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1* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2** Some critics of the book miss the point of why visiting Darcy's estate was one of the points where Elizabeth reevaluates her opinion of Darcy. Visiting Darcy's home after rejecting his marriage proposal would be an embarrassing move today, but in the Georgian/Regency era in which standards of propriety were everything it should have been a complete disaster. However, instead of humiliating her, Darcy is understanding of her explanation of why she's there (she couldn't opt out of the visit without explaining the situation to her aunt and uncle) and goes out of his way to welcome her, and asks for the honor of introducing her to his sister - the most important person in the world to Darcy. Elizabeth also received a much more well-rounded report about who Darcy was at his estate through the descriptions of his staff as well as his taste in art and decorations (which were believed to hold insight into the soul of their owner in the Georgian era).
3** There are some who wonder if Mrs. Bennet really deserves as much scorn as Elizabeth throws on her. While she's incredibly embarrassing, it should be noted that she's trying to make sure her daughters have a roof over their heads when Mr. Bennet dies. It becomes even clearer in the 1980 miniseries, where Mrs. Bennet is portrayed in a more sympathetic light. She's a bit of a ditz with a MotorMouth, albeit less so than in the novel, but it is made very clear that she wants what's best for her daughters. The narrator seems UnintentionallyUnsympathetic at times.
4** For that matter, some people feel that Mr. Bennet is portrayed ''far'' too sympathetically in adaptations. His intelligence and position as the head of the family meant that it was up to him to plan for the future, save up money for his girls' dowries, and take a hand in all his children's education, not just his eldest-- none of which he does. He's also fine with sending Lydia out into public unsupervised even though he fully expects that she'll humiliate herself. He just figures she'll learn from it and move forward with her life, even though they live in a society where reputation is everything and she could very well cause serious damage to herself as well as the rest of the family. In the original novel, all of this is called out (see MisaimedFandom below) but scriptwriters have been more likely to treat him as a good, albeit flawed, father.
5** Some adaptations portray Mary in a much more sympathetic light, emphasizing her plainness and bookish nature compared to her more attractive and outgoing sisters. Even amongst those who have only read the book, Mary has a sizable fanbase. The 2005 adaptation gives a few hints that she falls for Mr. Collins during his stay. The 1940 film ends with [[spoiler: her being wooed by a clerk from the bookstore she is first seen in at the beginning of the movie - and he accompanies her on the flute as she sings!]]
6** [[ValuesDissonance Modern readers and audiences]] are more inclined toward sympathy for Lydia because of her young age. Much of the blame for how she turned out can be laid on Mr. Bennet's shoulders for neglecting her and Mrs. Bennet for spoiling Lydia rotten and encouraging her to 'get a husband' as soon as possible, ''without'' considering the consequences. In many adaptations, Lydia seems to harbor a lot of jealousy towards Elizabeth because of their father's favoritism. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor The poor girl is so anxious to be seen as grown up]] but does not yet realize what growing up will mean.
7** Depending on the writer/director, Mr Collins ranges from "awkward and stupid but sincere" (2005 movie) to "probably some kind of sexual predator" (''Series/LostInAusten''). The 2005 version is actually truer to the original than many other adaptations, especially those that make him into a rapist. Austen was a rector’s daughter; she might poke fun at the clergy, but Collins never gets any worse than stupid and overly conventional in the text.
8** The 2005 adaptation in general softens the edge on most of the cast, giving Mr. and Mrs. Bennet a few AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther moments, lessening Mr. Collins' sliminess, and presenting Mr. Darcy as shy and awkward rather than snobby and proud.
9** Why does Wickham elope with Lydia? Just because she's pretty and willing, and he needs an excuse to flee from his gambling debts? Or is it also partly to spite Elizabeth for losing interest in him?
10** Was Georgiana always ''this'' shy? Or did her [[BreakTheCutie experience with Wickham]] leave her with a degree of trauma and self-esteem issues that led to her becoming more withdrawn and socially anxious?
11* BrokenBase: Which adaptation is better, the 1995 miniseries or the 2005 movie? Well, let's ask the fandom what they th--OH GOD THE FLAMES.
12** Some fans prefer the better production values and greater cinematic opportunities taken by the 2005 version, while others like the 1995 adaptation's closeness to the book and more historically accurate costumes and hairstyles.
13** While Colin Firth (1995) is, for many, the only acceptable Mr. Darcy, a fairly large contingent of fans appreciates Matthew [=MacFadyen's=] (2005) take on the character, which tones down the imperiousness and places a greater emphasis on Darcy's shyness and lack of social skills.
14** Jennifer Ehle (1995) seems to be the preferred Elizabeth (though some consider her slightly too old). Keira Knightley (2005) has her fans but her interpretation has been criticized for being too modern.
15** Alison Steadman's (1995) performance as Mrs. Bennet. Some appreciate how much she threw herself into the LargeHam aspects of the role, but others find her shrill and annoying. Then there is a third contingent who loves her ''because'' she is shrill and annoying.
16** Tom Hollander's (2005) Mr. Collins is usually considered to be more sympathetic, while David Bamber's (1995) version is funnier.
17** The one choice that seems to be almost universally preferred is the casting of Rosamund Pike as Jane in the 2005 version. Most fans feel that the 2005 Jane is more fleshed-out and interesting as a character, and avoids the accusations of InformedAttractiveness that are often leveled at Susannah Harker in the role[[note]]Harker was the very picture of what was considered beautiful in the Regency era, but Jennifer Ehle is more conventionally attractive by modern standards[[/note]].
18* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Lydia. While many modern readers consider her to be aggravating as ever, many also find her to be UnintentionallySympathetic. Modern views on relationships, maturity, reputation, and abuse being as different as they are from Regency era views, a lot of modern readers see Lydia as a victim -- a sometimes annoying one, but a victim nonetheless. Between the fact that Lydia really hasn't done anything awful enough to deserve being married to ''Wickham'', and the fact that she was ''fifteen'' (practically an adult by Regency standards, but still basically a ''child'' by ours), a lot of readers have somewhat softened their views towards her. This is probably why a lot of adaptations set in the modern day tend to treat her with more sympathy, and give her a happy ending.
19* DracoInLeatherPants:
20** Mr. Darcy is an unusual example of this trope. The point of the story is to not judge by first impressions alone, and Elizabeth does discover that Darcy can be a genuinely decent and noble person once she manages to look past the unfavourable view she initially developed of him. However, many readers tend to extrapolate this to view Darcy as a borderline saint who was always completely misunderstood and perfect. In fact, ''Darcy himself'' admits that many of Elizabeth's initial criticisms of his character were, in fact, entirely justified -- he genuinely could be a bit of a cold, unpleasant snob (albeit not nearly the hateful bastard that Elizabeth had convinced herself he was), his interference in Bingley and Jane's relationship was unacceptable, and he had to do plenty of soul-searching and improvement of his character in order to become a man worthy of her affections.
21** A lot of Mr. Bennet's fans tend to gloss over the fact that, while he is sympathetic, funny, and loving towards Elizabeth and Jane, he was a crappy husband to the admittedly exhausting Mrs. Bennet, and did a lousy job with his three younger daughters. Yes, Lydia caused a lot of trouble, but she may not have been so foolish and impulsive if her own father had bothered to try and steer her in a better direction. Even Elizabeth, who loves him dearly, acknowledges that he had a hand in this mess, and is frustrated by his apathy and detachment. In fact, ''he himself'' admits his own failings in a conversation with Elizabeth, who is probably the only character to whom he'd feel at all comfortable admitting any such thing.
22** Mrs. Bennet is another odd example of this trope. Modern feminist readings of the novel focus on Mrs. Bennet's admittedly valid point that their entire family faces destitution should their daughters not marry, and use it to support an interpretation of Mrs. Bennet as a good and decent mother unfairly painted as a fool by the novel. However, such readings forget that this is more a case of JerkassHasAPoint. While she is correct on this one issue, Mrs. Bennet is otherwise still frivolous, self-centered, hypocritical, inept at parenting, greedy, uncouth, tactless and foolish in other key respects — to the point that her public displays ''actively undermine'' her daughters' chances of marrying at all. In Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth, he [[BrutalHonesty bluntly]] informs her the entire town views the Bennets with disdain; Elizabeth and Jane, though liked well enough, are pitied for being the only well-behaved members of a family no-one will risk being associated with. The Bingleys are explicitly mentioned to pity Jane due to the family she was born into. We only see the Bennets associate with the [[Main/NiceGuy Lucases]] (whom Mrs. Bennet badmouths) and other relatives during the story. Even Mrs. Bennet's concern for her daughters' marriage prospects comes across as more mercenary and flippant than a more favorable reading can admit; she seems far more concerned about the bragging rights that would come with marrying off all five of her daughters rather than with said daughters marrying ''well'', as evidenced by her gleeful approval of Lydia's marriage to Wickham. Wickham, remember, has eloped with Mrs. Bennet's youngest daughter with no intention of marrying her, which will ruin the reputations and marriage prospects of all four of her sisters – exactly what Mrs. Bennet fears the most; and yet, she blithely forgives Wickham for all of this once he is forced to marry Lydia and she realizes she can ''brag about Lydia''.
23* EnsembleDarkhorse:
24** Even those that groan at reading the book, nay even some haters, love Mr. Bennet and his [[DeadpanSnarker snark]].
25** Charlotte and Georgiana. Both are relatively minor characters, but they have distinct personalities and interesting dynamics with the other characters, so the fandom tends to pay more attention to them than they get in-story.
26** Mary enjoys great fan press from readers who view her more sympathetically than the author intended, even when she's usually the [[OutOfFocus least focused]] on in adaptations.
27* EpilepticTrees: Although not really present in the original novel, some later adaptations tend to run with the idea that Mary was secretly in love with Mr. Collins. However, unfortunately for her he was ObliviousToLove and too occupied in punching over his weight in chasing after Elizabeth to notice. Considering the personalities of the respective characters, this isn't an implausible idea even in the text of the novel: it is said that Mary appreciates Mr. Collins more than the rest, and there is a brief moment, after Elizabeth's rejection, when it is thought that Mr. Collins would propose to Mary, who was not opposed to the possibility. In the director's commentary for the 2005 version, Joe Wright confirmed that Mary is in love with Mr. Collins but in his own words [[Main/ObliviousToLove "he's too stupid to notice"]].
28* FairForItsDay: Though Austen was hardly a socio-political radical, she showed a great deal of flexibility toward the idea of class, with several characters that subvert their societal roles. And while she suggested no alternative lifestyle choices, Charlotte's pragmatic choice and Lydia's bought-and-sold marriage rather bluntly illustrate the dependence and limitations placed on women of the time.
29* FanNickname: George Wickham, AKA, "Dickham." It started with ''WebVideo/TheLizzieBennetDiaries'', but has since crossed over to refer to all versions of the character.
30* GeniusBonus: History buffs will note that Britain was at war with Emperor Napoleon during the time the book is set in, so almost any half-decent young officer in Britain was fighting overseas, leaving only the dregs behind. The fact that Mr. Wickham is in Britain flirting with teenage girls like the Bennet sisters tells you a lot you need to know about his character right off the bat. In addition Wickham is constantly whining about having no money, despite being an ''officer'' in the militia, a position that he would have needed to own a certain amount of property to obtain in the first place.
31* GenreTurningPoint: Many high schoolers are forced to read it and end up disdaining it as the most generic and stereotypical romantic comedy of them all... except it's the UrExample or at least the TropeCodifier, and there are understandable reasons for the main characters and the romance to progress as they did. To say nothing how it affected "regular" romances.
32* HarsherInHindsight: Darcy buys Wickham a commission as an officer in the Newcastle regulars as part of his bribe to force him to marry Lydia. In real life, the regiments stationed at Newcastle fought at Waterloo and suffered the heaviest casualties of any British troops; the officer corps in particular was killed off virtually to the man. Austen couldn’t have predicted this, of course, but had Wickham been real he wouldn’t have survived to plague the Bingleys.
33* HilariousInHindsight: Darcy's and Elizabeth's debate about the dangers and merits of yielding to ''[[Literature/{{Persuasion}} persuasion]]'' -- emphasis Elizabeth's.
34* HollywoodHomely:
35** In the 2005 version, the plain, bookish Mary is played by ''Talulah Riley''... one of [[Film/StTrinians2007 St. Trinian's]] hottest young women.
36** Charlotte in the 2005 version (in which she is played by Claudie Blakley); while she wouldn't crack any mirrors, and her actress is [[https://goo.gl/images/sTG4eR fairly good-looking]], her makeup and hair are rather low-key and she is not prettied up.
37** Charlotte Lucas (Lucy Scott) in the 1995 miniseries is decidedly more attractive than her book counterpart.
38** While Elizabeth is by no means meant to be unattractive, Jane is universally considered the Pretty One. This can be slightly difficult to believe when Elizabeth is played by, for example, ''Keira Knightley''. Ironically enough, Keira was nearly turned down for being too pretty for the role.
39* HoYay: Darcy and Bingley are suspiciously close. Even Elizabeth notices. His actor in the 2005 film Simon Woods later came out as gay.
40* JerkassWoobie:
41** [[StepfordSmiler Mrs. Bennet]] is an [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents embarrassing, loudmouth ditz]] who almost ruins her daughters' chances at marriage, but she clearly just wants to see her daughters financially sound. Ending up on the streets or dependent on Mr. Collins's charity if Mr. Bennet dies before she does is a very real threat to the family- and the former becomes more likely after Elizabeth rejects Collins's proposal.
42** Mary is annoying, insufferable, preachy, and smug, but she's also socially awkward and plain in a world where her only option is to find herself a husband -- something she is really not cut out to do. Regency England simply had ''no place'' for someone like her, and a lot of modern readers feel that if she'd lived in a society that provided her with more options, she might have turned out nicer. Not to mention, being the sole plain girl among the beautiful Bennet sisters can't have been easy, especially since she doesn't even have some brilliant talent or intellect to fall back on, no matter how much she tries to pretend she does. The 2005 film also adds an extremely sympathetic moment where Mary humiliates herself at a ball with her poor piano-playing... and ''bursts into tears'' as Mr. Bennet tries in vain to comfort her. It's even said in the ending that, once Jane, Elizabeth and Lydia are married, she's no longer thought of as the plain one, since she was constantly being compared to them before.
43* LoveToHate: Wickham. Most of the fandom delights in trashing him at every opportunity, and justifiably so.
44* MemeticBadass: Elizabeth Bennet of the BadassPacifist kind. There's a reason the scenes where she turns down Darcy's first proposal and verbally destroys Lady Catherine tend to get remixed with epic music playing in the background. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjOTBaqNyCM "Rest in fucking pieces, Mr. Darcy"]] is a FanVid with the proposal/rejection scene from the 1995 adaptation, description reads "rekt in Austen style".
45* MemeticMolester: Mr. Collins is often imagined as some kind of sexual predator, when in reality he's just got terrible social skills.
46* MemeticMutation:
47** The novel's opening lines, "It is a truth universally acknowledged..." The quote is used in various context with countless modifications. The irony of "universal truths" and how valid or accurate they are may be present, but often people use it for things they really do consider ''the'' universal truth.
48** Kate Beaton's "[[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=120 Ooh, Mr. Darcy!]]" from ''Webcomic/HarkAVagrant''. Mr. Darcy ripping his shirt is so memetic and so hot that bodices rip on their own and men turn gay.
49** Mr. Darcy admiring Lizzy's "fine eyes" became a meme in the fandom when talking of the 1995 miniseries where [[MyEyesAreUpHere Lizzy is played by the chesty Jennifer Ehle]].
50** A ''very'' common sentiment in the fandom: "When I was younger I thought I'd grow up to be Lizzy. I realize now that I'm Charlotte." Charlotte's quote from the 2005 movie, where she describes herself as a burden on her parents, has also reached memetic status.
51** Darcy's first proposal has been dubbed the Worst Marriage Proposal Ever™ by the fandom, TradeSnark included.
52** [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Lady. Catherine. de Bourgh.]] She doesn't create this herself, mind you; it's the way (especially in the 1995 series) Mr. Collins speaks about her. He practically pulls a Shatner every time he says her name.
53* MemeticLoser:
54** Mr. Collins is the fandom's biggest snark magnet, thanks to his insufferable KnowNothingKnowItAll nature.
55** Darcy, to a lesser extent. The fandom adores him, of course, but his social awkwardness and initial pompousness (particularly his disaster of a first marriage proposal) is the source of many jokes, and are often turned up to eleven for comedy.
56* MisaimedFandom:
57** Overall, the story is sometimes seen as just a straight romance novel or romantic comedy - rather than the satire about a young woman trying to navigate the society she lives in.
58** "See? [[SlapSlapKiss Deeply rooted dislike is always just a mask for true love]]!" Tell that to Mr. Collins. Not to mention, when Elizabeth is acting like she hates Darcy, it's not to hide her true feelings for him -- she acts like she hates him because she ''does'' hate him, namely because he's being a jerk. When she realizes he's not a bad guy (and when he takes steps to improve his character so he ''isn’t'' the ‘bad guy’) she starts being more civil and eventually falls in love with him.
59** Mary has a lot of fans who like to see her as a disliked nerd when really she's an arrogant KnowNothingKnowItAll, who takes things like her sister ruining herself and the family as times to moralize and give lectures with no empathy or care for the family's problems. [[JerkassWoobie (Not to say there isn't anything sympathetic by a plain lonely girl turning to books when everyone focuses on her sisters' beauty, but arrogance is a clear and definite fault and it's heavily implied she's not that smart anyway.)]] Another case where the movies are at least partly to blame; many adaptations, such as the 2005 one, file off the more unlikable parts of Mary.
60** Mr. Darcy gets this to an extent -- several of the people who swoon over and admire him tend to forget that he's not just a perfect and misunderstood romantic hero, and that Darcy himself admits that he was genuinely a {{Jerkass}} (albeit not quite to the extent that Elizabeth had convinced herself) and that he did genuinely deserve a large part of Elizabeth's condemnation of him.
61** Mr. Bennet is widely loved for being an entertaining DeadpanSnarker, but it's really worth noting that in the original novel, his harshly dismissive treatment of his wife and daughters ''is'' presented as inappropriate and sometimes downright ''loathsome''. Arguably many bad situations are just as much his fault as his wife's--he could've saved more money, and he didn't; he could've insisted on a governess so all his daughters would be educated and well-mannered, not just his favorites, and he didn't; he could've forbidden Lydia from going on that disastrous trip, and he didn't.
62--->''Elizabeth, however, had never been blind to the impropriety of her father’s behaviour as a husband. She had always seen it with pain; but respecting his abilities, and grateful for his affectionate treatment of herself, she endeavoured to forget what she could not overlook, and to banish from her thoughts that continual breach of conjugal obligation and decorum which, in exposing his wife to the contempt of her own children, was so highly reprehensible.''
63* OneTruePairing: A big one. Elizabeth/Darcy is one of the most universally beloved couples in ''all of literature''.
64* RonTheDeathEater: As mentioned above, some modern-day critics seize on Elizabeth's comment that her feelings for Darcy changed after seeing his grand estate as evidence that she is selfish, materialistic and shallow -- ignoring that, in context, she is clearly making a joke. Not to mention, in the book, when she first sees the estate, she comments to herself that it all could've been hers had she married Darcy... and then promptly reminds herself that her aunt and uncle wouldn't be welcome as guests there, which is enough to prevent her from regretting that she rejected Darcy's proposal. Much more significant is the fact that all the servants and neighboring villagers have nothing but praise for Mr. Darcy, which gets Elizabeth thinking of how many people depend on him for their well-being and how the fact that he does well by them reflects on his true character. Pemberley does prove he's rich, but the important bit is that it also proves he's a ''good person''. It's one big NiceToTheWaiter.
65* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Given how film and television adaptations have latterly made this ''the'' quintessential PeriodPiece romance, it's almost possible to forget the original book was a very much contemporary comedy of manners. Amongst the things that make it this include the themes of young women needing to find a suitable husband, the idea of the Longbourn estate being subject to fee tail (abolished in England in 1925) being a plot point, the numerous examples of [[invoked]] ValuesDissonance, and the fact that the richest and most eligible bachelor around makes a whopping £10,000 a year (less than a full-time minimum wage worker earns in the 2010s)!
66* UnintentionallySympathetic:
67** Austen probably didn't expect Mary to get as much sympathy as she does. Of course, she probably also didn't expect her future readers to be living in a world that in general has a bit more sympathy for people like Mary -- i.e. introverted, bookish types who don't like balls. Especially since Mary's living in a world where she has no option but to get herself a husband, whereas today's readers (many of whom happen to be introverted, bookish types) have far more options in life (not to mention, far more ways to meet people than Mary would) and can't help but sympathize with someone who doesn't have the choices they do. [[JerkassWoobie Yeah, Mary's a bit of a jerk, but she's not a bad person.]] It's hard not to feel a tiny bit sorry for her.
68** Lydia, though still viewed as obnoxious and unlikable, tends to get at least ''some'' sympathy from modern readers, since most would argue that ''no one'' deserves to be stuck with Wickham for the rest of their life, especially considering Lydia is ''fifteen''. In Austen's time, Lydia getting married at that age would be considered to be a bit young, but still allowable and relatively normal. (Like getting married at nineteen or twenty in today's day and age.) Today, marrying a fifteen-year-old off to a known scumbag who's twice her age would be ''unthinkable''. Most adaptations that are set in the modern day tend to give Lydia a little more sympathy, and often cut her marriage to Wickham altogether.
69** Kitty, as she is often treated awfully by both her parents, and although she is no saint, she is ''far'' more likable than Lydia. In the end it's said she TookALevelInKindness once she was away from Lydia's influence, suggesting she was just easily led astray; it's specifically noted that their father will not allow Kitty to go and stay with Lydia in order to not disrupt her continued improvement.
70* ValuesDissonance: [[ValuesDissonance/PrideAndPrejudice Has its own page]].
71* ValuesResonance:
72** Jane Austen notably doesn't fall into the trap of RealWomenDontWearDresses that so many modern writers do when invoking TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry - where the 'smart' sister (or more importantly 'less feminine') is held up as the better of the two. Jane for example is the pretty sister, but her virtues are from her kindness and desire to see the good in everyone rather than her beauty. Lydia meanwhile embodies the negative qualities of the pretty sister - shallowness, being an AttentionWhore, naivety amongst men. Mary likewise shows that the smart sister can have negative qualities too, as she's a KnowNothingKnowItAll who's similar to Lydia and Kitty. She's just as much an AttentionWhore as them - but with her 'knowledge' rather than her beauty. Lizzie meanwhile has virtues that don't come from being less feminine than the other women around her - but from her awareness of the society they live in and her desire to challenge it.
73** Darcy's first resort when he finds Lydia and Wickham is to try and persuade her to leave him and return to her family, rather than leaping straight to 'persuading' Wickham to marry her. Admittedly if Lydia had eloped with a different and potentially better man, Darcy ''might'' have thought that marriage was an acceptable solution to the problem; but as it stands it's a far more modern attitude than believing Lydia has ''no'' option but to marry the man who 'ruined' her, regardless of how awful he is.
74* {{Wangst}}: While her daughters do face ruin if they are unable to secure husbands, Mrs. Bennet's primary focus seems to be endless whining about how this will affect ''her''.
75* TheWoobie:
76** Georgiana Darcy, once you learn her backstory. Her parents died when she was only a child, leaving her to be raised by her beloved older brother and cousin; and then, a former trusted family friend convinced her he was in love with her, and nearly got her to elope with him, all so he could get his hands on her dowry. She's also painfully shy. Luckily, Darcy rescued her, and she's presently very well-adjusted and happy, especially when Elizabeth becomes her sister-in-law.

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