Posted on Monday, 9 July 2001
Abstract
Jane Austen's much-loved novel, Pride & Prejudice, has delighted generations of readers. The heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, is a high-spirited, witty woman whose point of view is often portrayed clearly in the book. Her male counterpart, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is an enigma and on numerous occasions readers are left pondering his character and/or intent. Through this study, current Pemberlean researchers purpose to settle once and for all a number of issues surrounding Darcy.
Hypotheses
Fitzwilliam Darcy
1) Did ask or did not ask Elizabeth to dance a reel at Netherfield.
2) Did not court Elizabeth or courted her with extremely poor technique.
3) Is an ill-mannered snob or is a man who behaves appropriately for an individual of his station.
4) Is a man who abhors disguise or is a man who purposely disguises himself on occasion.
5) Is shy, is not shy, might be shy, might not be shy, is shy only in certain situations, is not shy only in certain situations, might be shy only in certain situations, or might not be shy only in certain situations.
Methodology
The fictional nature of the characters combined with the extensive time lapse since said events transpired ruled out all direct experimentation. Questioning of the authoress regarding her intent could not be accomplished due to her deceased nature. All analysis was made through examination of textual evidence and when appropriate, additional information was sought regarding customs and lifestyles of the Regency Period.
Instrumentation
It is significant to note that the instruments used in collecting and analyzing the data-human beings-can be highly unreliable and may yield variable results due to factors such as age, gender, temperament, cultural and/or life experiences. The situation is further complicated by various film adaptations, most notably P&P2 (1995), which has a tendency to produce overheating of instrumentation and clouding of memory banks, thereby impacting the outcomes.
Data & Analysis
Much of the data pertinent to the original hypotheses was contaminated by human instrumentation error and was not usable for developing conclusions. The remaining data relating to the hypotheses was reliable, but was eliminated as researchers could not agree upon its application.
At the onset of the experiment Darcy registered 10 Pride Units (10 PU's). This measurement remained at a consistently high level up until his marriage proposal to Elizabeth Bennet at Hunsford. He was not observed again until 4 months later at Pemberley at which time there was a notable decrease in pride (1.7 PU's).
Although Darcy was the dominant subject of this study, Elizabeth did have an impact on the final outcome therefore her results are included. She quickly escalated from 0.6 to 8.4 Prejudice Points (PP's) soon after Darcy's arrival in Hertfordshire. Another rapid increase-to 10 PP's-was measured during her walk with Colonel Fitzwilliam at Rosings. A gradual decrease in PP's commenced approximately at the time of Darcy's departure from Rosings. At the time of her final conversation with Darcy at Lambton, she registered a prejudice level of negative 2.3 PP's.
Calculations
Darcy - Elizabeth = 2 Proud Darcy
Elizabeth - Darcy = 2 Prejudice Elizabeth
Darcy + Elizabeth --> [(Darcy - Pride) + (Elizabeth - Prejudice)] *
*Note: The potential for an increase in the Darcy population is substantial in this final configuration.
Conclusions
Unfortunately the data did not support any of the original hypotheses. But the time, expense, and efforts of the Pemberlean researchers did not go unrewarded as all data and analysis resulted in one unequivocal conclusion: Fitzwilliam Darcy was a proud man.