The Darcy Myth
Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love
Published on 7. November 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-68369-357-4 (ISBN)
Description
"A wildly entertaining read."-The Washington Post
Covering cultural touchstones ranging from Normal People to Taylor Swift and from Lord Byron to The Bachelor, The Darcy Myth is a book for anyone who loves thinking deeply about literature and culture.
You already know Mr. Darcy-at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine, but eventually succumbs to her charms. It's a classic enemies-to-lovers plot, and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn't just a grand romance, but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women?
In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen's Gothic influences and how they've led us to a romantic ideal that's halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes (and sometimes heroines)? How much of that is Darcy's fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?
Covering cultural touchstones ranging from Normal People to Taylor Swift and from Lord Byron to The Bachelor, The Darcy Myth is a book for anyone who loves thinking deeply about literature and culture.
You already know Mr. Darcy-at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine, but eventually succumbs to her charms. It's a classic enemies-to-lovers plot, and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn't just a grand romance, but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women?
In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen's Gothic influences and how they've led us to a romantic ideal that's halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes (and sometimes heroines)? How much of that is Darcy's fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?
Reviews / Votes
A USA TODAY Bestseller"A wildly entertaining read."-The Washington Post
"The Darcy Myth explores the ways in which romantic fiction has contributed to creating a deeply harmful cultural notion that "bad boys" - a la the brooding, cranky Mr. Darcy of Pride & Prejudice - represent the path to true love"-CNN
"An entertaining and thought-provoking ride."-The New Republic
"Feder's study is a readable, entertaining contemporary analysis that is suitable for students new to Austen's work and for discussion groups looking for a fresh approach to many readers' favorite novel."-Library Journal, starred review
"[The Darcy Myth is] the most interesting interpretation of the phenomenon that was and is Darcy."-Maya Rodale, XO Romance
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 201 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
294 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68369-357-4 (9781683693574)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Rachel Feder holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Michigan and is an associate professor of English and literary arts at the University of Denver. She is the author of Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets; The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love; Harvester of Hearts: Motherhood Under the Sign of Frankenstein; and Birth Chart, a poetry collection. With McCormick Templeman, she is the coauthor of AstroLit: A Bibliophile's Guide to the Stars. Rachel also edited the Norton Library's edition of Dracula.