Will undoubtedly feed the insatiable appetite for all things Austen while validating our cultural obsession with a hero who spawned a thousand and one tropes. For those familiar with Austen's literary canon, it does a deep dive on the man and his time period in a compelling and ultimately readable way. But the hero's influence is best presented in the undeniable echoes of pop culture, media and art in all forms and Malcolm certainly finds fun in every possible iteration of Darcy available.

Gabrielle Malcolm has done a deep dive into the history of heroes in fiction, especially Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen's beloved character has set quite the bar for any that come after him. Ms. Malcolm includes strong examples in her writing and I found my to be read list growing as I read. The book is written conversationally and what I really appreciated was the excellent education the author provided in character development.
3.5
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

As s self-confessed worshiper at the altar of Austen, this is just the kind of book I love.

Gabrielle Malcolm clearly knows her stuff here and goes into a lot of depth about not only why everyone loves Darcy, but also the whole shebang about Jane's influences, intentions and the significance of her work - and even the views of her contemporaries about her work.

This is definitely not a book for the casual reader, but there is plenty here to keep even the most ardent Austen fan happy - and it kept me contented for many an hour, with a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Heaven!

If you are a die-hard Jane Austen fan and watch all the adaptations and enjoy all the literary offshoots, then this is a book for you. In her well-researched book Malcolm explores the perennial fascination with Darcy, perhaps Austen’s most iconic and memorable hero. She examines his influence on popular culture and how he has become the archetype of the romantic hero, even though this is based on very little textual evidence in Pride and Prejudice itself, where he is mainly described as arrogant, snobbish and very rude. The contention that Darcy is the original Byronic hero also doesn’t hold water. Malcolm chronicles in great detail many of the various TV, film and literary works inspired by Darcy, with long plot summaries which I found tedious and unnecessary. Unfortunately the author seems to conflate Darcy as Austen depicted him with Colin Firth in the renowned TV adaptation. As a purist in my reading, I don’t watch adaptations, neither film nor TV and only rarely read a novel inspired by Austen (Longbourn by Jo Baker being a notable exception) so I found that much of the book simply wasn’t of interest to me. It’s a light, fun read, but not one for me.

I am always utterly fascinated by how a literary character or even a historical figure can continue to evolve decades or even centuries after they lived or were created. Clearly, they have not undergone an alteration but as society shifts, so does the way that we read them. I have read thematic biographies on figures such as the Brontë Sisters, Anne Boleyn and even Jane Austen herself but never before someone from the fictional world. In the two centuries since his creation, Mr Darcy has become one of the most iconic characters in literature and a by-word for a romantic hero. Despite my heavy-weight Austen appreciation, I have never been a Darcy fan-girl, remaining a little mystified by the mania. When I saw this book, I jumped at the chance to understand it better - what exactly is the 'something' about Darcy that gets everyone so hot and bothered?

As Malcolm makes clear, the very fact that the name Mr Darcy has become so iconic has put a distance between us and the original character. There are coasters and tote bags bearing slogans such as 'Waiting for my Mr Darcy' or 'I ♥︎ Mr Darcy' or 'Do Not Disturb Unless You Are Mr Darcy'. What he represents now is some type of ideal man. Was that what he always was? If not, how did we get to this point?

I have a feeling that this is a book best enjoyed by literature students and history nerds but since I identify as both of those things, it was right up my metaphorical alley. Malcolm dives into who Mr Darcy was when he first appeared from the pen of Jane Austen and how he has changed down the centuries. Most notably, she examines how Colin Firth diving into a lake in 1995 changed how people view Mr Darcy for evermore. The man has been on quite the journey.

The trick with Darcy, as Malcolm points out, is that he is an enigma for so much of Pride and Prejudice. Even in the closing chapters as he and Bingley arrive at Longbourn, Kitty Bennet refers to him as 'that tall, proud man', unable to remember his exact name. He has kept himself to himself and the wider cast have let him alone. The novel's central character is Elizabeth Bennet. He was merely the love interest. Yet over time, Darcy has eclipsed her in cultural significance. The big question is why that has happened.

The modern reader has lost a lot of what made Darcy significant at the time of his creation. He is a gentleman of the aristocracy who is visiting a provincial back-water, leading to a classic town-and-country clash of sensibilities. He believes that these people are all his inferiors and utterly beneath his notice. He behaves rudely and is utterly dismissive. But their response is not to kow-tow to his social superiority, but rather to dislike him. When he proposes marriage to Elizabeth Bennet, she does not take it as a compliment, but rather she sends him away with a flea in his ear. Pride and Prejudice is therefore his Bildungsroman as he learns the error of his ways.

Austen is always fascinated with class and the decline of the aristocracy, a recurring theme across her work. Darcy is a character created at a crucial juncture in history. After centuries of the feudal system, we had the beginning of the self-made man. Lineage was no longer so significant. Malcolm charts how aristocratic male fashion had changed from the impractical Georgian attire to the leaner, more practical sportsman-like clothing championed by Beau Brummell. The question was beginning to be asked - what made a gentleman, was it birth or behaviour? Darcy assumed the former but Elizabeth is explicit that she does not believe he fits the category.

It is this love affair that makes Darcy vulnerable, makes him human, makes him appealing to the reader. Elizabeth has made no effort to impress Darcy. She turned up at Netherfield with her 'weary ankles', her muddy petticoat and her 'face glowing with the warmth of exercise', in an era where clean linens and pale faces were de rigeur. Darcy has been very clear that he did not think her pretty ... but then. But then. Her eyes caught him off guard. Malcolm analyses this unworldliness in the face of true attraction. He does not know what is happening to him and he has no power to stop it.

Is it just that he is rich? As Malcolm points out, the Bennets are in dire straits - a mere heartbeat away from losing their home. The girls have to marry. When Elizabeth marries Mr Darcy, the family are guaranteed that they will never reach destitution. Lydia knows she will always be able to cadge more cash, Kitty is sure of meeting eligible young men, Mary will have enough to support herself if she does end up an old maid and somewhere money will be found to look after Mrs Bennet, preferably at a distance from Mr Darcy himself. This is the Cinderella element of the story and we see how this idea trickles down even to contemporary fiction such as Fifty Shades.

As Malcolm explains, Darcy has a number of relatives across fiction. From literary ancestors such as Mr B of Pamela, loudly declaring that his nobility gives him rights to Pamela's body, right on through to Victorian literature with characters such as Dracula, Heathcliff and Mr Rochester all sharing links to Mr Darcy. Indeed, Malcolm particularly highlights the strong similarities between Messrs Darcy and Rochester. Indeed as she breaks it down, you can't help wondering if this is at the root of the rivalry between fans of Austen and Brontë; 'Do you favour the patrician, commanding, brooding hero on the northern edge of the Pennines in Yorkshire, or the patrician, commanding, brooding hero on his estate among the Devonshire Peaks?'

This is particularly interesting because of course Charlotte Brontë was famously not a fan of Jane Austen. I found Malcolm's analysis of the two writers' varying outlooks to be truly fascinating. She suggests that for a Romantic writer such as Brontë, Austen's extensive use of irony put too much distance between reader and the emotions, meaning that Darcy's transformation from aloof aristocrat to romantic hero was too abrupt. However, Malcolm also suggests that as fashions changed over the course of the twentieth century, Mr Rochester's popularity has waned while Mr Darcy's star rose only higher. With the advent of feminism, Mr Rochester's incarceration of his mentally ill wife became problematic. By contrast, Mr Darcy is a responsible landlord and considerate employer. Of course, Malcolm's argument is undermined by the fact that she is clearly thinking more of The Wide Sargasso Sea rather than Jane Eyre, repeatedly referring to Mrs Rochester as 'Antoinette' and remarking that Rochester tries to pretend that she is just 'the servant Bertha Mason'. Ahem.

Yet there are so many other Darcy-proxies elsewhere in fiction too. North and South is an almost scene-for-scene remake of Pride and Prejudice except set in the North. Darcy here is John Thornton, a proud industrialist who tries to run his factory responsibly. Malcolm further suggests that Dracula is another Darcy equivalent. She argues that Dracula is a metaphor for the decadent aristocracy, with the Count displaying a veneer of respectability and elegance which hides predatory and abusive behaviour. Other equivalents include The Scarlet Pimpernel and several of Georgette Heyer's characters. Voyaging onwards, Malcolm traces Darcy's evolution through historical romances and the advent of commercial romantic fiction. As the romantic fiction movement ran up against the rise of women's rights, having a 'feisty' heroine like Elizabeth Bennet who could 'break all the rules' and who could 'tame' the strong, wealthy man' was seen as a winning combination.

I found this part of Malcolm's book to be particularly intriguing because romantic fiction is just not a genre that I know much about. I've never read very much to do with it and I've always assumed that those books tend to follow a similar sort of formula. Hearing about novels such as The Flame and the Flower made me realise how complicated the genre's history really is - unsurprising given how it follows trends in society. Malcolm explores the difficulty in creating a 'brooding, socially awkward hero' without falling into the traps of having the 'anguished male psyche' tumble into bitterness and aggression. Rather than being sad, it is all too easy to make them just bad.

From here, Malcolm also explores Darcy on the screen. From awkward Olivier in 1940 (he didn't want the part) to 'classically trained' David Rintoul in 1980 ... well, we all know that the 'definitive' Darcy is Colin Firth. Malcolm points out that Jennifer Ehle was originally 'the star' of the 1995 production but Firth's magnetic performance boosted him into co-star status. That and the wet shirt scene. By contrast, Matthew McFadyn's 2005 appearance was much more muted, perhaps due to time restraints but as a deliberate choice. Malcolm makes the comparison between the 'Crabtree and Evelyn' aesthetic of the BBC adaptation and the 'muddy hems' look of the 2005 film. Macfadyn's size heightens his awkwardness, he speaks less and we get to know him more through his silences. His portrayal emphasises Darcy's masculinity, a choice echoed further in Eliot Cowan's version of the character in Lost in Austen. This, apparently, was the Darcy for the 2000s.

As someone who believes whole-heartedly that the book is always better, it was really thought-provoking to read such in-depth analysis of Austen adaptations. Malcolm explores how the costuming choices highlight the generational conflict between the various characters. In the 2005 film, Mrs Bennet wears faded late-eighteenth century fashions, relics from her own girlhood. She is fraying round the edges, stressed to the hilt about her daughters' dire situation. Malcolm also made me 'get' the point of the portrait scene (or sculpture scene as in the 2005 film) - it gives Elizabeth licence to gaze upon Darcy in a way that she would not be able to do in the flesh and seeing it on screen, we see her looking at him with fresh eyes and realising that she is attracted to this man. There's Something About Darcy made me want to re-watch all the films and television adaptations even that bat-crazy version from 1940.

The other something about Darcy though is his many cameo appearances outside of his own book. This feels like a real chicken-and-egg thing. Did Darcy's status go wild and so he became an easily portable character or was he an easily portable character and this led to his status going through the roof? It's not a question anyone can answer but Malcolm makes a brave effort. Mr Darcy of Pemberley has been pulled in a myriad of different directions over the past thirty years - what does it tell us about how we see him and has it changed the man himself?

I have stumbled in and out of Pride and Prejudice fan fiction on a number of occasions and can have quite complicated feelings about it. On the one hand, all authors borrow from each other and on the other hand it can feel like sacrilege. The variations can highlight areas of the text in intriguing ways ... or they can just massively miss the point. More to the point though, I am always agog about all the gossiping around the Austenite community. I read Emma Tennant's Pemberley aged eleven, naively hoping for something as good as the original novel. To put it mildly, I was disappointed. But I had no idea about all of the internet vitriol associated against the book.

I have a suspicion that this is the 'something' about Darcy. Internet fans. The more I read around Austen-mania, the more I notice the similarities between the Austenophiles and the Potterheads. Both groups feel passionately about the object of their fandom and will think nothing of blowing an absolute gasket if they disagree with someone else's interpretation of the canon. It's not that people didn't feel strongly about books and films before the Internet but it is so much easier now for them to group together and get each other all riled up.

Darcy's post P and P appearances are engrossing due to the incredible variety of stories that he has inspired. In The Madness of Mr Darcy, he fails to save Lydia who is then sold into prostitution by Wickham. When she finally returns to her family as a fallen woman, she is also insane and needs constant care by Elizabeth. It is a fan fiction piece as heavily influenced by Lady Audley's Secret as it is by anything written by Austen. Twenty years after losing his chance with Elizabeth, Darcy is a lonely alcoholic who finally murders Wickham, the author of misfortune. This in turn lands him in an asylum and thus back in the path of Elizabeth, now a matron. Then there is the more well-known murder mystery Death Comes to Pemberley and the servant-centric Longbourn. The list goes on and on. And on.

I am reminded of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series which takes place within the BookVerse - are all of these Darcys the same man or are they in fact separate characters? Longbourn's Darcy who utterly ignores the servant Sarah before one day lecturing her on her duty to her mistress when she asks to leave his service ... yes, that's the definitely the original. The Darcy within The Other Bennet Sister who feels uncomfortable around his wife's annoying relatives? That still sounds like our guy.  But the man in Perception who cheerily tells people he's only just met to call him 'Darcy' and who tries to keep things pretty casual? Not so much.

But then there are the 'modern' Darcys. William Darcy from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries still seemed the right mix of stuck-up and socially awkward, slowing settling into smitten. Dr Darcy from Eligible is actually a heck of a lot nicer than his love interest Liz Bennet. And then there's the time-travellers - I confess that Malcolm's descriptions of Project Darcy certainly piqued my curiousity. Even Fay Weldon's Darcy's Utopia sounds weird but very interesting. There's Something About Darcy has definitely added to my reading list for the next time that Austen in August rolls around. The challenging thing about a lot of these contemporary re-imaginings is how they seek to 'rehabilitate' Darcy's snobbishness for the modern era. Sittenfeld made him a dedicated doctor so it is less that he is stand-offish than that he is under pressure. Amanda Grange made him a vampire - his apparent bluntness a result of his 'supernatural condition'. The modern audience will not accept a rude man.

There are even theories around Darcy being gay; they suggest that he likes the company of Colonel Fitzwilliam a little too much and seems to be dragging his feet around marriage to his cousin Anne. Or else it is that he loves Bingley and this is why he stops him from courting Jane Bingley. Or even that Darcy's latent attraction to Wickham meant he could not bear to see him with Georgiana. Essentially, Elizabeth and Darcy end up in a marriage of convenience. It's certainly interesting ... but perhaps as an example of how you can get Austen's work to say just about anything that you want it to.

What is it about Darcy that makes readers (and viewers) love him so? Honestly, even as a Darcy-agnostic, I finished this book more enthralled by him than I ever had been before. Malcolm rightly points out, Darcy is the man who values 'substance over surface'. He falls for the 'edgy, slightly rebellious, intelligent heroine, wanting her in preference to the glamourous, upper-class socialites'. He also is the man who is able to stop and admit that he was wrong - definitely an appealing quality. Different screen portrayals of Darcy have emphasised different aspects of his character but in all of them he is a deeply moral man willing to take risks for those he loves. Darcy represents security, not merely financial but rather emotional and physical too. In an uncertain world, it is little wonder that we still reach for him to save us. Gabrielle Malcolm's fantastic and intelligent analysis charts how his star has risen further than Jane Austen could ever have imagined, his cultural significance comes from far more than just the original novel and he seems destined to endure and evolve forever.

This is an interesting look at Fitzwilliam Darcy and his enduring legacy in both literature and culture. While I enjoyed some of the comparisons of Darcy with other male protagonists in fiction, I did grow tired of reading about other author's works which I have no interest in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
An in depth study of one of my favorite and most beloved literary characters. Mr. Darcy's relevance has not faded after all of this time.

I love the premise of this book. It is amazing to think that a character from 1813 could still be relevant today. It's possible his popularity has actually increased over the past 200 years. I was immediately drawn to the cover and blurb from this book and was so excited to be chosen to read the ARC.

The first 15% of the book was enjoyable. I thought it provided interesting history of Jane Austen, and of Pride and Prejudice. However, I felt like things went a bit awry after that. The author took off on tangents that I simply could not follow.

There were a couple chapters that were interesting. However, there were also sections that were just confusing. I was unsure why Ms. Malcolm continuously brought up the Twilight series when those books are not based on Pride and Prejudice at all. Also, it was quite boring to read a blogger's review of fan fiction. There were just elements like that that felt rather unnecessary.

Given the vast amount of actual books and films based off of P & P, it seemed there could have been more discussion on them, than on unpublished fan fiction, and other book series that were not inspired by Austen.

Overall, good premise, and good start, but unorganized and confusing in the end.

‘He is now an archetype that defines a whole strand of characters in fiction, drama, media and popular culture. These are identified by a single name - Darcy.’

I love everything Austen with Pride and Prejudice and Mr Darcy being my all time favourite. So this book was a must read and proved to be so very interesting through its analysis of literature from Austen’s time right up to contemporary tales. Especially considering the latter, undoubtedly, the story of Darcy has been a worldwide phenomenon with its impact on romance writing.

Gabrielle Malcolm has undertaken a vast amount of research and I truly appreciated both comparative books discussions to character adaptations and fan fiction, even the inclusion of the web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which I adored watching online. One cannot doubt the influence that Jane Austen has had on the literary world. Reading much like an essay, Gabrielle details literature, film and television examples that she analyses and ties back into the original. Character comparisons from the Bronte’s Rocherster or Heathcliff to modern day Edward Cullen or Christian Grey. From Bronte and Heyer, to Helen Fielding and Curtis Sittenfeld. From the big screen 1940s Laurence Olivier to 2005 with Matthew Macfadyen strolling through the misty field. From Bollywood to zombie adaptations ... it’s all here.

‘Darcy’s story arc is one of personal development and the growth of self-knowledge, so that he gains insight into his feelings and the conflicting emotions that so trouble him.’

Garbrielle delivers a wealth of research in her bid to study the impact each of these portrayals, tied in to perception of character, has had on the legacy that is Austen and her Darcy. Be warned, this is a definite scholars account of why this aristocratic hero has endured. There’s Something About Darcy may be too dry for some, contain too many spoilers of books unread for others, or lack the in depth analysis with its broad approach. However, for me, it was brilliant.

Gabrielle Malcolm is to be commended for undertaking a book such as this, with an incredible eye for detail yet simultaneously presenting an engaging approach making it accessible to many. A must read for all Austenites as they are sure to appreciate this thorough and unique study of one of the most well loved characters in all of literary history.

‘Darcy’s ability to change his views, modify his opinions .... and learn from his mistakes have powerfully impressed readers for the past 200 years.’








This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I read this book in small installments, I don’t usually read nonfiction and I didn’t really expect to like it, but I wanted to know what’s the take on Darcy.

I did end up enjoying it, I have only read Pride and Prejudice once after I watched the adaptation back in 2000, so the first part of the book where the author breaks down the novel I totally enjoyed and now I really want to go back and re read it.

The other chapter that I liked was the one describing the different Darcys between the adaptations, Colin Firth still my favorite.

We also get to read about sequels, fan fiction and adaptations.

Overall a light enjoyable read, but only if you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice.

An extended digression on the male ideal character that gave life to the character of Mr. Darcy (the author mentions Beau Brummel and Lord Byron among the others), considering two centuries worth of male heroes born with the knowledge that <i>a Mr. Darcy existed</i>, and that were - intentionally or unintentionally - affected by him; coming through cinematographic and TV adaptations, that shaped a new Mr. Darcy and giving life to a series of Austen Inspired Novels. The author analyses some of these novels, dwelling on Darcy's character and lengthening my TBR and my re-reading lists...

Many thanks to NetGalley and Endeavour Quill and Endeavour Media for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There's Something About Darcy is a interesting study of Jane Austen and her character Darcy throughout the years. But if you study literature there were always similar characters even before Darcy and long after. As a fan of literature, I see the charm of Jane Austen 's works, but there are so many more out there less famous with the same strong male and female roles.

There's Something About Darcy
by Gabrielle Malcolm
Endeavour Media
Endeavour Quill

Biographies & Memoirs , Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 11 Nov 2019


I am reviewing a copy of There’s Something About Darcy through Endeavour Media and Netgalley:

In 1995 a cultural revolution took place with the new BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice which sent reverberations around the world that still echo today. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, are as much a focus of today’s online fan culture as, for example, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter characters and the Star Wars or Dr Who universes.


In 1796 Jane Austen began work on First Impressions which would be published as Pride and Prejudice In 1813 by Thomas Egerton.


Elizabeth’s marriage was the equivalent to marrying into aristocracy.


In There’s Something About Darcy Dr Gabrielle Malcolm she examines Jane Austen’s influences influences in creating Darcy’s potent mix of brooding Gothic hero, aristocratic elitist and romantic Regency man of action. She investigates how Darcy’s character She investigates how he made way for later characters like Heathcliff, Rochester and even Dracula, and what his impact has been on popular culture over the past two centuries. For twenty-first century readers the world over have their idea of the ‘perfect’ Darcy in mind when they read the novel and will defend their choice passionately.



This insightful and entertaining study covers everything from Digital Darcy, Vampire Darcy, Mormon Darcy and Gay Darcy. This also poses the question how a clergyman’s daughter from Hampshire created such an enduring character.


I give There’s Something About Darcy five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

One of may favourite books is Jane's Austen's Pride and Prejudice, so when I came across There's Something About Darcy I was keen to see what else there was to one of leading characters. Gabrielle Malcolm the author of the book breaks up the chapters in a well thought out way, from the period of Jane Austen and when she wrote the book, including possible real life influences, which I found really interesting, to film and tv adaptations and other leading characters in well known books. I was also amused to see there were lots and lots of other interpretations to Darcy's character in numerous books. I thought some of the comparisons to well known leading men in other books was informative and clever, and I liked the analysis of Darcy's character on screen in various forms too. Overall I thought it was an enjoyable book and showed me ways to think of Darcy that I wouldn't have otherwise. I also thought it was really good at showing just how influential Austen and Darcy have been in shaping and influencing what leading men in films and books look like for the last 200 years, which I think is quite astonishing.

If you love Mr. Darcy (and who doesn't?) then this is a fantastic book examining the Mr. Darcy phenomenon.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but how fun is this to study why Darcy has lasted as a fictional hero throughout the ages! Dr. Malcolm did a great job in diving in DEEP into Darcy's personna and how Jane Austen's main hero was affected by heroes before him and mainly how he has affected heroes for 200 years after with no signs of slowing down. Dr. Malcolm covers A LOT of material in this book and I have to admit I did a bit of a squeal and patted myself on the back each time she mentioned a novel I'd read. And at the same time panicked each time a novel was mentioned I haven't read. There's just never enough time to read. Needless to say, Jane Austen seems to have solidified a place in history for writing one of the most memorable and adored heroes of all time. Now you'll have to excuse me while I get back to my ever-growing list of books to read which just had a few dozen added to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Endeavor Quill for the eARC!

The book is about the influence of Mr Darcy in a lot of the characters we see and how such presentation appeals to the current generation even after 200 hundreds years. She dissected Mr Darcy as well as the movies that presented him. I did enjoy such concept, it's like reaffirming in me what we did like about him. This is not the typical book I read. I like, FD and EB stories, this one was different but it was worth knowing him and knowing what we see/find in him.

In 1995, I was among those captivated by Colin Firth striding along in a white frilly shirt and rather tight breeches in Andrew Davies' TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. No-one else has ever come close to personifying the character in my view. This book an examination of Darcy's appeal and why he remains a popular character today, seemed like an intriguing read.

It started off promisingly. I really enjoyed the chapters about Jane Austen. the world she wrote about, and her possible influences from other contemporary authors. I also liked the comparisons between Darcy and later leading men such as Rochester and Heathcliff, and I've made a note of all the TV and film adaptations discussed. I've already read one or two P&P 'reimaginings' and rather enjoyed them, but I did find the chapters dealing with fanfic and the reimagings went on rather too long and it began to feel a bit repetitive. Overall it was mostly enjoyable and I give this 4 stars for the initial chapters.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Endeavour Quill, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Who’s the literary hero that might end you? For many people, me included, there’s quite a big chance the answer to that question would be Mr. Darcy. After all – the moodiness, the change of heart – the wealth, both in money and, unexpectedly, in emotions… Honestly, there’s something about Darcy!

I was offered an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are strictly my own.

The subject
For some, Colin Firth emerging from a lake in that clinging wet shirt is one of the most iconic moments in television. But what is it about the two-hundred-year-old hero that we so ardently admire and love?

Dr Gabrielle Malcolm examines Jane Austen’s influences in creating Darcy’s potent mix of brooding Gothic hero, aristocratic elitist and romantic Regency man of action. She investigates how he paved the way for later characters like Heathcliff, Rochester and even Dracula, and what his impact has been on popular culture over the past two centuries. For twenty-first century readers the world over have their idea of the ‘perfect’ Darcy in mind when they read the novel, and will defend their choice passionately.

In this insightful and entertaining study, every variety of Darcy jostles for attention: vampire Darcy, digital Darcy, Mormon Darcy and gay Darcy. Who does it best and how did a clergyman’s daughter from Hampshire create such an enduring character?

The opinion
As I’ve said on many occasions on this blog: I love Jane Austen. From my favourite of her work, Persuasion, to the many, many *many*retellings… There’s something about the world which she created, that gets me every time.

And I’m really not the only one. There’s been countless retellings, reproductions, re-… Through all of those, however, Darcy has made quite the transformation. The author manages to tie his person in with a long-standing tradition, spanning across centuries, style periods and media.

If nothing else, a huge plus for this book is just the sheer amount of inspiration it gave me. There’s new adaptations to check out, fanfictions to look up, books to read. But of course – it goes beyond that.

The rating: 4/5
The author does have the tendency to go off on a tangent every once in a while. However, even when doing so, she offers such a width of new information, that I couldn’t really fault her for that. (Goodreads)

-Saar

There's Something About Darcy talks about the extensive influence of Austen's most famous bachelor. There are a lot of fictions that contains Darcy-ness traits nowadays aka tall, dark, handsome, and rich. Malcolm dissects Darcy, of course, on her first chapter, in correlation with his physical, psychological, and financial selling point for Elizabeth and vice versa.

After, Malcolm compares Darcy with other men in famous books such as Bronte sisters. What makes them similar and difference, completed with the real life analysis on what/who might influence authoresses to write such characters.

Overall, the book is entertaining although I wish for more 'upbeat' explanation/writing.