It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Pride and Prejudice - Opening sentence of novel, Chapter 1.
There are few classic novels that have had quite the far-reaching impact that Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice has had, and it continues to be a favorite read for every succeeding generation - remaining among the top books included on almost every “Best Loved” and “Books You Should Have Read” list.
Why the continuing popularity? And more importantly - exactly why do we all love Mr. Darcy?
My good opinion once lost, is lost forever.
Pride and Prejudice - Darcy, Chapter 11.
What other male character in classic literature has had the romantic impact of Mr. Darcy, has been compared to more heroes and, frankly has been found more lacking in our initial perception of him. He has remained an icon of devotion and love, despite his haughty and inauspicious beginning in the story.
She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.
Pride and Prejudice - Mr. Darcy to Mr. Bingley about Elizabeth Bennet, Chapter 3.
We are never given any very clear description of Mr. Darcy, other than - tall, handsome features, noble mien, clever, haughty, reserved, fastidious… But we are given Elizabeth’s close observations and brief glimpses into his heart through the events in the novel that show his developing devotion toward her.
Is that what pulls us in and makes us love his character? That his rigid reserve melts? That it is her character and personality that changes him?
The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.
Pride and Prejudice - Other characters' reaction to Mr. Darcy, Chapter 3.
It isn’t just Elizabeth’s perception of Darcy that changes as the storyline progresses. Our own understanding of him becomes deeper and more appreciative. Throughout the novel we learn that the people closest to Darcy - Bingley, Georgiana, his housekeeper - all have the utmost respect for his loyalty, kindness, generosity and affection.
Let’s face it - all of the stable and worthy characters of the book all value Darcy.
Elizabeth’s journey through her first year of knowing Mr. Darcy reveals the same thing in the end. His proves to be the heart that is worth knowing long and knowing well.
There are so many memorable characters in Pride And Prejudice - ones that stay with you long after you finish reading and that we love to revisit with each rereading. Both Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet have proven to be two of the best known and well-beloved characters in literature.
Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.
Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 10.
Elizabeth’s father described her as being more quick to understand than her sisters. Her mother described her as half as handsome as her older sister and half as good humored as her youngest. But Darcy’s blossoming impression of her draws more fine detail - a face rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes and a figure that was “light and pleasing”. Her manners were “not those of the fashionable world” but nonetheless he was drawn by her “easy playfulness”.
Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.
Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 6.
When you ponder over such a timeline, it’s amazing to realize that the many vital events of the novel play out within such a short time period. The carefully crafted storyline that takes us from Darcy’s initial indifference to Elizabeth to his desperate proposal in Hunsford, spans only six event-packed months. Through the framework of a single year - and the events that lead to the book’s conclusion - Jane Austen was able to unfold a masterpiece of intricate pacing.
I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.
Pride and Prejudice - Elizabeth about Darcy, Chapter 5.
It is indeed a striking feature of our current read, Pride And Prejudice, that this single year of profound self-discovery and life-defining events for a young twenty-year old in Regency England continues to be relatable to readers across many cultures.
I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.
Pride and Prejudice - Darcy to Elizabeth who asked him to account for having fallen in love with her, Chapter 60.
We continue with our beloved Jane Austen with our Winter Book Lunch choice of Pride And Prejudice. Take some time to ponder why the “Darcy Appeal” continues strong through 200 years of readers. We will be discussing this book over a delicious breakfast on Saturday, January 24, 2026.
