Private Diary of Mr. Darcy

This is a fan fiction of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's point of view. Interesting tales while staying true to the P&P storyline. Fleshed him out a bit.

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy is darker than Pride and Prejudice, showing a completely different side of the Regency era in terms of the different social circles men and women kept and the disproportionate propriety rules for the two sexes, and it showed Darcy's character in a whole new light. I actually couldn't stand him at the beginning because he was just a huge jerk--a proud, stiff, jerk! And, of course, that's exactly why Elizabeth Bennet didn't like him at first, either, so it was fascinating to take the journey, watching him grow and change, very slowly, over the course of the book. It's interesting to note that Slater included Lord Byron as one of her characters, and she ingeniously wove his scenes into the "off stage" parts of Pride & Prejudice. Very well done.

What a treat! Maya Slater's delicious portrayal of Fitzwilliam Darcy succeeds on so many levels. First, and foremost it is wonderfully entertaining, brimming with humor, rich with the beauty and complex fluidity of 19th-century speech, and jam-packed with fascinating and cautionary details about life as a member of 19th-century British landed gentry. It is intellectually satisfying, posing many answers to those questions the thoughtful Austen reader asks about the aloof Mr. Darcy; the charming, naive Mr. Bingley; and shy, disillusioned Georgianna Darcy. It is also emotionally satisfying, with Darcy revealed in all his humanity, a fully realized, multi-layered gentleman, suitor, brother, friend, and lover. With keen insight into his motives, foibles, eccentricities, vanities, we see beyond the confined environs of the Bennett sisters and deeply into his heart and soul. Despite his reserve and complacency, Darcy is plunged into a sometimes painful examination of his past, his character, and his own yearnings, and the reader is completely drawn in. One of the joys of this work is that it joins seamlessly with Pride and Prejudice, yet surprises and entices the reader by expanding details of plot and facets of character. Jane Austen hints at abuses inflicted by the privileged on the "inferior" classes and women; the societal shibboleths that favor the wealthy male are also the taboos that destroy the female. But the subject in Darcy's hands is devastatingly cruel. Lord Byron and the despicable Wickham are the lowlights in this part of Darcy's world; friend of the former, enemy of the latter, we find that they are nevertheless similar in their pursuit of pleasure and indulgence. Byron emerges as a somewhat sympathetic character despite his outrageous depravity (one can't help but feel that Darcy would have demonstrated more character growth by dissolving his friendship with him). Darcy also deplores Mr. Hurst's behavior; the churlish brother-in-law of Mr. Bingley is an adulterous tosspot. Yet Darcy manages to indulge in quite a bit of debauchery on his own behalf. Peebles, Darcy's all-knowing valet, is a hilarious foil to his master's hijinks, hypocrisy, and self-deception. The devoted retainer serves as a mirror for Darcy's turmoil and self-discovery. It's a mighty small detail, but one thing I loved about this book was the design--the wonderful font and the use of the ampersand instead of the word "and." Monstrous clever! It gave a sense of intimacy and spontaneity to the writing. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time in The Private Life of Mr. Darcy, and will likely pry into his world again on some rainy weekend.

"The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy" comes as an imaginative, impressive debut novel from London-based Maya Slater, who has taught French literature at Oxford University, and written and translated several books on French literature. Fitzwilliam Darcy, of course, is one of the best-known figures of British 19th century literature, and one of the greatest romantic heroes of them all; he was introduced to the world in Jane Austen's immortal 1813 Regency masterpiece,Pride And Prejudice. The handsome, wealthy, arrogant and snobbish Darcy, and the heroine of that book, Elizabeth Bennet, meet and fail to hit it off at a village ball. She is immediately aware of his character flaws; he is immediately aware that her beloved elder sister Jane is the Bennet family beauty; and that the family is poor, and has somewhat of a poor reputation: mother and younger sisters are not all they might be. From this unpromising beginning, as millions of readers and viewers know, the two will eventually overcome their pride and prejudice, and marry. However, we readers know only Elizabeth's side of the story: Austen is actually not very interested in Darcy, except as promising/unpromising husband material. To fill that gap, Slater has created what might have been the private diary of Mr. Darcy; who, in her hands, turns out to be more of a regulation Regency rake than we might have expected. And, make no mistake about it; those rich Regency rakes were licentious, indeed. Darcy drinks, not infrequently to excess; shoots, fences, boxes, and gambles; takes a mistress from among the servants at his friend Charles Bingley's country estate in Elizabeth Bennet's neck of the woods,(it is Bingley who throws the ball at which Darcy and Elizabeth meet; it is Bingley who will eventually marry the beauteous Jane, after being kept away from her by his friend Darcy's machinations). And, in a stunning bit of business, the author gives us a Darcy and Bingley who have been, since their Cambridge days, close friends with Lord Byron, the internationally-famous - still--Regency poet, whom one of his well-known lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, memorably described as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." The boys visit Byron's country estate Newstead, and go whoring in London town with Byron, too. I don't know how it happens, but, after not having even thought of Byron in years, I am suddenly living in a mini-revival of England's ever-so-famous bad boy poet, the very opposite pole from the virtuous and domesticated Jane Austen: he has featured in four books I have read recently. And, suffice it to say, this is not Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. But he might be more fun to know.

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel I think that when you read this book the one thing you have to keep in mind is the fact that Jane Austen did not write it. So if you expect a Jane Austen story, you will be disappointed. However, if you keep in mind that this is a alternate telling of our beloved Pride & Prejudice I think you will enjoy it. There are somethings that you have to smile about as you read this book, Darcy's relationship with Lord Byron is definitely one of them. Although not an impossibility, as some would like to believe, since Lord Byron, despite his reputation, was a darling of the London ton. I did wonder what exactly appealed to Darcy in his relationship with Byron and I had to shake my head at some of the things that happened when Darcy was with Lord Byron. And I definitely question Bingley's friendship with him. But it is believable, especially when you take into consideration how desolate Bingley must have felt during the months he was separated from Jane. I don't know about anyone else but I've seen several of my male friends go through hell when some of their relationships ended unhappily. And they've done some very DUMB things, especially when they were encouraged by some of their male friends. To that point I think Lord Byron served that purpose very well for both Bingley and Darcy and I can accept the relationship. I do have to point out something else about Byron's so called influence on Darcy. Yes, to a certain extent he did influence Darcy, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary in Darcy's behavior. Let's be honest, shall we? Georgian/Regency "gentlemen" were not any different than "gentlemen" of other eras. They did frequent houses of ill-repute and had mistresses! And if they happened to be rich and very handsome, as we all are certain Darcy was, women of all classes threw themselves at them. So, men being men, and since Darcy was definitely a man, I can see Darcy doing what other "gentleman" of the time did. I don't hold with the theory that Darcy was a virgin. Even Jane Austen described him as man of the world! And yes the author does write about a few sexual encounters Darcy has with other women in the first part of the book. But it must be noted that all of those encounters occur before he starts to really take notice of Elizabeth. Once he finds himself attracted to her he doesn't jump at every opportunity presented to him to have sex. And although he does witness Lord Byron and Wickham rape a young girl, when he was a boy of 14 years, he does not participate in the rape and the memory is not one he is proud of. To me Darcy is not a lost soul in this book and hardly "Wickham without the charm". So, if you can overlook certain "Non-Austen" aspects about this book, I think you'll enjoy it. It's not my favorite P & P alternative, sequel and whatever else you want to call all the P & P related books, but it is enjoyable.

Of the seemingly endless Pride and Prejudice spin offs available these days, this book has been my favorite. Here is a diary written with a convincingly masculine point of view, and in Regency style. We're allowed access to the thoughts of our beloved Darcy. He's not perfect. He has the dubious enjoyments and scrapes of a rich young man in his twenties. We also see a young man who feels deeply, who's loyal to his sister,who's a good friend to Bingley,who takes active care of his servants and tenants. He struggles against his growing love for Elizabeth out of pride inculcated into him since childhood, but grows to form his own opinions and become true to himself. I thought his friendship with Lord Byron was hilarious,and not terribly improbable. But even if it is, so what? This book is pure entertainment.