Mr. Darcy...every women's dream man

[sciencefan]

after i saw the BBC version i liked Darcy, but when i read the book i absolutly felt in love with him...i love him just because he isn't perfect...he's the only character in the world of literature whitch i really love...i'm still waiting for my Mr Darcy and i really hope that a man like him exist in real world too. Mr. Darcy will always hold the key of my heart...

I think - in MY opinion anyway - what makes Mr. Darcy so "desireable" is the way he demonstrates unconditional love for Elizabeth. He was willing to "mortify" as Jane Austen calls it, every prejudice he had toward her family... even the hatred he had for Wickham!... since marrying her meant becoming a RELATIVE of Wickham's! He was willing to do ANYTHING for Elizabeth's good... he looked out for HER interests first, before his own. It's no wonder he is a premier romantic character.

I will have you know that other men like him DO exist. I married one.

[ryse]

Let me start by saying I can understand why women find Darcy attractive--he's handsome, rich, thoughtful, eloquent....
But my heart belongs to Edward Rochester.
For instance, Darcy romantic statements can be easily summed up in a page--throughout the entire book. Mr. Rochester can take up 14 or 15 in a single setting.
Ex: Darcy: "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must alllow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."
My darling Edward: "Then you are mistaken, and you know nothing about me, and nothing about the sort of love of which I am capable. Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still: if you raved, my arms should confine you, and not a strait waistcoat--your grasp, even in fury, would have a charm for me: if you flew at me as wildly as that woman did this morning, I should receive you in an embrace, at least as fond as it would be restrictive. I should not shrink from you with disgust as I did from her: in your quiet moments you should have no watcher and no nurse but me; and I could hang over you with untiring tenderness, though you gave me no smile in return; and never weary of gazing into your eyes, though they had no longer a ray of recognition for me.....You see now how the case stands--do you not?" he continued. "After a youth and manhood passed half in unutterable misery and half in dreary solitude, I have for the first time found what I can truly love--I have found you. You are my sympathy--my better self--my good angel. I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wraps my existence about you, and kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one."

See? I'm not saying anything against Darcy's romantic statement, it's just that Edward's passion kind of blows him out of the water, IMO.

So, in conclusion, I would rather meet Edward Rochester (and marry him, if possible but Mr. Darcy is extremely attractive as well, and I hope you find him someday.

Wow..

I mean, yes, Darcy is so ideal I would want my own perfect (for me) Mr Darcy but wow...Edward Rochester ...
I started reading Jane Eyre earlier this year but I suppose it will be on my to-read list right after I finish other classics. But honestly, I could probably read P&P over and over again.

[Cultivated]

Oh gosh! You've just summed it all up for me. I found him insufferable at the beginning but as the novel developed I started to take a liking to him. Now that I've read Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester in comparison seems better and has taken his place

[clareyeahh]

hmmm i must say i find edward rochester very loveable, but my heart does belong to mr darcy.
i read a book about a year back, called Me and Mr Darcy, and my love deepened.
Although i must say, if i met a guy now, who acted in the same way Darcy does at first, i would do a lot to distance myself!

[Dipen Guha]

" You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled".---Here Mr. Darcy means that he might have continued to be proud and conceited man if he had not come into contact with her(Elizabeth) and had not been rebuked and rebuffed by her. Mr Darcy also means and refers to his first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, and its rejection by her. While making his first proposal, he had felt absolutely sure and certain that Elizabeth would accept it most readily and promptly. However, by rejecting that proposal she had humbled him and made him realise that he was not worthy of her as long as he remained a proud and conceited man.
Of all, Darcy's character undergoes a great change. Darcy, a proud egoist changed into a humble modest gentleman in his attitude to others. When Elizabeth rejected Darcy's first proposal he was shocked and this shock proved to be a curative "punishment" which was necessary for Darcy's pride. This is the turning point in his character.
Darcy's pride leads to prejudice and Elizabeth's prejudice stems from her pride in her own perceptions.
Jane Austen has portrayed the character of Darcy as a woman looks upon a man. That female race develops an inexplicable fascination for Darcy is as a result of an indomitable longing for making "her dear one" stand bow and scrape. There is an "Elizabeth" in every woman who is agog to bring about a change in her proud "Darcy".

[jadrianne]

I would like to say something concerning this subject : Let's not forget that Jane Austen remained single . That puzzled me : a woman that has dedicated her life in writing novels concerning marriage and love has never found her true love .
These novels about marriage and love ( let's not forget that in those days most of the people were married and stayed married sometimes till one of the partners died) were ment in my opinion to give a ray of light to the people that had never found happiness in real life ( and why not in their own marriage ) .
It is very hard to find nowadays a man that resembles even a bit to Mr Darcy ( in the good sense ; not in the sense of pride ) .
Let's not forget that Mr Darcy is an exception too among the members of the high class : he appreciates a girl that likes to read and who can approach a wider variety of topics without being boring or annoying .
He also has a sense of decency and honour that can rarely be found nowadays in society .
So, in my opinion, I think that Miss Austen has created the man that she would have wanted to marry and I'm very happy that she shared her dream with all her faithful readers .

[sciencefan]

I would like to say something concerning this subject : Let's not forget that Jane Austen remained single . That puzzled me : a woman that has dedicated her life in writing novels concerning marriage and love has never found her true love .
These novels about marriage and love ( let's not forget that in those days most of the people were married and stayed married sometimes till one of the partners died) were ment in my opinion to give a ray of light to the people that had never found happiness in real life ( and why not in their own marriage ) .
It is very hard to find nowadays a man that resembles even a bit to Mr Darcy ( in the good sense ; not in the sense of pride ) .
Let's not forget that Mr Darcy is an exception too among the members of the high class : he appreciates a girl that likes to read and who can approach a wider variety of topics without being boring or annoying .
He also has a sense of decency and honour that can rarely be found nowadays in society .
So, in my opinion, I think that Miss Austen has created the man that she would have wanted to marry and I'm very happy that she shared her dream with all her faithful readers .

I agree with you. Mr. Darcy is a bit of an "ideal" person... a sort of "superman" much in the same way Sherlock Holmes was a rather ideal man. Yet she didn't make him SO ideal as to be impossible to believe... since he did have his faults.

Just an aside: I am of the opinion, that what Darcy appreciated about Elizabeth - which was different from other "accomplished" women he knew of - was that she loved the outdoors. The fact that she had walked from Longbourne rendering her hem "six inches deep in mud" did not affect him the same way it affected Bingley's sisters.

chapter 8 -
"``Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.''

``Your picture may be very exact, Louisa,'' said Bingley; ``but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well, when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.''

``You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure,'' said Miss Bingley, ``and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition.''

``Certainly not.''

``To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ancles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! what could she mean by it? It seems to me to shew an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum.''

``It shews an affection for her sister that is very pleasing,'' said Bingley.

``I am afraid, Mr. Darcy,'' observed Miss Bingley in a half whisper, ``that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes.''

``Not at all,'' he replied; ``they were brightened by the exercise.'' "

[jadrianne]

We sometimes forget that sometimes characters are born due to the imagination of the writer .The writer has got to make them as credible as he or she can . You've mentioned Sherlock Holmes: let's remember what happened when Arthur Conan Doyle ,, murdered" Sherlock ? Well that happens when you're a great writer .That is also the case in our disscution : Mr Darcy is sought in the real life .And of course let's not forget that this happened with the help of the movies (that didn't existed when Jane lived ) especially with the one made in 1995: it was a crucial moment when Mr Darcy received a face and a body Colin Firth .

[sciencefan]

We sometimes forget that sometimes characters are born due to the imagination of the writer .The writer has got to make them as credible as he or she can . You've mentioned Sherlock Holmes: let's remember what happened when Arthur Conan Doyle ,, murdered" Sherlock ? Well that happens when you're a great writer .That is also the case in our disscution : Mr Darcy is sought in the real life .And of course let's not forget that this happened with the help of the movies (that didn't existed when Jane lived ) especially with the one made in 1995: it was a crucial moment when Mr Darcy received a face and a body Colin Firth .

Actually, I am unfamiliar with what you are refering to about Doyle murdering Sherlock Holmes. I guess I didn't read that book.

I know that a lot of women found Colin Firth "desireable" but I didn't find him particularly handsome or sexy.

But I agree with what you say about characters being the figment of somebody's imagination.

[jadrianne]

that Arthur Conan Doyle didn't want anymore to hear about Sherlock Holmes and so he wrote a story in which Sherlock Holmes dies .It became a huge scandal because a lot of people loved Sherlock and I'm not sure but it seems he received some menacing letters that threatened him with death in case he wouldn't write a new story in which Sherlock was alive . And so he did ......

And that was the case when the character comes to life and becomes sometimes even more popular than the author himself .

In Mr Darcy's case he became associated with a living and breathing creature such as Colin Firth . And as we look at a another movie such as ,,Bridget Jones" ( where Renee is supposed to be a sort of Elizabeth ) Colin again is another Mr Darcy . But in this movie the girl is not so smart as Elizabeth ( she looks a little bit too much like Lydia ) but she is trying her best to become someone else .

[Tournesol]

I found the man of my dreams 27 years ago, but I liked him right away. I think that's better that starting out hating someone. Just to let you know, "Mr. Right" is worth waiting for; don't settle for "Mr. I Guess You'll Have To Do".

I too love Darcy for all his charming and admirable qualities.

Miraculously, I met someone who, as sciencefan said, I loved right away, and he is so right for me.

It IS worth waiting for Mr Right.

There ARE real Darcys...

[jadrianne]

the true issue of the novel is in fact that it's not good to judge by appearances . Because Mr Darcy 's qualities appeared only when Elizabeth's family was in an extreme situation ;without this situation Mr Darcy' s bright side so to speak would have remained unknown .

By the way I'm very happy to read here that there are people who have found true love in real life ;but I'm also sad because I'm wishing only so that I could find myself this wonderful gift of life

[sciencefan]

...
It IS worth waiting for Mr Right.

Yes it is.

There ARE real Darcys...

I was married to the man of my dreams for almost 27 years.

[MrMrsDarcy]

"...dearest, lovliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased."-Mr. Darcy

Personally I love the strong and silent type who comes to ardently love you in the end.

[Mudkip]

I can relate to the Darcy/Elizabeth dynamic. My only real relationship was with someone I strongly disliked when I first met him... but by the time we started dating we were best friends.