-
Essay / Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary: Comparative Analysis
With her characteristic insight, Jane Austen delves into the depths of the words that make up the title of the novel Pride and Prejudice. Each of the characters in the novel displays either pride or prejudice or both in one way or another. Written in the 1800s, the dynamic Pride and Prejudice paved the way for other authors and screenwriters, among others, to create similar works that explored the ideas of first impressions and how prejudice can incite hubris but can also change over time. . Some of the modern works from Pride and Prejudice include Beauty and the Beast, Death Comes to Pemberly, Bride and Prejudice, etc. Bridget Jones's Diary is another such work that is very similar to Pride and Prejudice. In the film Bridget Jones's Diary, director Sharon Maguire manages to maintain the main idea of Pride and Prejudice by using characters with similar qualities and lives to those in the novel. The audience is introduced to Bridget, Daniel, and Mark, all of whom share obvious similarities with Lizzy, Wickham, and Darcy, respectively. Through the use of parallel plots and characters, Bridget Jones's Diaries can best be described as a modern spin-off of Pride and Prejudice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The film begins with Bridget telling the audience that it's "her 32nd year of being single" and explains that every year her mother "tries to fix her." This already sets the tone for a Pride and Prejudice genre tale. Bridget, like Elizabeth, is of marriageable age but has not found a suitable spouse. Similar to Lizzy's case, Bridget also faces the added pressure of a mother who constantly reminds her that she needs to find a husband. What Mrs. Bennet and Bridget's mother have even more in common is their determination to ensure that their daughters marry a wealthy man who can provide them with financial security. For example, when discussing Mr. Bingley's arrival in town, Mrs. Bennet mentions how great it is for her daughters that he is "a single man of great fortune" (Austen 4). Bridget's mother also points out how "well-off" Mark is when he tries to convince Bridget of his suitability as a possible future spouse. Both females face constant pressure from outside sources to settle down. Both characters happen to have their mothers as the ones who contribute the most to these pressures. In this way, Bridget and Elizabeth are very close characters going through the same struggle at the hands of society. The parallelism does not stop there. Elizabeth and Bridget, in similar circumstances, show and receive prejudice from and towards Darcy and Mark during their first encounters. In Pride and Prejudice, after Elizabeth's first meeting with Darcy, she forms an opinion about him. Elizabeth judged Darcy based on his behavior and immediately came to the conclusion that she didn't like him. When she speaks to the Lucases about him, she says, “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine” (Austen 41). Elizabeth shares three important things with the reader in this sentence. She explicitly states that Darcy is proud, that she is also proud, and that she actually holds a grudge because of Darcy's negative comments regarding her beauty. Subsequently, in Bridget Jones's diary, this is seen when Bridget first meets Mark and draws a conclusion about him based on his sweater and the fact that he still lives with his mother. In addition..