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crack_van2012-01-18 12:07 am
malabud.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2012-01-18 12:07 am
Entry tags:
Given Good Principles by GraceCS (PG-ish)
Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Length: 219,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Derbyshire Writers' Guild
Why this must be read:
In the closing pages of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy tells Elizabeth that he was given good principles as a child, but that he was taught to follow them in pride and conceit. What if there had been someone to teach him better? In this story, Mr. Darcy has a mentor in a Mr. Bradley, the curate of the local parish to Pemberley. Mr. Bradley has humbly served his flock for years, and Darcy comes to him for advice, comfort, and spiritual guidance, as did his father before him. This guidance and help softens Darcy's manners and aids him when dealing with stressful relations, scoundrels, and everything else in his life.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, has to deal with ill-behaving family members, gossiping neighbors, a nerve-stricken mother, and an absent father. The initial meeting between Darcy and Elizabeth goes much better than in the novel, but there are still obstacles in the way, as is so in any good story. Some characters are so altered that they are hardly recognizable--Mr. Collins is truly evil, while the reader gains much sympathy for Mrs. Bennet--but overall, everyone stays true to themselves as Jane Austen wrote them. There is a great deal of backstory before Darcy and Elizabeth first meet, so we really get to know them well individually.
This work may not be to everyone's taste, as there are clear and direct religious references throughout. (But do not let that scare you off, as this is a wonderful fic!) Mr. Bradley makes no apology for his profession and quotes scripture liberally. It was refreshing, really, to see an overtly religious character portrayed as righteous--not perfect, but righteous--while not being self-righteous or hypocritical. All the main characters, but especially Darcy and Elizabeth, grapple with moral issues and treat religion as a way to address those issues. It is not jarring at all, but fascinating how seamlessly the author has woven everything together. She also provides citations to not only any scriptures referenced, but also to Regency-era language the reader may be unfamiliar with.
The excerpt below that I have chosen is part of a larger conversation between Bradley and Darcy. They have several such conversations throughout the story, with Darcy wrestling with issues and Bradley challenging him to think beyond himself.
This is an excellent story. Highly recommended.
* * *
"Uncle Matlock will credit good seed and good weather for my good fortune." Darcy's gaze wandered out the window once again, surveying the twilight bathed landscape.
"His ideas of men and their worth are very traditional." The curate gently suggested. This was a point that your father and I perpetually disagreed upon. I wonder if you will be open to hear other ideas.
Darcy slowly nodded, clearly struggling with his thoughts. "He believes that a man is great because of his birth, the money and the rank that he inherits. What he would earn with his own hands, produce of his own efforts, is of little or no value." The soft words contained an air of uncertainty that was unusual for the young man.
"This troubles you?"
"I do not know, sir. My father, I know, shared most of my uncle's beliefs. He taught me that being a Darcy, Master of Pemberley, made me a great man. He insisted that our circle was more important than anyone else. He seemed sad though that George would not be... be so significant. The son of a steward could only have limited aspirations. That troubled him. I believe there were times when he wished George had been born his own son so that he could have been a greater man."
"And you?"
"I do not know yet, sir. I do not know. What makes a great man, Mr. Bradley? I do not understand. When I was at Cambridge, I saw many first sons, heirs to great estates, who behaved as George did. But as long as no respectable woman was involved, a blind eye was turned, and conversations always focused on the greatness of their families and the estates. But George, well what could one expect form a steward's son?" The weight of his question seemed heavy on his shoulders.
Perhaps you will surpass your father, young Darcy. He never asked these questions. "What do you think makes a man great?"
A thoughtful sigh and frown followed. "When I went to Cambridge, I would have told you it was in the nobility of his name and the size of his estate and fortune."
"And now you are not so certain?"
Darcy merely shrugged.
"So because you were born a Darcy, it means you are a better man than Mr. Martin, your tenant?"
"I have been taught so." Dark eyes lifted, searching his mentor's face.
Bradley rose to the challenge, holding his gaze for a long time before he issued his challenge. "Or perhaps it is because you are less than him?"
Darcy sat up sharply, fairly glaring at the curate.
"Our Savior, the Good Book says, came to us in the form of a servant, did He not? The same book tells us He said the first would be last and the greatest would be the servant of all. So, perhaps, young master, you were born a Darcy because you were not strong enough to be born a Martin."
Given Good Principles
Pairing: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Length: 219,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Derbyshire Writers' Guild
Why this must be read:
In the closing pages of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy tells Elizabeth that he was given good principles as a child, but that he was taught to follow them in pride and conceit. What if there had been someone to teach him better? In this story, Mr. Darcy has a mentor in a Mr. Bradley, the curate of the local parish to Pemberley. Mr. Bradley has humbly served his flock for years, and Darcy comes to him for advice, comfort, and spiritual guidance, as did his father before him. This guidance and help softens Darcy's manners and aids him when dealing with stressful relations, scoundrels, and everything else in his life.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, has to deal with ill-behaving family members, gossiping neighbors, a nerve-stricken mother, and an absent father. The initial meeting between Darcy and Elizabeth goes much better than in the novel, but there are still obstacles in the way, as is so in any good story. Some characters are so altered that they are hardly recognizable--Mr. Collins is truly evil, while the reader gains much sympathy for Mrs. Bennet--but overall, everyone stays true to themselves as Jane Austen wrote them. There is a great deal of backstory before Darcy and Elizabeth first meet, so we really get to know them well individually.
This work may not be to everyone's taste, as there are clear and direct religious references throughout. (But do not let that scare you off, as this is a wonderful fic!) Mr. Bradley makes no apology for his profession and quotes scripture liberally. It was refreshing, really, to see an overtly religious character portrayed as righteous--not perfect, but righteous--while not being self-righteous or hypocritical. All the main characters, but especially Darcy and Elizabeth, grapple with moral issues and treat religion as a way to address those issues. It is not jarring at all, but fascinating how seamlessly the author has woven everything together. She also provides citations to not only any scriptures referenced, but also to Regency-era language the reader may be unfamiliar with.
The excerpt below that I have chosen is part of a larger conversation between Bradley and Darcy. They have several such conversations throughout the story, with Darcy wrestling with issues and Bradley challenging him to think beyond himself.
This is an excellent story. Highly recommended.
* * *
"Uncle Matlock will credit good seed and good weather for my good fortune." Darcy's gaze wandered out the window once again, surveying the twilight bathed landscape.
"His ideas of men and their worth are very traditional." The curate gently suggested. This was a point that your father and I perpetually disagreed upon. I wonder if you will be open to hear other ideas.
Darcy slowly nodded, clearly struggling with his thoughts. "He believes that a man is great because of his birth, the money and the rank that he inherits. What he would earn with his own hands, produce of his own efforts, is of little or no value." The soft words contained an air of uncertainty that was unusual for the young man.
"This troubles you?"
"I do not know, sir. My father, I know, shared most of my uncle's beliefs. He taught me that being a Darcy, Master of Pemberley, made me a great man. He insisted that our circle was more important than anyone else. He seemed sad though that George would not be... be so significant. The son of a steward could only have limited aspirations. That troubled him. I believe there were times when he wished George had been born his own son so that he could have been a greater man."
"And you?"
"I do not know yet, sir. I do not know. What makes a great man, Mr. Bradley? I do not understand. When I was at Cambridge, I saw many first sons, heirs to great estates, who behaved as George did. But as long as no respectable woman was involved, a blind eye was turned, and conversations always focused on the greatness of their families and the estates. But George, well what could one expect form a steward's son?" The weight of his question seemed heavy on his shoulders.
Perhaps you will surpass your father, young Darcy. He never asked these questions. "What do you think makes a man great?"
A thoughtful sigh and frown followed. "When I went to Cambridge, I would have told you it was in the nobility of his name and the size of his estate and fortune."
"And now you are not so certain?"
Darcy merely shrugged.
"So because you were born a Darcy, it means you are a better man than Mr. Martin, your tenant?"
"I have been taught so." Dark eyes lifted, searching his mentor's face.
Bradley rose to the challenge, holding his gaze for a long time before he issued his challenge. "Or perhaps it is because you are less than him?"
Darcy sat up sharply, fairly glaring at the curate.
"Our Savior, the Good Book says, came to us in the form of a servant, did He not? The same book tells us He said the first would be last and the greatest would be the servant of all. So, perhaps, young master, you were born a Darcy because you were not strong enough to be born a Martin."
Given Good Principles
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I find it somewhat odd that I felt it necessary to add a religion disclaimer, but it's better for people to know what they are getting into, I suppose. P&P fics in general reference religion far more than is the norm outside the fandom anyway, but this one goes far beyond even that. I thought the use of scripture was not heavy-handed, but appropriate to the time period and setting. It was refreshing, and I quite liked it.