by Diane Morris | Jan 16, 2018 | Mr. Darcy, Regency Gentleman
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...
by Diane Morris | Nov 10, 2016 | Regency Gentleman
“An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions.” — Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773)1 The long, arduous, ugly, disheartening US election is over. Today’s sunrise is a reminder that the world still turns on its axis; we may not be content, but we...
by Diane Morris | Nov 5, 2015 | Jane Austen, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice, Regency Gentleman
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...
by Diane Morris | Oct 22, 2015 | Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Regency Gentleman
What did Jane Austen mean when she said that a gentleman had good breeding? For example, in Pride and Prejudice Jane Bennet tells her sister Elizabeth that in Mr. Bingley she never saw “so much ease, with such perfect good breeding.”1 In Persuasion Sir Walter Elliot...
by Diane Morris | Sep 24, 2015 | Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice
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...
