Pride and Prejudice back in cinemas: Lizzy is delightful, but Jane Bennet is the friend you need. Here’s why

Why the lack of attention to Jane Bennet

One of the many reasons the charms of Pride and Prejudice refuse to fade is how easily the main story adapts to the screen, thus inspiring countless new versions.

Austen’s sparkling dialogue can directly be lifted into the screenplay, and the lead characters, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, confirm to modern sensibilities. Written 200 years ago, Elizabeth has more spirit and verve than many 21st century heroines. The hot, rich, brooding Mr Darcy is an atypical romance hero in that he actually understands consent.

In contrast, Jane Bennet’s main virtues seem to be patience and forgiveness, suffering in silence as people around her ruin her happiness.

In a cinema-verse of Colin Firth in a wet shirt and Matthew Macfadyen singing his hand from a brush of Elizabeth’s fingers, who has time for the loyal Jane fading sweetly into the background?

In fact, most movies don’t even do her the justice of adhering to the one fact the novel hammers on, that Jane is much more beautiful than Elizabeth (looking at you, Gurinder Chaddha).

And it is not just movies. While several characters from the novel have their own spinoffs, including Mr Darcy, Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet, and the Bennets’ housemaid Sarah, Jane Bennet has had no such luck.

And yet, here’s the character Austen wrote

One of the reasons Jane comes across as naïve and one-dimensional is that we see her through the eyes of the snarky, judgemental Lizzy, who thinks her seeing-the-best-in-everyone-sister is a saint.

But the thing about the book Jane is this — she is not just beautiful and sweet, she unites kindness with strength, good judgement without the need to judge. Austen repeatedly alludes to Jane’s good sense, steady disposition, and moral courage. When the Bingleys are pressing her to stay on at Netherfield, Austen writes, “Jane was firm where she felt herself to be in the right.” When Lizzy says Jane can never see a fault in anybody, she replies, “I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think”, which Elizabeth agrees is the case.

And if actions speak louder than words, there is much to learn from Jane’s actions. Elizabeth is the favourite of her dad, the intelligent, witty parent, while throughout the book, Jane is taking care of their mother, the petulant, embarrassing parent. While Elizabeth goes vacationing with her aunt and uncle, it is Jane who is best suited to “play with, teach, and love” their four small children.

When Bingley jilting her is the talk of the town, and when she is genuinely heartbroken, Jane resolves, “But I will not repine. It cannot last long. He will be forgot, and we shall all be as we were before.”

And of course, it is Jane’s assessment of Mr Darcy that turns out to be the right one afterall.

Choosing goodness

One of the most telling commentaries on Jane’s character comes from Austen much later in the book, when Elizabeth tells her about Wickham’s true character. Jane would “willingly have gone through the world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole of mankind, as was here collected in one individual”.

And this is why I think she would make for a better friend than Lizzy in today’s world— choosing to believe in the goodness of the world and its inhabitants, in the face of staggering counter-evidence.

Think of Jane’s circumstances. She is very beautiful but not rich, the eldest among five sisters, many of them brought into the world in the hope of a son. Her father constantly mocks and ridicules her mother and her admittedly silly younger sisters. Her best hope lies in quickly securing a rich husband, using her youth and beauty while they last. While in similar circumstances, Elizabeth turns cynical, Jane continues to believe that romance and love and hope and goodness are around and even aplenty. And this is not out of naivety, but a conscious choice.

The other reason I feel Jane is the heroine we need today is her refusal to perform. Throughout the book, there is no scene of her being singled out to play or sing, or of some sparkling repartee she delivers. Her good sense and brains are all displayed in acts of care or confidence. In the hyper-performative age we live in, Jane’s willingness to forever pass the mic would be truly radical.

Pluck Liz from the Meryton ball and place her in any drawing room today, and everyone would pale in front of her. Her social media accounts would have millions of followers. People would try to copy her and be jealous of her.

Jane’s Instagram, meanwhile, would probably have a picture of the family at Christmas, and three months later of new blossoms in the gardens of Longbourne.

What she would share, to a small group of close friends, would be unwavering loyalty, steady advice, and quiet strength.

In today’s world, when believing in an undying idea of good, in the ultimate triumph of truth and justice, gets more difficult by the day; when the bullies seem to be wining and crassness seems to be the reigning currency; a strong woman who chooses to be sweet and kind, and eventually gets her happiness by staying true to herself, is both inspiring and comforting.

At a time when we seem to live for likes and views, a stunningly beautiful woman who refused to play for attention is refreshing.

The sparkle of Liz will never fade. But it is the steady light of Jane we need to focus on when our hearts feel heavy and dark.

See you after 15 days,

Yours Literary,

Yashee

yashee.s@indianexpress.com

P.S: If you love books, write to me with what work I should discuss next. If you are not a reader of novels, follow along, and maybe you will begin to delight in the wonder and wisdom, the practical value, and the sheer joy of fiction.