RETHINKING MR DARCY: IS HE REALLY THE ROMANTIC HERO WE LOVE?

 

Sebastian Faulks, in an essay marking Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary, offers a provocative re-reading of Pride and Prejudice — one that may challenge even the most ardent Mr Darcy admirers.

Faulks paints Darcy in stark terms: “mostly miserable” and, at times, “unforgivably cruel.” While modern adaptations have polished him into a brooding heartthrob, Austen’s own text is far more complicated. Faulks argues that Darcy is arrogant, socially tone-deaf, and even manipulative — especially in his treatment of Jane and Bingley. His famed proposal to Elizabeth, which many read as romantic tension, is framed by Faulks as a shocking display of class-conscious cruelty.

Moreover, Faulks interprets Darcy as melancholic, perhaps even clinically depressed, dependent on Bingley for the energy he himself lacks. His intelligence and wit, so often celebrated, appear minimal in Faulks’s reading — instead, he is inconsistent, distant, and morally flawed.

This interpretation extends to Elizabeth as well. Faulks questions whether she truly “loves” Darcy or whether their eventual marriage is a pragmatic arrangement: she brings vitality and wit; he brings stability and social standing. In his view, Elizabeth’s attraction is colored by embarrassment, shame, and a sense of social duty — raising the provocative question: is their love as deep and romantic as we’ve long believed, or is it a complex partnership born of circumstance?

Yet, as compelling as Faulks’s reading is, it also invites debate. Can we reduce Darcy to cruelty and melancholy, or does Austen’s subtle narrative invite a more balanced understanding? Is Elizabeth’s love pragmatic, or is it a nuanced recognition of Darcy’s better qualities emerging through personal growth?

Discussion Prompts for Our Book Club

·       Do you agree with Faulks that Darcy is cruel or morally flawed?

·       How does viewing Darcy as melancholic or depressed change your reading of his actions?

·       Is their marriage truly romantic, or more of a practical partnership?

·       How do film and TV adaptations shape our perception of Darcy compared with Austen’s text?

·       Does questioning Darcy enhance or diminish your appreciation of the novel?

Read Faulks’s full essay here: BBC Culture – Why readers are wrong about Mr Darcy

Let’s explore this challenging perspective together — it may change the way you see one of literature’s most famous romantic heroes.