Bridget Jones’s Diary vs. Pride and Prejudice
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding is about a single woman over 30, who smokes too much, drinks too much, and has a tendency to say whatever comes into her mind. She asks herself: can she find her place in the world, and a man? Her parents recommend a man by the name of Mark Darcy. While he might be wealthy and polite, he just seems too awkward and stiff. A good example of Mark's awkwardness is when he says "I. Um. Are you reading any, ah ... Have you read any good books lately?" Is she going to find the love of her life or is she ever going to live the rest of her life in loneliness and despair?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen takes place in Georgian England where Mrs. Bennet raises her five daughters Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, - with the purpose of getting them married to rich husbands that can support the family. They are not from the upper class, and their house in Hertfordshire will be inherited by a distant cousin if Mr. Bennet dies. A wealthy bachelor by the name of Mr. Bingley and his best friend Mr. Darcy arrive in town to spend time near the Bennet’s. The shy and beautiful Jane falls in love with Mr. Bingley whereas Elizabeth finds his friend, Mr. Darcy, a snobbish and cold man. She swears to loathe him forever. Interestingly enough this is instead the beginning of their wonderful love story.
Bridget Jones’s Diary was written by Helen Fielding in 1996. This is one hundred and eighty-three years after Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813. With that in mind, Bridget Jones's Diary would seem to be quite different from Pride and Prejudice. However, Bridget Jones Diary is sometimes regarded as a modern interpretation of Pride and Prejudice, especially seen through the plot and characters. The girls in both books have to get a husband, but for totally different reasons. However, there are probably more differences than similarities between the two books.
You can definitely see that Bridget Jones Diary takes place almost two centuries after Pride and Prejudice since the language, the setting and the theme differ quite a lot from Pride and Prejudice. Language and social codes stand apart because of the separate classes and time periods of the two novels. Divergence in era is the main reason why the theme and setting in Pride and Prejudice is contrasting from the one in Bridget Jones Diary. For instance, in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth has to get a husband in order to be able to own anything at all. As a matter of fact her mother’s biggest wish is for her daughters to get married. “If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield and all the others equally well married I shall have nothing to wish for.” During the early 19th century, the culture in society strongly opposed women having a job. Therefore, women had to marry in order to get money and to live a decent life. When relatives died, it was always the men in the family who inherited the property and the money. If you were a woman without a husband during this epoch you were in principle forced to live on the streets. In Bridget Jones Diary, Bridget needs to find a husband as well, but for a totally different reason. Although Bridget can live a normal life without a husband, she needs to find one because otherwise her life will be sad and lonely and everyone will look down on her. . During Elizabeth’s time a unmarried woman was equal to an unauthoritative woman and that was the lowest social status an adult could have.

Culture and social codes are different in the two books. For instance, in the time period that Pride and Prejudice unfolds the most important quality about the man you were going to marry was if he was wealthy or not. A woman’s wealth in the 19th century was all determined by how much her husband made and as mentioned above, women were not supposed to work. Therefore, marrying a poor man meant living a poor life and vice versa. However, in Bridget Jones’s era, as well as in ours, a woman can get a job and make a living by herself. Money is therefore not such a huge deal, although it still matters. Nowadays people value different things when it comes to choosing a partner. Some may prioritise intelligence or social skills while others prefer wealth and power over anything else. Also the way people are introduced to each other differs between the two centuries. Pride and Prejudice takes place about 200 years before Bridget Jones Diary and during this time engaging with the person to be your future spouse was almost always planned out, and it was your parents who chose your partner. The dating took place in large organized balls and parties, where things you could, or could not say were very strict and defined. Politeness and etiquette was very important. Today getting to know someone is a lot more spontaneous. In western culture it is very seldom planned, although in Bridget’s case it is planned out by her parents. The social codes are not nearly as strict as in the 1800’s and even if her parents organized who she was going to marry she still has a choice to refuse him.
The characters have been mentioned as a similarity between the two books, and especially so the character of Mr. Darcy. The husbands chosen by the families reflect a lot on each other. For instance both have the last name Darcy, although one is referred to as Mr. Darcy and the other is related to as Mark Darcy. Both men come from wealthy homes and are very classy and fancy. Both have high morals and are very polite. However, whereas Mark Darcy is more of a genuinely nice character, Fitzwilliam Darcy (Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice) may appear nice because he is polite but on the inside he is mean and narcissistic. A good example of this is when they all attend a ball and he does not dance with any of the girls because they are not good enough for him. He says that "there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with".
While Bridget Jones’s Diary and Pride and Prejudice might have some similarities, it has been reviewed above that there are actually more differences. The two big similarities were the Mr. Darcy character and the plot. You clearly notice that Pride and Prejudice was written about 200 years before Bridget Jones Diary. The norms and lifestyle seem more strict and rigid in P&P than those in Bridget Jones Diary. In 1813 the world was a very unequal place where women had no rights and men had more or less all rights. You notice that because women, in the 19th century, could not live independently and had to rely on a man for her wellbeing. Men, on the other hand, could live their life without a lady if they so choose to. In Bridget Jones Diary both men and women can live life on their own, have jobs and a respectful social status. Therefore, Bridget Jones Diary feels without doubt much more than just a modern interpretation of Pride and Prejudice.
Good job!
You bring up relevant aspects (language, setting and theme) and it is interesting to read your take on them! Your line of thought is easy to follow and the way you paragraph the text helps the reader out when navigating. You have incorporated good quotes that strengthen your assertions.
To work on: look at the comments in the margin (focus on what might seem as the minor details and be a nitpick before handing in - for the highest grade regarding the ability to use writing when communicating in English)