My favorite novel of all time is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, not Twilight... there! I've said it!
I enjoy the humor in Austen's story but the thing that draws me back to the book over and over again is the character development. I love the fact that Darcy and Elizabeth both start out with strong moral characters even though one is given to prejudice - snap judgments that are unfounded - and the other to pride, based on position and wealth in society. And I love the way Jane Austen shows rather than tells how each character is transformed by their attraction for each other. I love the fact that Darcy humbles himself and proves his love for Elizabeth by going after the despicable Wickham and forcing him to do the honorable thing by the idiot-child, Lydia. And I also love the fact that Darcy's character change begins when Elizabeth rebukes him with the words, "... had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner." How many people would be changed by a simple sentence like that? But it cuts Darcy to the heart because this is really what he is all about - he wants to be a gentleman in the truest and best sense of the word.
As for Elizabeth, I've read that Miss Austen once wrote that it would be hard for her to like anyone who took exception to Lizzie and I would agree. Elizabeth and her sister, Jane, are as wise as their mother is foolish, yet they don't demean their mother or show disrespect to her even though they do try to quietly curb her loquacity. Also, when Elizabeth herself is insulted, she handles it with good-natured humor and moves on. The only time she becomes truly enraged is when she feels strongly that an innocent, amiable, (to use a good Austen word) man has been deeply wronged. In other words, she doesn't flare up over her own rights but is aroused for the rights of others.
As for Twilight, I read it, enjoyed it, and almost got hooked on the series - may yet, who knows??? And I've read that the author, Stephanie Meyer, based the plot to some degree on Pride and Prejudice which, of course, is a huge plus in my eyes for the book! But I've also read that the character of Edward is a blend of Jane Austen's Darcy and Charlotte Bronte's Mr. Rochester. And that there is more of Rochester than Darcy about Edward Cullen in that Rochester considers himself to be bad for his lady love, Jane Eyre, but cannot resist his passion. Finally, his love for Jane as well as his sense of what he is due overcomes all moral scruples about wronging Jane. Had Mr. Rochester's plan worked, Jane would have found herself in a bigamous marriage, spending the rest of her married life in a bleak mausoleum with wife number 1 haunting the upper regions and, occasionally, trying to kill her. Nice...
Hmmmm.. Back to the comparisons between literary lovers here... Edward Cullen, like Darcy, is protective of his lady love (who has got to be about the clumsiest heroine in history) and like a true gentleman, he refuses to suck her blood from her body!! And how gross is that???? Ewwwww....
Okay. Backing off from the vampire stuff.... :) Back to the comparisons. The bottom line is that Edward is far more like Rochester than Darcy in that he can't resist his passion for Bella even though he knows instinctively that this will draw her into a life that he himself finds difficult and at times torturous. (That plus the fact that he is afraid he will get carried away and accidentally kill her... See above paragraph...:)
So I'm just saying: who gets the better deal here? Bella whose eyes now glow red, who had the worst childbirth in the history of cinema, and who has to forever (and I do mean forever) avoid sunlight and resist the urge to slake her thirst on her nearest and dearest human relatives? (Oh, but I guess that's okay because she can eat raw animals???) Or Elizabeth, who gets to live in the stately mansion on the beautiful grounds of Pemberley, with tons of "pin" money and who can also visit frequently with her best friend and beloved sister, Jane? And presumably raise her children normally because.. they are...well... normal. And eat things like steak.. that's been cooked...
Plus, Darcy can tan. Edward never can...
Just saying... my secret is out! I'm not team Edward or team Jacob, I'm team Darcy!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment