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The Darcy Myth
- Author
- Rachel Feder
- Narrator
- Deanna Anthony
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 7 November 2023
- Run Time
- 6 hours 16 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
What if we’ve been reading Jane Austen and romantic classics all wrong? A funny, brainy, eye-opening take on how our contemporary love stories are actually pretty terrifying.
Covering cultural touchstones ranging from Twilight to Taylor Swift and from Lord Byron to The Bachelor, The Darcy Myth is a book for anyone who loves thinking deeply about literature and culture—whether they love Jane Austen or not.
You already know Mr. Darcy—at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine but eventually succumbs to her charms. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers plot and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn’t just a grand romance but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women?
In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen’s Gothic influences and how they have led us to a romantic ideal that is halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes, and sometimes heroines? How much of that is Darcy’s fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?
Critics Review
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“A wildly entertaining read, complete with an ‘Are You Chasing a Darcy?’ quiz.”
Washington Post
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“Explores the ways in which romantic fiction has contributed to creating a deeply harmful cultural notion that ‘bad boys’ — à la the brooding, cranky Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice — represent the path to true love.”
CNN
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“Read any of the romantic classics and you’ll find it’s nearly always the same old story, writes Rachel Feder…She might have a point. From the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton to Connor Waldron in Normal People and Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, there are a succession of leading men that all too often fit the bill.”
New York Post
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“Skillfully ties Austen’s classic novel to contemporary popular culture and politics through more recent theatrical and TV productions, films, and music…A readable, entertaining contemporary analysis.”
Library Journal (starred review)
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“Provocative…[and] sure to spark debate.”
Publishers Weekly
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“An entertaining and thought-provoking ride.“
New Republic
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Rachel Feder
- Narrator
- Deanna Anthony
- Duration
- 6 hours 16 minutes
- Release Date
- 7 November 2023
- ISBN
- 9798212536905
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Literature: history and criticism, Gender studies: women and girls, Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900, Feminism and feminist theory
Synopsis
What if we’ve been reading Jane Austen and romantic classics all wrong? A funny, brainy, eye-opening take on how our contemporary love stories are actually pretty terrifying.Covering cultural touchstones ranging from Twilight to Taylor Swift and from Lord Byron to The Bachelor, The Darcy Myth is a book for anyone who loves thinking deeply about literature and culture—whether they love Jane Austen or not.You already know Mr. Darcy—at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine but eventually succumbs to her charms. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers plot and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn’t just a grand romance but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women?In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen’s Gothic influences and how they have led us to a romantic ideal that is halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes, and sometimes heroines? How much of that is Darcy’s fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?
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