Andrew Davies will probably go down in history as the man who had the epoch-makingly brilliant idea of putting Mr. Darcy into a wet and thus clingily transparent blouse. Laura CarrollDid the wet shirt Darcy scene in Pride and Prejudice 1995 launch the Jane Austen Renaissance that we are still enjoying after fourteen years? Was it indeed a brilliant idea to put Mr. Darcy in a wet shirt? Do we like our Austen staid and buttoned up, or sexed up and sassy?
In her thoughtful essay Darcy and Davies: Adapting Mr. Darcy from the Novel to the Screen, lit student and Jane Austen enthusiasts Virginia Claire shares her feeling on Davies version of Mr. Darcy vs. Jane Austen’s original and asks some interesting questions about our modern interpretations of this iconic romantic hero an how they are changing the way he is remembered.
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Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose
6 comments:
YES !
NO !
Lynn & Nigel
By all means do not keep us in suspense! LOL you two.
In my opinion it's not the wet shirt scene that is so memorable, but Colin Firth's brilliant portrayal of Darcy as a brooding, sad character with so much FEELING behind all that pomp! Just one look into those deep brown, aching eyes of his and ladies, we're all lost, wet shirt scene or no.
I would agree with April G. I am more attracted by womanly compassion to his helpless, total inability to show the proper feelings he wishes to procure. Of course, it is in retrospect of seeing him humbled at the end that we can all acknowlege our love for the Darcy character. Like Elizabeth, we love the changed man who transforms from the cad to a genuine gentleman. The wet shirt scene, never had sexual connotation in my mind ( call me strange ) it was always very humorous. Firths reaction to seeing Lizzy AND being "half dressed" amounted to a very comical scene. And, I would say, he is so much cuter in the very next scene when he rushes to get propoerly dressed so he can grab Lizzy before she leaves him.
LOL to you too Laurel Ann...love this blog !
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