Online dating, the Jane Austen way?
We are not quite sure what to make of this.
It is a truth, if not quite universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be at the mercy of a potential wife’s online search.
Had the Internet been around 195 years ago this month, when Jane Austen introduced the world to Elizabeth Bennet, would we even have Pride and Prejudice?
[. . .]
After a few minutes at PheasantsNotPeasants.org, www.brits-blue-blood.net, www.notsogentlemanly.com and a few other sites, Elizabeth would have known everything:
Charles Bingley — amiable, warm-hearted fellow with good fortune; has sisters (one particularly snobbish) and a taciturn close friend.
Fitzwilliam Darcy — exquisite estate at Pemberley; charming younger sibling and imperious aunt; possibly a very warm heart beneath that cool exterior!
George Wickham — member of the local militia; extensive gambling and other debts; talk of attempted elopement with a former benefactor’s young daughter. DON’T LET THIS RIFFRAFF NEAR YOUR SISTER!
Uh…
January 29th, 2008 at 10:14 am
May I add:
William Collins — member of the clergy with a living supported by rich patroness. Has a flair for public speaking. Hobbies include beekeeping and interior design. Tends to look for love in the wrong places.
January 29th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Definitely one of the more interesting articles I have seen recently.