darcy. I can safely say Jane Austen herself wouldn't have picked a better actor to play this role. It's like Colin Firth was made for the role and the role was written for him. Of course, you imagine, I have this huge crush on him. "You're too old for a crush!" you'll say and maybe you're right, seeing how I recently  turned 30, but who cares? The man is gorgeous and he is a great actor. I know almost every line, every expression in his eyes, every turning in his voice. But, to be honest, I know almost every line in the movie by heart (after seeing it five times!).

            So, this is a beautiful love story, who's main characters (played by Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle) are obviously attracted to each other, but they can't see past his pride and her prejudice. The story evolves as their feeling progresses  from indifference,  curiosity, attraction, denial, torment, passionate love, repentance, deep and steady love. The tension between them keeps us hooked and at times it is so intense, you can almost feel the electricity in the air. That is a result of Jane Austen's genius and deep understanding of human characters, and I think it is also the result of her own romantic fantasy that never happened for her.

            Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet meet at an assembly, where he is forced to go by his enthusiastic friend, Mr. Bingley. Darcy makes no effort into hiding his contempt for the public there and, when he is invited by Bingley to dance with Elizabeth, he refuses, giving us his first impression on her "she is not handsome enough to tempt me". Elizabeth feels very offended, as she should, and from then on she creates an image of him, partly correct, but, in the end, very exaggerated. She sees him as this proud, insensitive man (which he is), but also as a villain who steals Wickham's rights and destroys her sister's dream's of marring Mr. Bingley. Except for "his dealings" with Wickham, everything else is true. But Elizabeth, blinded by his offence, can't see that all his defects come from his inability of acting natural in society; he is a timid and knows that he can't act like one, representing one of the most important families in England. He is used to being worshiped by everyone around him (Bingley's sister, who aspires of marring him and overwhelms him with her attention), so he has to act with pride. Of course, his pride takes over his life and Elizabeth never misses a chance to show him that. For Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth is like a breath of fresh air. Her wit, her sense of humor, her spontaneity and her natural behavior around him (him being used to women trying to trap him, to please him in any way and thus, denying anything that's true about them) fascinate him. She gives no consideration to social boundaries, something very unusual for a woman of her condition and that throws him off his feet. He fights his feelings, knowing that a marriage beneath his own social condition would be disastrous for him. But love conquers all, doesn't it? And how does Elizabeth receives his passionate declarations? Pointing out, again, how much she despises him for his pride and insensitivity. Hurt, he shows her she is no better, because she allowed herself to be too self confident in her way of judging people and she made some mistakes in what concerns him. The best part about this story is that both of them, being so intelligent and very much attracted to one another (although Elizabeth doesn't allow herself to think about at this point) really think about the harsh words the other one said and acknowledge the truth behind them. They both think about their foolish behavior and feel ashamed; they are strong enough to concede they were wrong and to try to fix it.

            My favorite scene is them meeting at his estate in Derbyshire, his fabulous house, Pemberly. There, Elizabeth finds a new Mr. Darcy: modest, sociable, pleasant and in love. He has done everything to please her, but also, he recognized he had to change. His eyes are not of a proud, unpleasant man, but of a lover who begs for his sweetheart's mercy; they are sad, but one can see he hasn't lost hope. She is pleasantly surprised with him and she can't resist being in his company. They share a secret (Mr. Darcy's sister attempt to elope with Mr. Wickham) and that brings them together. But another sister's elopement tears them apart, Lydia's (Elizabeth's sister). Elizabeth loses hope of ever seeing Mr. Darcy again and she discovers that she loves him. Mr. Darcy's wish to marry Elizabeth seems even more impossible to fulfill, because the Bennet family is doomed to eternal disgrace; all the Bennet girls are sentenced to die old maids. But Jane Austen did promise her characters will have what they want, so Elizabeth and Mr Darcy find their way to each other and her sister marries Mr. Bingley. I was a bit disappointed that after  such a long journey into each other's arms, they only share a innocent kiss at the end. I read that someone tried to introduce her thirteen years old daughter to Jane Austen's book through this series and the girl had the same reaction "is that all?!". I also feel I should like to know how Elizabeth makes it into the good society, how she is received there.

            Besides the love story, Pride and Prejudice is also a very funny story with lots of comic characters and situations. If I only bring up the Bennet couple you will see my point. She is so innocent in her ignorance, one really can't stop falling in love with the character. But Mrs. Bennet is one genuine English lady of that period who's only ideal in life is to have her daughters married well; and with the weird status of a woman back then who could blame her? On the other hand, Mr. Bennet seems to be completely detached from the reality and can only find pleasure in reading and meditating. He shows no interest in Mrs. Bennet concerns and efforts, thus a constant tension between the two of them throughout the novel.

            Mr Collins and his annoying veneration for Lady Cathrine de Bourgh is another source of good humor. Jane Austen waists no effort into showing her readers how much she despises those who spend their lives sucking up to rich people. Mr. Collins is a fanatic supporter of all that's rich and high class and doesn't have an opinion on his own, which is not approved by Lady de Bourgh.  Elizabeth Bennet, one of Jane Austen's favorite character, makes fun of him and refuses his marriage proposal.

            "Pride and prejudice" is a story that tells us life is really more than one would presume; values such as honesty, intelligence, common sense, compassion are worth more than any fortune and anyone who mistakes money for love will be doomed to a life of unhappiness. Of course, love without humor can be pretty boring, so we should remember to enjoy a laugh every now and then.

P.S. This is for my FB friends. :)