Secret thoughts of a romantic hero revealed
Muneera Parbeen enjoys filipping through the pages of a dusky diary
It is not too hard to imagine Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy writing a diary. Indeed any Austen fan could readily visualise Darcy's handsome, and proud, head bent over a table writing away, most likely wearing his skin-tight breeches and the handsomest cravat ever. And there is proof of his writing skills. He did write a very elaborate and well-expressed letter to Elizabeth Bennet in the book itself, forming an anti-climax of the best. Maya's extremely detailed fiction about Mr. Darcy -- the main hero of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice in the form of his personal recordings Mr. Darcy's Diary -- gives us what can plainly be termed as a man's perception of that Regency story. The fictional diary, of this fictional character, has resulted in an extremely readable book that can give its readers a lot of room for thought, and reflection. The secret thoughts of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, romantic hero to millions around the world, are thus unfolded. 1 It is a very revealing diary that Darcy keeps, from his moods to his intellects to his frolicking to his taste for the …ahem, housemaids! It does seem like a very different Darcy than Austen's. However, in Austen's descriptions we get to know very intimate details about Elizabeth Bennett's thoughts and views through her conversations, her dialogues with Charlotte and sisterly talk with Jane. Mr. Darcy is spared that kind of microscopic scrutiny. In the fictional diary, however, Darcy is scrutinised. Maya Slater explores the man of his times. And, as expected, Darcy does turn out to be a bit of a cad. Here Darcy, gentleman as he is, upper elite as he is, admires a housemaid's 'pleasing embonpoint' - and then tumbles her on his bed. What a shocker for his fans though! But the thoughts that this gives rise to is the fact that Mr. Darcy was a bit too good to be true in the first place. At a time in history when being a libertine wasn't exactly ruled out by any man, every hero in stories based in Regency times is more or less a libertine on the side, but ultimately settles down in life with the purest of heroines and her virgin virtues. In other words, she is pure and he is spoilt but that's acceptable. Austen's characters are based on the virtues, especially more the women. The men are always chosen by the women on the merit of their characters Captain Wentworth, Edmund Betram, Edward Dashwood they all falter but ultimately don't trip. However they are less explored than the men. The villains in these stories show a better portrayal of the upper class men at the time, indulgent, quite selfish and at least a little bit laced with hypocrisy. They wine and flirt, and keep mistresses and gamble and also father numerous little ones hidden very well from mainstream society. In Mr. Darcy's diary, it is these indulgences of the man that are revealed and I quite believe ends up making his character more real than ever. His very dangerous friendship with Lord Byron, not present in the original book, reveals him indulging in such frolicking that is entirely acceptable in the society of his time. And quite raunchy some of the indulging is too! Austen puritans might be shocked at first at the depth of Darcy's self, as revealed here, but will grow to accept it. However, the diary goes without jeopardising the fact that Darcy remains a gentleman, alas of Regency times. Despite all acts of madness and badness, our hero is spared its taints and he remains the man that Austen reveals him to be. After all, Austen's heroes trip but do not fall. Ultimately Maya too succumbs to that. So what is exciting about Maya's Darcy? The fact that she recaptures the events of Pride and Prejudice through Darcy's eyes, giving the story a different opinion of sorts. The diary reveals detailed descriptions of Darcy's reactions to Elizabeth Bennett from his admiration of her fine eyes to his disastrous proposal to his gallantry to save her sister. In the process he painfully finds out the extent of his thoughts and views on life and comes to a point where he is able to draw a balance on them. This all is revealed in the original book itself. What Maya's diary does is bring them to life from Darcy's points of view. The book gives a background to Darcy's elusive life; on how he feels about different matters of which there is very little clue in Austen's book; looking out for his friend Charles Bingley, the guilt he feels of not having been able to protect his sister Georgiana from the terrible Wickham and his thoughts on the scheming Miss Bingley. Also his regard for his formidable aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and his kind consideration of his sickly cousin Lady Anne de Bourgh whose sketchy character in the original book gets a more strength in this book. We also learn his weaknesses, the reasons behind his not-gentleman-like manners, and the fact that he loves good food, and the understanding that Mrs. Bennet's dinners couldn't have actually disappointed him without mentioning a word about it. Austen says Mrs Bennet keeps a good table and Maya picks up on it and reveals what good food means to Darcy. Beautiful! So in Mr. Darcy's Dairy, Darcy is much more fully explored. Readers are able to see behind the scenes, and find grounds for much of his behaviour. The reason such terrible secrets being let out of the bag don't disappoint us is the fact that Maya gives us more of a feel for the life of a Regency gentleman. In writing up Mr. Darcy's Diary for him Maya enters uncharted territory. And she does a brilliant job of it. She has carefully researched the era she is writing about and has painstakingly described details of the period. She adds more colour to the picture by inventing interesting pastimes and friends for Austen's hero, without degrading him. Poor Lizzy, though! Had she known of her hero's indulgences, I wonder what she would have thought about it, and said? Would she have been disappointed? Or would she have learnt to accept them as vices of her time? Ultimately, writing a diary for one of the most loved male characters of English literature shows a great marketing mind. The difference is that Maya Slater takes up that common challenge and delivers it with the skill of a brilliant writer. The result is enchanting, gripping and quite unforgettable. It is a recommendable book. There are many questions that grip the mind of an Austen fan who reads Pride and Prejudice. What else did Wickam do for Darcy to detest him so? How did Geogiana live with it? What did Darcy think of his cousin Anne and the proposed marriage to her? How did he exactly feel when he almost lost Lizzy at Rosings? The diary gives us a chance to forage! Muneera Parbeen, a journalist, is at The Daily Star.
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