In terms of the ever-important swoonworthiness factor for Austen heroes, Mr. Darcy is solidly in the middle of the pack for me, after Mr. Tilney and Mr. Knightley and roughly on par with Capt. Wentworth (however, since I’m an aromantic asexual, make of that what you will.) No – for me, where Darcy really succeeds is his complexity as a character. He wouldn’t wouldn’t be my top pick to doodle hearts around his picture, but his fascinating, richly-flawed character is a treat to read or see onscreen (Darcy-related spoilers.)
Pride and Prejudice is a classic “bad first impression” romance, but the beauty of Darcy is that he’s not really a case of “he’s a total jerk who rehabilitates himself for love” or “she completely gets the wrong idea of him and doesn’t recognize him for the sweetheart he really is.” Instead, he’s kind of both. He has that devastatingly-perfect-on-paper air about him, what with the fabulous wealth and tremendous looks, but then he opens his mouth. And yeah, “good breeding” doesn’t go as far as it used to. Because he is imperious. He looks down his nose at the country folks of Hertfordshire, and when he doesn’t find the company up to his standards, he’s super standoffish. He also has a “thinks he knows best” thing going on and values directness over tact even when he really shouldn’t.
But at the same time, that’s not the whole story. When he becomes familiar enough with someone to reassess his initial opinion of them, he’s the first to admit if he realizes he was too harsh. When he then puts his mind to it, he can be wholly welcoming to people of any standing, and not just in a “make nice for appearances” way. Furthermore, when he falls for Lizzy despite his valiant efforts not to love her (Darcy will be Darcy,) he ultimately places his regard for her over the opinions he knows the snobbier members of his friends and family will have of her. But in a way, I kind of like it that their difference in situation does bother him and he does “try not to love her” before deciding he cares more about Lizzy than the likes of Lady Catherine. As a romantic hero, “I love you despite your embarrassing family connections,” is so not the way to Lizzy’s heart, and she rightfully takes him to task for it. But as a character, it’s more interesting that this is something he wrestles and comes to terms with rather than instantly tossing aside class and custom. It means his love is more hard-won within himself, not something that came easy.
Also, I like that, while he can be quick to judge those he deems his social inferiors, his rudeness is also informed by his shyness and discomfort among strangers. It’s something of an Achilles heel for him, and he admits as much to Lizzy. And here, as with so many things relating to these characters, they’re both right and wrong. Lizzy laughs at this admission because she can’t really understand it – she herself is enormously winning and almost luminously personable, and so she can’t quite realize how honestly hard it is for Darcy to be at a ball surrounded by people he doesn’t know. And yet, she definitely has his number when it comes to the simple fact that his feelings don’t excuse his actions. Being shy isn’t a license for acting above-it-all, and she points out that no skill – from piano-playing to small talk – can be mastered without practice. (I gravitate more toward “awkward” than “haughty,” Darcy, but still, I’ve been there.)
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