Pride and Prejudice Variation Rec Post
Oct. 23rd, 2023 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaMy qualifications: I went through a phase where I only read these. I have read nearly 200 of these.
Some thoughts, before the recs:
These are mostly canon divergence AUs. I have read very few modern adaptations of Pride and Prejudice.
Most of the mediocre ones suffer from the same few problems. One, fix-its with no conflict. A lot of the ones I've read start with the premise that with a little tweaking, Elizabeth and Darcy could have fallen in love immediately. Lots of ways to do this, many of them interesting, but the issue is that once you strip out the conflict between them that sustains the plot of the original, you are now left with a whole book of two people happily being in love. This can sustain a short story, but it's not usually enough to sustain a novel. Either you need a new interpersonal conflict or you need some external conflict to drive the plot along.
Two, bad writing. Very few of these have been bad enough to warrant notice. Most of them are just underwhelming: trying and failing to ape Austen's style, bland prose, an overreliance on romance cliches.
Three, too much sex or misogyny or both. We get it, Elizabeth isn't like other girls, but if the plot of your book is just Elizabeth being the Only Woman with brains/independence/dignity then I'm putting it down. I also find it tedious when the romance is all lust and no actual moments of emotional bonding. This is annoying in a lot of romances, not just this subgenre, but it annoys me especially here.
Okay! Let's go. Broken up by premise.
DARCY POV:
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (books 1-3) by Pamela Aidan
This is a trilogy from Darcy's POV, retelling Pride and Prejudice from his perspective. The author spends a lot of time building out his backstory, his life outside what few details canon provides, and his emotional state. It's a little long, but it's the only book of this kind that has made any dent in my memory. Fair warning, I didn't reread this one in preparation for this rec list, but I still think it's worth checking out.
COMPANION/GOVERNESS ELIZABETH:
So Elizabeth acting as Georgiana Darcy's companion is a common premise for these novels. To the point I read three of them (plus one where she was Anne's companion!) in preparation for this list. Here's my rec.
Miss Darcy's Companion by Joana Starnes
I picked this one because it handles the power dynamic between Darcy and Elizabeth, which is by necessity changed when she is his employee, the best of all of them. The romance is a nice slow burn, and the author makes good use of the forced proximity and uses the difference in their stations to believably build a conflict that keeps them apart.
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE -- DIFFERENT FIRST MEETING (HERTFORDSHIRE EDITION)
These are novels where Elizabeth and Darcy's first meeting occurs differently, but not too differently! Almost the same time, almost the same place.
One Thread Pulled: The Dance With Mr. Darcy by Diana J. Oaks
Elizabeth never hears Darcy's insult at the ball, never forms that initial bad impression, and things progress from there. This novel adds a lot of plot beyond this initial change, and does a great job of fleshing out the story to compensate for the loss of the original misunderstanding.
FORCED MARRIAGE
Here it is...my bread and butter trope! When the hero is a rich man and the heroine is in need of money, this is an obvious plot. And I love it.
Duty Demands by Elaine Owen
Elizabeth's father dies, and she is obliged to accept Mr. Darcy's proposal. But she has a very mistaken idea about Darcy's motivations -- and before long Darcy begins to suspect that something is wrong in his marriage. Makes great use of mutual misunderstanding for angst, and the pay-off is satisfying.
This Disconcerting Happiness by Christina Morland
A Remedy Against Sin by Christina Morland
Both Christina Morland's novels are marked by what is the best prose on this list. A Remedy Against Sin has the most interesting use of the sex scene, too, exploring a relationship where Darcy and Elizabeth are immediately compatible physically, but not necessarily elsewhere.
Thaw by Anniina Sjoblom
A charming epistolary novel, where Elizabeth has been married to Darcy after a scandal. The story is told through her letters to her family. It's sweet and heartwarming.
Being Mrs. Darcy by Lucy Marin
This is the hardest novel on this list to rec, because I think it's too long, the prose is a little overwrought, and there are too many OCs I don't care about. But it has a groveling scene that permanently altered my brain chemistry, so I think I'm obligated to at least bring it to your attention. Elizabeth rescues Georgiana from Wickham, and she and Darcy are forced to marry as a result. Unfortunately, theirs is an unhappy marriage, mostly because Darcy and his family are unrepentant, extremely punchable snobs.
WILD CARDS:
Two authors who I think are must reads:
Perpetua Langley is one of my favorite histrom authors. She has a number of short and sweet Pride and Prejudice variations in addition to some original stuff. I have read all of it. It's all good. She's like Heyer but better.
Abigail Reynolds has written a long list of Pride and Prejudice variations, with a wide variety of plots. She's got something for everyone, whether you're into the common tropes or want something more unique. My favorite of hers is Mr. Darcy's Noble Connections, which is a novel where Elizabeth goes to visit a friend who is better placed in society -- only to find Darcy is there as well. It has a great love square, good romance progression, and uses the B couple to great effect.
Some thoughts, before the recs:
These are mostly canon divergence AUs. I have read very few modern adaptations of Pride and Prejudice.
Most of the mediocre ones suffer from the same few problems. One, fix-its with no conflict. A lot of the ones I've read start with the premise that with a little tweaking, Elizabeth and Darcy could have fallen in love immediately. Lots of ways to do this, many of them interesting, but the issue is that once you strip out the conflict between them that sustains the plot of the original, you are now left with a whole book of two people happily being in love. This can sustain a short story, but it's not usually enough to sustain a novel. Either you need a new interpersonal conflict or you need some external conflict to drive the plot along.
Two, bad writing. Very few of these have been bad enough to warrant notice. Most of them are just underwhelming: trying and failing to ape Austen's style, bland prose, an overreliance on romance cliches.
Three, too much sex or misogyny or both. We get it, Elizabeth isn't like other girls, but if the plot of your book is just Elizabeth being the Only Woman with brains/independence/dignity then I'm putting it down. I also find it tedious when the romance is all lust and no actual moments of emotional bonding. This is annoying in a lot of romances, not just this subgenre, but it annoys me especially here.
Okay! Let's go. Broken up by premise.
DARCY POV:
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (books 1-3) by Pamela Aidan
This is a trilogy from Darcy's POV, retelling Pride and Prejudice from his perspective. The author spends a lot of time building out his backstory, his life outside what few details canon provides, and his emotional state. It's a little long, but it's the only book of this kind that has made any dent in my memory. Fair warning, I didn't reread this one in preparation for this rec list, but I still think it's worth checking out.
COMPANION/GOVERNESS ELIZABETH:
So Elizabeth acting as Georgiana Darcy's companion is a common premise for these novels. To the point I read three of them (plus one where she was Anne's companion!) in preparation for this list. Here's my rec.
Miss Darcy's Companion by Joana Starnes
I picked this one because it handles the power dynamic between Darcy and Elizabeth, which is by necessity changed when she is his employee, the best of all of them. The romance is a nice slow burn, and the author makes good use of the forced proximity and uses the difference in their stations to believably build a conflict that keeps them apart.
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE -- DIFFERENT FIRST MEETING (HERTFORDSHIRE EDITION)
These are novels where Elizabeth and Darcy's first meeting occurs differently, but not too differently! Almost the same time, almost the same place.
One Thread Pulled: The Dance With Mr. Darcy by Diana J. Oaks
Elizabeth never hears Darcy's insult at the ball, never forms that initial bad impression, and things progress from there. This novel adds a lot of plot beyond this initial change, and does a great job of fleshing out the story to compensate for the loss of the original misunderstanding.
FORCED MARRIAGE
Here it is...my bread and butter trope! When the hero is a rich man and the heroine is in need of money, this is an obvious plot. And I love it.
Duty Demands by Elaine Owen
Elizabeth's father dies, and she is obliged to accept Mr. Darcy's proposal. But she has a very mistaken idea about Darcy's motivations -- and before long Darcy begins to suspect that something is wrong in his marriage. Makes great use of mutual misunderstanding for angst, and the pay-off is satisfying.
This Disconcerting Happiness by Christina Morland
A Remedy Against Sin by Christina Morland
Both Christina Morland's novels are marked by what is the best prose on this list. A Remedy Against Sin has the most interesting use of the sex scene, too, exploring a relationship where Darcy and Elizabeth are immediately compatible physically, but not necessarily elsewhere.
Thaw by Anniina Sjoblom
A charming epistolary novel, where Elizabeth has been married to Darcy after a scandal. The story is told through her letters to her family. It's sweet and heartwarming.
Being Mrs. Darcy by Lucy Marin
This is the hardest novel on this list to rec, because I think it's too long, the prose is a little overwrought, and there are too many OCs I don't care about. But it has a groveling scene that permanently altered my brain chemistry, so I think I'm obligated to at least bring it to your attention. Elizabeth rescues Georgiana from Wickham, and she and Darcy are forced to marry as a result. Unfortunately, theirs is an unhappy marriage, mostly because Darcy and his family are unrepentant, extremely punchable snobs.
WILD CARDS:
Two authors who I think are must reads:
Perpetua Langley is one of my favorite histrom authors. She has a number of short and sweet Pride and Prejudice variations in addition to some original stuff. I have read all of it. It's all good. She's like Heyer but better.
Abigail Reynolds has written a long list of Pride and Prejudice variations, with a wide variety of plots. She's got something for everyone, whether you're into the common tropes or want something more unique. My favorite of hers is Mr. Darcy's Noble Connections, which is a novel where Elizabeth goes to visit a friend who is better placed in society -- only to find Darcy is there as well. It has a great love square, good romance progression, and uses the B couple to great effect.
