Mr Darcy’s Guide to Courtship: The Secrets of Seduction from Jane Austen’s Most Eligible Bachelor by Emily Brand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Description
Inspired by the works of Jane Austen, the amusingly tongue-in-cheek Mr Darcy’s Guide to Courtship is written from the perspective of Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy and closely based on real Regency advice manuals. It is a hilarious and irreverent picture of the social mores of the period and of how men thought about women – and sheds amusing light on men of the modern age, too! Readers can dip into different sections for Darcy’s views on a myriad of issues, including “What Females Want”, “The Deceptions of Beautiful Women” and “Winning Their Affections, Flattery, Making Conversation, and Flirting!” Also included are sections written by Pride and Prejudice’s Miss Caroline Bingley and Mr Darcy’s correspondence with famous Regency figures including the Duke of Wellington.
Review
Mr. Darcy has decided to help his dear friend Charles out by writing a guide to courtship, but has decided that his guidance needs to be shared with the masses. Since Caroline hovers around him, she wrote a short passage on advice for women. Other famous Regency figures both real and fictional turn up either asking for advice or dispensing with information.
We like to think of Mr. Darcy as this wildly romantic figure, but he was the typical man of breeding. This book shows just how a man of his station in life viewed courtship. The author takes information from real advice manuals and cleverly dishes out the information in connection with a favorite Austen hero.
I highly recommend this book!
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 