Over the summer, I forced myself to “broaden my horizons” by reading a romance novel of all things, and the romance novel at that. Still read by high schoolers today, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen feels like the Twilight of the 19th century. I don’t mean in terms of quality but rather in terms of trope popularization. The origin of a lot of famous romance tropes trace back to both novels. Jane Austen’s book has the most famous case of ‘enemies to lovers’ as well as the ‘I can fix him dynamic’. Twilight on the other hand is widely recognized for vampire/paranormal fantasization and love triangles. In both cases I find these aspects of the story somewhat entertaining, but not very compelling. The key difference, however, is that Pride & Prejudice secretly is not about Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship. These tropes, the enemies to lovers drama, it’s all very cute, but they’re essentially distractions. This central plotline does not come close to the emotional resonance felt in Elizabeth’s relationship to her sisters, and what Pride & Prejudice has to say about sisterly love in general.
Despite the fact that Darcy and Elizabeth get the most attention from fans of the story, their romance only really develops through random run-ins. The story is actually driven by Elizabeth’s care for her sisters: when her older sister Jane falls ill, Elizabeth travels to provide care and comfort to her. In a beautiful moment, Elizabeth walks through mud to arrive at the Bingley residence to care for Jane. When younger sister Lydia runs away with a man in hopes of marriage, Elizabeth once again travels home as fast as she can. In a way, these displays of unwavering love outweigh any grand gesture between Darcy and Elizabeth and yet, these moments aren’t given the same emotional credit as Darcy’s big monologue at the end. The love between sisters should and is celebrated by Jane Austen. Unfortunately the central romance somehow continues to overshadow these important connections.
Adaptations could be a major reason for this overshadowing. In the 2005 film adaptation, the film focuses even more heavily on Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship, demoting all of the sisters to smaller supporting roles. In the book, Jane felt like an important secondary protagonist, experiencing love and heartbreak alongside her sister, with the two of them supporting each other and overcoming these tough times in solidarity. The film however utilizes Jane and her sadness surrounding her relationship with Mr. Bingley as a source of conflict for the ‘main story’ of Darcy and Elizabeth.
Overall, I’m tired of pretending Pride & Prejudice is a romance novel. It’s a beautiful story about sisterhood and the support systems these women would use to uplift one another in a time where a woman’s life was primarily built around marriage. If you look beyond the bells and whistles of the glamorous romance tropes and misdirected adaptations, you’ll find a truly wholesome story about sisterly love.