Mr. Knightley, Henry Tilney, and Edmund Bertram forever!
*g*
But you're right; taking an Austen class, for me, is an exercise in watching people swoon over Darcy, and then actively dislike most of the other heroes, which I find interesting--not just indifference, but actual distaste. There's something about their lack of...er, firmness that makes them not as "heroic." (Which is why I might put Wentworth in the same category as Darcy, even if he's not as well-known.)
I really liked watching North and South and Little Dorrit (haven't yet read the novel in either case), but I loved Arthur Clennam so much more than John Thornton. I don't think I go in for glowering.
And then, too, I think Darcy is really not as glowery as subsequent pop culture and received wisdom have made him out to be. He does try to make amends for his initial bad behavior, but Elizabeth rebuffs him.
Anyway, I have nothing substantive or useful to say (sorry!), but it is a really interesting difference.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-03-22 12:23 am (UTC)*g*
But you're right; taking an Austen class, for me, is an exercise in watching people swoon over Darcy, and then actively dislike most of the other heroes, which I find interesting--not just indifference, but actual distaste. There's something about their lack of...er, firmness that makes them not as "heroic." (Which is why I might put Wentworth in the same category as Darcy, even if he's not as well-known.)
I really liked watching North and South and Little Dorrit (haven't yet read the novel in either case), but I loved Arthur Clennam so much more than John Thornton. I don't think I go in for glowering.
And then, too, I think Darcy is really not as glowery as subsequent pop culture and received wisdom have made him out to be. He does try to make amends for his initial bad behavior, but Elizabeth rebuffs him.
Anyway, I have nothing substantive or useful to say (sorry!), but it is a really interesting difference.