Does Pride and Prejudice fail to overthrow patriarchy?

An Unsuccessful Attempt to Overthrow Patriarchy:

A Comparative Analysis of Feminism in Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones’s Diary

Rose petals on the opening chapter of Pride and Prejudice
Figure 1: Rose petals on the opening chapter of Pride and Prejudice

        Pride and Prejudice is a classic love story by Jane Austen which has over 10 film and TV adaptations (Topping 2019), and out of the long list, Bridget Jones’s Diary by Sharon Maguire is one of the most successful and relatable films to date (Clarke 2016). While comparing the two texts, it is important to note that the film adaptation was created almost 200 years later, and since then society has progressed immensely in terms of societal conventions and expectations. Despite the blatant differences in the strong-headed protagonists, Elizabeth and Bridget are constantly objectified by a patriarchal ideology where they are defined “only by [their] difference from male norms and values” (Tyson 92). In addition, both texts focus on the importance of marriage and reproduction and explore the stigmas and expectations which have persisted even after 200 years. Thus by setting up Bridget Jones to undergo a vast character development, Sharon Maguire utilizes modern-day struggles to show that being a woman has and still continues to be difficult, and even though societal expectations are always changing, women are expected to change more to fit the mould.

        Aside from their gender and strong spirit, Bridget Jones and Elizabeth Bennet embody very different personalities and attitudes, but both are regarded as radical characters as they do not uphold the traditional passive feminine image. Austen allows Elizabeth Bennet to carry herself with grace and the audience is made fully made of Elizabeth’s stubborn elegance when she tells the overbearing Lady Catherine that she is “only resolved to act in [a] manner which will...constitute [her] happiness without reference to... any person so wholly unconnected with [her]” (359). Even though many might consider Elizabeth’s courageous stance as empowering, Lady Catherine is taken aback with the young lady as during the Regency Era such “confident ease … which seems to set the company at defiance” was unquestionably frowned upon as it clearly went the conducts and behaviors outlined by Dr. John Gregory (Appendix B 405). On the other hand, Sharon Maguire creates Bridget’s character to be a “verbally incontinent spinster” (4:55) through Mark Darcy's eyes, and in addition reveals her to have confessed her love for Daniel Cleaver when she later tells him “[She] didn’t mean it [and was] “being ironic”” (41:45-41:55). Initially she does not let her pride stand in the way of her confession, although later she revokes her confession and according to Dr. John Gregory, she lets her “eager attention and visible preference betray the flutter of [her] heart” (405) which is a violation of one of the many rules women should follow. Even though Bridget Jones is being compared to a text written in 1774, young women continue to be bound to very similar traditional approaches of femininity and the refusal to follow such outlines can lead to becoming an outcast in society. This shows that even though Bridget and Elizabeth deal with situations with a different level of dignity and are characters set two decades apart, both females are subject to the ‘patriarchal male desire’ which controls “women’s perspectives, feelings, and opinions...unless they conform to those of patriarchy” (Tyson 91).

Figure 2: Film cover of Bridget Jones Diary

        Maguire and Austen show different kinds of romantic relationships throughout their respective text to unveil society’s obsession with marriage and having children. Pride and Prejudice begins with the revelation of the narrator's satirical approach towards matrimony that “it is truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 43). This sentence can be unpacked to compare Darcy and Mr. Collins as both men are in “possession of a good fortune” but initially struggle to attain a woman to marry. In addition, the quote alludes that women should treat marriage as a business deal and choose financial stability over romantic attraction, thus emphasizing that a woman’s career was to accept the matrimonial business deal which could be described as “generally satisfactory” (Austen 152). While Austen uses free indirect discourse to incorporate Elizabeth’s thoughts, Maguire utilizes plot twists and dialogue to illustrate Bridget’s experience with marriage. Almost every public group appearance in the film involves people acquiring information about Bridget Jones's love life and includes some snide remarks about her age, body weight, or career. Eventually, even though Bridget is on her journey to find ‘Mr. Right’, Maguire does not use every rom-com trope in the book to give the protagonist her happy ending. Most romantic comedies end with a happy marriage, although Bridget Jones’s Diary only shows the beginning of a relationship, not a marriage. On the other hand, throughout Pride and Prejudice the universal acknowledgment of matrimony is depicted using the following relationships: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins and Charlotte, and Jane and Bingley, each unique in their own way. So even though Elizabeth Bennet refuses two marriage proposals initially, the ending of the novel consists of her marriage, and this shows there was a limit to Austen’s liberalism. While Bridget Jones does not marry Mark Darcy, the character’s fate in the film is to be linked to another man which leaves room for marriage and children. Both examples show that while society has changed in many ways, the expectations of women to marry and reproduce have not come a far way, in literature and in real life. Maguire and Austen could have allowed their respective protagonists to live a life of comfort without marriage but choose not to, indirectly showing that women, real or not, are still “socially programmed to undermine their own self-confidence and assertiveness” (Tyson 86-87).

        While Jane Austen explores the Regency social etiquette and class structure in addition to the romance, Sharon Maguire focuses on the protagonist’s self-acceptance and her journey to find a ‘decent’ man to marry. Despite their many similarities and differences, both texts offer an overlapping reading on the concept of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal world. While the “shamelessly stolen” (Jonsson 18) plotline appeals to a younger generation who wants to fall in love with Austen for the first time, Maguire also indirectly conforms to the ‘conducts and behaviours’ from Austen’s Era by accepting the matrimonial ending. Through the texts, one can infer that no matter how much women try to break out of the patriarchal expectations placed on their sex, there will always be a limit to how much they can stretch the mould of femininity.


  

  


Works Cited 
  1. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Broadview. 2002
  2. Bridget Jones's Diary. Directed by Sharon Maguire, Little Bird, StudioCanal, Working Title Films, 2001. Netflix, www.netflix.com/title/60020322.
  3. Clarke, Donald. “What Does the Success (and Failure) of Bridget Jones’s Baby Tell Us?” Screenwriter, The Irish Times, 2 Oct. 2016, www.irishtimes.com/blogs/screenwriter/2016/10/02/what-does-the-success-and-failure-of-bridget-joness-baby-tell-us/.
  4. Gregory, Dr. John. Appendix B. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, 1813, Broadview, 2002, pp. 402-412.
  5. Jonsson, Ida. "Petticoats or Miniskirts: A Comparative Analysis of Feminine Narration in Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary." (2018).
  6. Topping, Amber. “15 Of the Best Pride and Prejudice Adaptations, Ranked.” The Silver Petticoat Review, 18 Dec. 2019, www.silverpetticoatreview.com/2019/12/16/pride-and-prejudice-adaptations-ranked/.
  7. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: a User-Friendly Guide. 2nd ed., Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2006.