Opinion Why Darcy had to go

It is a truth universally acknowledged in the literary world that when you write a romantic novel,you cannot kill off the brooding,devastatingly handsome and very rich hero. Especially when he happens to be that rare,almost extinct,eligible bachelor who rejects skinny supermodels for a goofy chain-smoking and wine-guzzling heroine with a massive derriere. Does such a man actually exist out of fiction? Fans of Bridget Jones’ Diary,that mammoth bestseller of the 1990s that sold 15 million copies,are reeling from the shattering news that author Helen Fielding,in one ruthless swoop,has eliminated the dreamy Mark Darcy in the third instalment in the series,Mad About the Boy. Now Bridget is a struggling single mom of two. And a widow. And back to the dreaded state of being alone.

Every generation has its groundbreaking heroine setting a new agenda on modern life and relationships. There were fragile beauties like Holly Golightly,or fearsome and brave ones like Xena,Warrior Princess. Bridget Jones was the first in what was to become a long line of slightly damaged heroines,winning a following by poking fun at conventional sweethearts. She was the perfect antidote to the fashionably thin,impossibly beautiful ideal that women aspired to. In the deceptively straightforward plot,the book captures her diary entries over a year in which she vows to lose weight,stop smoking or dating losers or,more famously,“develop inner poise as best way to get boyfriend”. There is a handsome,appropriate man and a far sexier cad. She lurches from one infatuation to another and through all the booze-fuelled encounters,she remains haplessly adorable and insightfully sarcastic. There’s no need to search for meaning in anything so entertaining to read,but in the 16 years since it was published,Bridget Jones has become synonymous with a certain kind of single person everywhere,struggling to keep perspective and own the fraught space between independence and security. It helped that Bridget’s contemporaries in fiction at the time,the glamorous Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City or Ally McBeal were too shallow to take seriously. It turned out people far preferred a neurotic,calorie-counting bungler who burned dinner and only went to the gym to buy sandwiches. But of course,in the predictable course of romantic reads,Ms Average landed the catch,Mr Darcy. Cliched it may be but reading a book with a happily-ever-after provides the satisfaction life never does.

It’s safe to say the entire romance novel industry wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for Jane Austen’s immortal characters. Every writer in this space has tried to adapt her work. Some,like Fielding,have parodied Austen handsomely,celebrating the original Pride and Prejudice. Both the previous Bridget Jones books (and films) have been escapist and hilariously self-indulgent,but also daring and ambitious in scope. Create any character with the name Darcy and you give yourself a lot of baggage. Not only are you contending with one of literature’s great romantic heroes,but with his death,you are crushing the fairytale fantasy that pulled the readers in the first place. However,with Darcy around,Bridget would remain a slapstick rom-com caricature caught in a timewarp. It’s obvious Darcy had to die: without obstacles or a conflict,there is no story. How else is Fielding to take Bridget further,considering her character and storyline are based on the lack of a man and agonising self-doubt?

It’s precisely this drastic step that will save Bridget Jones from becoming yet another sappy,tired sequel. Her exaggerated,confessional style doesn’t translate to Bridget,the suburban mom living in domestic bliss. In an interview recently,Fielding,now 55,contemplatively remarked,“life is full of twists and turns”. Maybe she has suddenly decided to make it real,questioning the ideal of continuity equalling happiness in relationships,when statistically,one in two marriages is expected to fail in Europe. So what we know is that Bridget,now in her late 40s,has a 29-year-old lover and the daunting responsibility of raising children. If Fielding wants to continue in the tradition of her character,she should be a bungling mother,but society is most judgemental about bad parenting. Changing the personality of a beloved character is complicated,but it’s fair to presume that in the fashion of the day,Jones would have somewhat conquered vices like smoking. Maybe instead of pizzas she’s gorging on carrot sticks,and is now choosy about her love interests,or doesn’t mind spinsterhood. Even if we don’t genuinely believe being average is okay,Bridget Jones let us laugh about all our sad imperfections and the absurdities of our desires. May she remain as haphazard and endearingly flawed as she always was. To quote Mark Darcy in The Edge of Reason,“I like you very much. Just as you are.”

leher.kala@expressindia.com