First of all, I would like to start thanking Miss Jane Austen for having conceived the second greatest girlish fantasy soon after Prince Charming: Mr Darcy. But, my dear ladies, it’s time to say it clearly: in the real world Mr Darcy does NOT exist. It’s a sad truth, I admit, but we have to learn to face this harsh reality. Therefore, I would like to study well the character of the lucky one who has succeeded in winning his heart, at least in the fictional world, and marrying for love: Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Why her? What is that something that has bewitched Mr Fabulous, a handsome, elegant, generous, trustworthy man with an income of 10 thousand pounds a year? Because, as far as we know, Elizabeth is pretty, but not that pretty, her sister Jane is far more attractive than her, furthermore, she doesn’t seem to possess the necessary accomplishments that a girl required: she cannot draw, she doesn’t speak any languages, well, actually, she plays and sings but “tolerably well“. Last but not least, Lizzy has an embarrassing family that cannot provide her with a decent dowry in order to turn her into a desirable catch, as “last chance man” Mr Collins had predicted.
So what? This Elizabeth Bennet seems to me a girl just like many others, perhaps a bit more intelligent and witty, that is all. Differently from the other ladies she doesn’t seem to be beguiled by Mr Darcy’s superior rank and wealth. Really? In my opinion she just played hard to get, this is the point. Men like this game, especially if they are convinced to win, but they eventually end up caught in the lady’s trap. Darcy is just one of them. Elizabeth says she is determined to marry for love and not for money, this is commendable, yet I am not persuaded.
When does she exactly realize that she is in love with Mr Darcy? After having read his explanatory letter? Or when she knows that he had secretly rescued the whole family from disgrace? When? Actually, I have the answer: in a trip to Derbyshire. Elizabeth and her uncle and aunt stop to visit Mr Darcy’s “hut”: Pemberley. Elizabeth seems a kind of unwilling to go, because she is afraid of meeting the man, I know, but when she sees this sort of Buckingham Palace surrounded by woods, ponds, streams she realizes something which I wouldn’t call love, exactly: “ I could have been mistress of all this” she muses sighing. When Mr Darcy unexpectedly shows up after a while, we will see a complete different Miss Bennet: more yielding and ready to flirt. Just like any other girl.
e-Tinkerbell 
The first impression I got from reading the book was the same as expressed in this article. After reading, I thought I was being cynical, but it seems like I’m not the only one to think so and this comforts me. I wondered what were the real reasons that had convinced Elizabeh to marry Mr Darcy. I do not deny that since the beginning of the story, the character of Mr. Darcy intrigued me, his being “mysterious” and different from the others, immediately attracted my attention, maybe the same was for Elizabeth. However I believe Elizabeth decided to marry him when she visited Pemberley. It was at that moment that she understood that maybe she should have accepted Mr Darcy’s proposal.
It is my job, Eleonora, to make you ponder on what your read and study, but I can assure you, they married for love, Elizabeth married for love. ❤️
As I am a romantic person, I totally believe in Mr Darcy and Miss Bennet’s love story. In my opinion Mr Darcy is a very mysterious man and I’m sure that since the beginning there was something special between him and Elizabeth. At first, Elizabeth did not know Mr Darcy’s real personality; she based her opinion on what other people thought about him (that explains the title of the book: “Pride and Prejudice”). When she first heard Mr Darcy’s words about her at the ball, she was very disappointed and furious. She starts to avoid Mr Darcy and to reject him (that’s why he first got interested in Miss Bennet); but after the letter, she found out who he really is, and she fell in love with Mr Darcy. She did not have the need to marry someone, especially for money. So, why she got marry with Mr Dacy if she is not in love with him.
True, but remember that at the beginning Elizabeth was offended by the fact that she had overheard Mr Darcy say that she was not pretty enough to tempt him to dance with her. This would be capital offence for any woman, would it not??
I agree. In the reality of the time, a situation like the one described in this book would never have occurred. I found this book almost like a fable written in a novel. It does not represent the reality of the facts at all.
So you do confirm that such a man cannot exist? I am devastated! 😩😂
At the beginning, the behaviour of mr. Darcy was unbearable, I couldn’t understand him.
I started to appreciate him more when she falls in love with Elizabeth, so he shows his interior part.
Mr. Darcy is also described at the beginning of the story as a handsome man, but with a ‘particular’ character … so I too believe that Elizabeth accepted the proposal after visiting Pemberley. For me there wasn’t reason to refuse a handsome man as well as rich.
So it’s a marriage for money.
Uhmmmmmm……I bet, it is not. 😄
I agree with this last statement but not entirely, I believe that the attraction between them starts when they first met and increased by their continuous chase.
They love and hate each other at the same time.
For sure mr Darcy’s money influenced Elizabeth’s thoughts.
When they look at each other there is no money interest but you can see their eyes full of love.
reading this article gave me the same impressions I got when I read the book. in my opinion the fact that mr. darcy is a mysterious man and different from the others has allowed him to be “more” than the others and to get noticed by elizabeth
According to me she fell in love with him not immediately, but gradually, slowly discovering his true character and personality. Reading the book, in the end it becomes clear how attracted Elizabeth is to Mr Darcy’s charm and words, especially after she has discovered the letter and everything him had done for his family.
When I started reading the book I had also created my own “prejudice”. I thought it was the usual cheesy love story, that in the end everything is less than truthful. But when I was done, I took back everything I had thought. The plot, although not so complicated, was not at all obvious. I found very interesting the “game” that had been created between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.
Besides, I think Elizabeth is light years ahead of the women of that time, who fell at the feet of men, especially to those with a lot of money, such as Mr Darcy or Mr Bingley. But she.. she was a genius, because in the end she was able to drop the man (the gentleman) at her feet. Yes, before reading this post, I did not doubt the love that had been created between the two characters. I thought Elizabeth had been driven to reconsider Mr Darcy by his good deeds to her family, but also by his obvious affection for his sister Georgiana. But now I have to admit I’m not so sure. What if Elizabeth was smarter than I’ve already noticed? If the answer were yes, then no, Elizabeth certainly did not feel true love for Mr Darcy, but she certainly wasn’t so sorry about it.
I think that Miss Elizabeth was truly in love with Mr. Darcy. I feel like she slowly realizes what her feelings are towards him; of course him being a rich and powerful man played its part, but I don’t think money are the main focus here. You cannot choose who to fall in love with, Mr. Darcy proves that; he falls in love with this “regular” girl, despite their social differences. I think in the end theirs was a true love.
In my opinion, this matter is very intricate: the relationship between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet is widely conditioned by her prejudice towards him, which is mainly formed in the famous episode of ball, but not only. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth occupy her time – unconsciously – to allay her doubts about his behaviour, his manners and his nature. Affection and admiration grow up in Elizabeth’s heart and these feelings are fed by the good-natured and also munificent (cf successful outcome of the marriage between Wickham and Lydia) actions of Mr Darcy. In fact, he manages to restore his reputation or rather his substantial respectability, not a “cosmetic” one, in the eyes of Miss Bennet.
Anyway the expenses correlated to Wickhams marriage are largely bearable for the pockets of the man has ten thousand pounds a year. Nevertheless, it is a very magnanimous deed, also considering social consequences whom the “unachieved” elopement of the youngest Miss Bennet would have caused.
I appreciated a lot the tender feeling matured among them: proving the *full* truthfulness of her being in love is very problematic. Basically I am more inclined to see such a liaison in a more idealistic way, but her assertion about his Pemberley estate clashes a little with my innocent, pure view. However your conclusion seems me a little bit exaggerated, just an interesting provocation for the readers, which highlights only the expect of wealth, emphasizing that statement about his humble abode and neglecting some other expects, for example relating to her conscience and her sentiment of solidarity to Mr Wickham and her sister Jane.
She seems to fight with herself and her morals: this inner conflict slows down the outburst of their relationship.
When Elizabeth unties all the knots, bound to her sisters Jane and Lydia, and joins all the dots, she eventually feels free to love Mr Darcy, his rich income and his handsome estate.
Differently from the impetuous love at first sight, which overwhelms Mr Bingley and Miss Jane Bennet, Elizabeth’s prejudice and Mr Darcy’s pride lead them to dissimulate their emotions and to wear a mask is bound to fall down.
i agree with some points for example when Elizabeth saw how rich Mr.Darcy was , and she understand that she was a little bit “forced” to marry him, also for help her family, but Elitzabeth was different form the other women, so maybe she really felt something for Mr. Darcy , especially after she red his letter and understood Mr.Darcy’s maniors
I think that Miss Elizabeth was truly in love with Mr. Darcy. I feel like she slowly realizes what her feelings are towards him; of course him being a rich and powerful man played its part, but I don’t think money are the main focus here. You cannot choose who to fall in love with, Mr. Darcy proves that; he falls in love with this “regular” girl, despite their social differences. I think in the end theirs was a true love.
At first I couldn’t understand why Elizabeth wasn’t interested in a man like Mr Darcy, a handsome, elegant, generous who also has a very high annual salary. I think he has always liked him and that he was a wealthy man with a huge “hut” like Mr Darcy has influenced his decision. But I don’t question that she was really in love and I agree with her thought, that a person should fall in love for true love and not for physical appearance, money, etc … (however if there are it’s even better🤣)
As in a fine drama, all the characters must play a part. And as a very good drama, all the characters have to develop into something different and more complex as the story progresses. I found this concept to be very much true with the drastic changes (or I should say discoveries) of both Elizabeth’s and Mr.Darcy’s personality. What I thought was just a tug-of-war between two deeply, but inevitably linked characters, turned out to be a full fledged love story that hid hardships and complications. Truly an interesting love story with many dreamlike features that made me rethink about the vision of an entire era and culture.
Ever since the two met they have felt strong attraction. the sentiment has grown throughout history even if conditioned by the wealth, social position of Mr. Darcy. I agree, today it would be a fairy tale and not reality
I don’t think it’s a completely sincere love. This love certainly started when they first met, but Elisabeth’s love was influenced by Mr. Darcy’s money.
I think Miss Elizabeth was not in love with Mr Darcy at first, but she was forced to help the family as he was very rich. Obviously I do not deny that at the beginning there was a minimum of attraction and in fact, in my opinion, she slowly falls in love with him.
Absolutely yes, I’m sure Elizabeth was in love with Mr. Darcy and fell in love gradually.
Elizabeth herself explains that she would marry only for love and for nothing else, which is why she rejects the proposal of her cousin. Instead, the refusal of the marriage proposal made to her by Mr. Darcy and then the girl’s change of mind leads us to think of a second purpose that is to “settle down” and not for love but only for convenience but this is precisely where we understand the reason for Elizabeth’s “forced” refusal, Mr. Darcy had hurt his beloved sister and made him move away from her “true love” … but from there after the letter from the gentleman explaining her actions and “demonstrations” Elizabeth understands that she was wrong to judge him and understands how similar he is to her.
Reading it was very intriguing, I loved these constant subterfuges between the two protagonists!
I believe in that, but not at all, or better, not from the beginning. I think that at first, she wants to marry Mr Darcy for his wealth, so for the welfare that his family could get. But overtime, Lizzy knows better the man, and I think she began to be really attracted by him. In my opinion, she definitely fells in love, or at least changes her opinion on the man, when she reads his letter of explanations.