Fitzwilliam Darcy, Esquire?
Diane Morris | Tuesday, January 16th, 2018 | Mr. Darcy, Regency Gentleman | No Comments
Of late I have been wondering about Esquires. What, precisely, is an Esquire? Might Fitzwilliam Darcy, he of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice fame, be such a man? We can be certain that Darcy isn’t a Peer, since no one addresses him either as “Your Grace” (signaling his status as a Duke) or as “Lord” […]
Read More »Cousin Anne: A New Novel for the New Year
Diane Morris | Wednesday, December 30th, 2015 | Anne de Bourgh, Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice | No Comments
My new novel, Cousin Anne, is due out in January, and I can now present the book’s cover, shown at right. Cousin Anne is a prequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The story focuses on three characters from Austen’s most popular novel—Fitzwilliam Darcy, George Wickham, and Anne de Bourgh (the “cousin” in the title). The […]
Read More »New Book “Cousin Anne” Explores Darcy and Anne de Bourgh’s Engagement
Diane Morris | Thursday, December 10th, 2015 | Anne de Bourgh, Jane Austen, Marriage, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice | No Comments
Have you ever wondered about arranged marriages? It must be awkward to build a life with someone you barely know or don’t like. It must be trying to submit to duty, especially if your heart lies elsewhere. In Jane Austen’s day arranged marriages were still common, although the trend favored seeking affection in marriage over building […]
Read More »Mr. Darcy’s Breeding Problem
Diane Morris | Thursday, November 5th, 2015 | Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice, Regency Gentleman | No Comments
A Regency era gentleman was a man who knew his place in the world. He guarded his reputation; dressed elegantly; and treated lords, servants, and lowly commoners with great civility.1 By these criteria, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pride and Prejudice fame was every bit a Regency gentleman—except when he wasn’t. In his dealings with his fellow characters […]
Read More »Is Mr. Darcy the Ideal Regency Gentleman?
Diane Morris | Thursday, September 24th, 2015 | Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice | No Comments
My previous post addressed the issue of why Mr. Darcy—the much loved suitor in Pride and Prejudice—is a gentleman but not a lord. While working on that post I began to wonder: “What exactly is a gentleman?” As it happens I have a book here in my office that describes the rise and fall of […]
Read More »Why Isn’t Mr. Darcy a Lord?
Diane Morris | Thursday, September 10th, 2015 | Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice | 6 Comments
The most frequently asked question that brings visitors to my blog is this: Why isn’t Mr. Darcy a Lord? In Jane Austen’s popular novel Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy is a gentleman and a Derbyshire landowner with a beautiful estate (Pemberley). He has a handsome annual income of £10,000—an income worthy of a duke or earl. It seems […]
Read More »Does Mr. Darcy Have a Sense of Humor?
Diane Morris | Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 | Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice | No Comments
Lately I have been thinking about laughter and its importance in marriage, friendship and life. My 88-year-old mother-in-law, Doreen, got me started down this path. Her son—my husband, Peter—and I visited her recently in her new home. She had only moved in a few days previously and was settling nicely. This particular morning, however, an […]
Read More »Mr. Darcy Was a Second-Class Citizen
Diane Morris | Sunday, August 10th, 2014 | Life & Times, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice | 5 Comments
Fitzwilliam Darcy was the handsome, wealthy gentleman who fell in love with the sparkling Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth’s mother was confounded and amazed to hear that her daughter would marry a man of fortune, especially as she at first thought Darcy was “a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing, […]
Read More »Naming Mr. Darcy and Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice
Diane Morris | Monday, April 21st, 2014 | Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy | No Comments
Authors find inspiration for character names in interesting places. Charles Dickens sometimes changed a surname’s spelling—Edwin Trood, landowner of the Falstaff Inn, became Edwin Drood—or he drew names from real life. Mr. Pickwick, for example, was a Bath coach owner. What of Jane Austen? What is known of her sources for character names? Some character […]
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