Austen Addicts

Pride and Prejudice is a book that was written in the 1800s by an author named Jane Austen. This ahead-of-its-time novel is about a young girl named Elizabeth Bennet, who comes from a not-so-well-off family. Meanwhile, she meets Mr. Darcy who is a very rich but not so well-mannered gentleman. This novel shows the complex feelings of all the characters involved. This book goes through the changes of a prideful Mr. Darcy and slightly prejudiced Elizabeth.

2005 Pride and Prejudice Cover (13) 

                       Different Adaptations

Since this book is so famous there are many different film adaptations. One thing fans love are different versions, variations, and remakes of this story. The first movie to be released was Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier in 1940. Shortly after, BBC released a version in 1980 and then 1985. The most famous version is the 2004 Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFayden. This beautiful movie is what drew a lot of fans in. There are also some movies based on Pride and Prejudice, like Bridget Jones's Diaries and You’ve Got Mail. Not only are there many remakes, there are also different versions of this story. An example is Unleashing Mr. Darcy, which is a modern remake; and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is a story where the characters from this book have to fight zombies. However, all of these movies just scratch the surface of all of the media covering this beloved book (“Pride and Prejudice”).

                                                                      

                                                     Touring and Participating    

    One of the many ways Pride and Prejudice fans like to celebrate their favorite story is by going to the Chatsworth Pride & Prejudice Regency Ball. This event takes place at Chatsworth house, which is ‘Pemberley’ (Mr. Darcy’s estate) in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. The first part of this is for all the guests to meet in the ‘Painted Hall’ for drinks and conversation. The ‘Painted Hall’ is where Elizabeth first starts her tour of Pemberley in the film. The guests then move on to a four course dinner which is then followed by dancing by professional Jane Austen Dancers. After some demonstration, the guests are then invited to participate and dance themselves. This magical event is annual (Butler).

Jane Austen Dancers (1) 

                                   Fans Showing their Love Through Social Media

    Another way fans like to show their love for this story is by content creating and talking about it. If you go to You tube you can find countless videos of fans reviewing the book/movie and touring places that were mentioned in the book or locations that were filmed in the movie. In this particular video a girl discusses and analyzes the book (Thuja Hill Homemaking). And in this video a girl tours Chatsworth house. These two are but a few of the many videos of adoring fans wanting to spread their enthusiasm (Izzy Meakin). 

                                 Fans Showing their Admiration Through Art

    Along with traveling and touring, fans like to also take a more creative route to show their adoration. Many fans like to participate in something called fanart. Fanart is when fans like to draw or create art of something they love. Many fans do this because they love the characters and like to create their own versions of them. Many Pride and Prejudice fans will make fanart of the characters from the story in their own way. However, some may make the characters how they want them to look.

Picture of Fanart (3)

 

                              Fans Showing Their Enthusiasm Through Writing

    Another way that fans like to show their creativity and apply themselves to this story is fanfiction. Fanfiction is when fans write their own versions of a story. Many adoring fans write different versions of Pride and Prejudice because they want to see a certain version of this story that is not shown or offered. This particular fanfiction combines many of Jane Austen's book characters to create a story. Different characters from Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Emma, Mansfield Park, and Sense and Sensibility all come together to form a book club. This fanfiction combines characters from different stories but by the same author and in the same universe (haewonmak). In this particular story, the author combines Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. Although these two stories seem very different this author created a story to show the characters interacting and found a way to tell a fiction that they enjoy (GeekModifiesGirl). Another way fans can write is by mostly keeping the original plot but adding things that were not there. In this fanfiction, the author poses the question, what would happen if the Bennet girls had a brother? What would be different (Ghoulglow)?

  

                                                         Fan Adulation                                                                         One of the most unique ways fans have shown their love for for this story is the Mr. Darcy 12-foot stature. Yes, statue. Fans were asked what was the most memorable moment in all of Pride and Prejudice. Many fans answered with a scene from BBC’s 1995 version starring Colin Firth. In this Scene, Elizabeth Bennet is visiting Pemberley, unaware of the fact that Mr. Darcy is home. She finds him soaking wet after just swimming in a pond outside of his house. This moment stuck with many fans; and in honor of this very prominent scene, a statue was temporarily placed in Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, London. This became a tourist attraction for many fans who were dying to see this giant statue of their favorite character (Bury).

Mr. Darcy Statue (12)

                                         Making this Fandom Apart of Their Life

    In some cases, fans become so invested that Pride and Prejudice becomes a big part of their life…and relationships. One fan was surprised when she came home to her family, friends, and boyfriend dressed up in Pride and Prejudice attire. She was shocked as they made her change into a time-appropriate dress and handed her a script to read off of. They all had scripts and continued to read off of it and create scenes from the book. This led up to her boyfriend taking her outside and proposing, dressed as Mr. Darcy. The fan was overjoyed and immediately accepted (stifler1).

Picture of  boyfriend proposing to his girlfriend (7)

                                                    My Love for this Story

    I have been a Pride and Prejudice fan for as long as I can remember. My mom has always loved it and raised me on it. I read the book at 13 and have seen almost every single movie/show adaptation. I have lots of merch including many shirts/sweatshirts, bags, books, and even pillows. For my 18th birthday, my mom surprised me with a Pride and Prejudice themed party. The day started with a tea party with many of my girl friends, followed by a picnic at a nice reserve. I thought that was the end but when we arrived to my house, I was surprised to see all of my male friends dressed in suits. We had a ‘ball’ on my back deck where we were taught dancers from the 2004 movie version. After the dancing, we ended the night with a Pride and Prejudice themed game.

Picture of my party at the "ball" (14)

                                                        How to get Connected

    If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan looking for a way to connect with other fans, then you are in luck. In June 2025, the 13th to the 15th, Chatsworth house is having a Celebration of Jane Austen. This event is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, and the 20th anniversary of Chatsworth house being shown as Pemberley on screen. This weekend will include talks, cinema, a ball, and more. If you are interested in attending a Pride and Prejudice event and meeting other fans, then you are in luck(“Celebrating Jane Austen At...”)!

                                                       Works Cited

1. Butler, Sharon. “Jane Austen Dancers Will Star at the Chatsworth Pride & Prejudice Regency Ball.” Early Dance Circle, 10 May 2017, www.earlydancecircle.co.uk/jane-austen-dancers-will-star-at-the-chatsworth-pride-prejudice-regency-ball/#:~:text=May%2010%2C%202017-,Jane%20Austen%20Dancers%20will%20star%20at%20the%20Chatsworth%20Pride%20&%20Prejudice,will%20be%20a%20magical%20experience. 

2. “Pride and Prejudice.” Jane Austen Society of North America, jasna.org/austen/screen/pride-prejudice/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024. 

3. “Pride and Prejudice by Marymaru on DeviantArt.” By MARYMARU on DeviantArt, www.deviantart.com/marymaru/art/Pride-and-Prejudice-353105863. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

4. haewonmak. “So Make the Friendship Bracelets, Take the Moment and Taste It.” Archive of Our Own, archiveofourown.org/works/60459826/chapters/154336864. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

5. Ghoulglow. “A Twist in the Pages.” Archive of Our Own, archiveofourown.org/works/60825988/chapters/155358880. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

6. GeekModifiesGirl. “It Is a Truth Universally Acknowledged...” Archive of Our Own, archiveofourown.org/works/60299647/chapters/153885661. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

7. stifler1. “Man Proposes to Girlfriend by Reenacting Scene from ‘Pride and Prejudice.’” K945, 13 Jan. 2014, k945.com/a-man-proposes-by-literally-reenacting-scene-from-the-book-pride-and-prejudice/.

8. Meakin, Izzy. “Pride & Prejudice Filming Locations.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Lz94LByQo. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

9. Thuja Hill Homemaking. “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BOOK REVIEW.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_BNH0mjQUE. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

10. Bury, Liz. “Mr Darcy Surfaces as Statue in London Lake.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 July 2013, www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/08/mr-darcy-statue-pride-and-prejudice.

11. “Celebrating Jane Austen At...” Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, visitpeakdistrict.com/events/celebrating-jane-austen-at-chatsworth#:~:text=Join%20us%20as%20we%20celebrate,be%20released%20early%20in%202025. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

12. Nordyke, Kimberly. “Huge Statue of Dripping Wet Colin Firth Erected in London Lake.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2013, www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/huge-statue-dripping-wet-colin-581865/.

13. “Pride & Prejudice.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 23 Nov. 2005, www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387/.

14. Kelly, Caroline. The Ball. 2022