Elizabeth Bennet | Sasha Cameron

Pride and Prejudice turns 200yrs old on 28 January. She’s an awesome old duck and still traveling well in spite of her age. We know this because P & P continues to crop up in popular culture and she holds up well. For those of you who don’t know the story it is basically boy meets girl, boy is an arrogant prick so girl cuts him down to size. Lots of misunderstanding, jealousy, some awesome arguments and a bit of misrepresentation ensues until they both realize what dorks they are being and they belong together.

Beyonce Lit 101 – Single Ladies

I could make a few comparisons to FSOG and since it is my blog, I think I will. So at the risk of getting shot down in flames, there are moments when I would swear Darcy and Christian are speaking the same language only centuries apart.

Not sure but I think Christian uses this line in Fifty Shades of Grey

And while I might be looking forward to seeing Christian (Somerhalder/Bomer/Cavill or whoever else is in the running) stepping out from the shower all wet, I will always go back to see Mr Darcy doing the wet-shirt strut as he emerges from the lake.

Colin Firth the quintessential Darcy

Austen knew how to write an alpha. Darcy is good looking, built, moody, brooding, difficult, obnoxious, passionate, lust-worthy, unobtainable, loyal, loving, intelligent, successful and rich as all hell. I dunno, substitute a bit of kinky f#$@ery with the tongue-lashing dialogue that Austen likes to dole out and perhaps Darcy is not so different from Christian. Of course, there is every chance that Darcy was kinky in private, Austen never got them in the bedroom to let us know.

Here is why we love Mr Darcy so much.

If the original doesn’t appeal to you there have been a lot of spinoffs and imitations of P& P – some better than others.

A book I would like to read

This one not so much.

Few modern cultures maintain the rigid social norms that Austen’s original story contained – arranged marriage, no sex before marriage, marrying for status etc. – so choosing any old updated alternative universe (AU) setting for a movie/book adaptation is not an easy fit. When they work, they are great however there is no excuse for this kind of crap.

Bride & Prejudice – the Bollywood nightmare

Despite cultural restrictions, Elizabeth Bennett is no simpering miss as a heroine. She is just as pushy and obnoxious and opinionated as Darcy (think the title of the story might have been a clue). Christian would call her smart-mouthed. Unfortunately, while she might not have been sitting around working out how to snare a husband, the rest of her family were definitely trying to get a slice of Darcy pie.

Like all good romance stories there is a happily ever after (HEA). Eventually Darcy and Liz work out their differences, realize that they are madly in love with each other and decide to get it on. And quite frankly who wouldn’t want Matthew MacFadyen stalking over the fields towards them to declare his undying love. Gets me hot and bothered every time.

So for pure romance, lust, angst and misunderstanding with a healthy dose of nutty side characterization, P & P has it all. I think I might be getting my Jane on this weekend in celebration of one of the greatest romance stories ever told. Don’t call, I’m busy!