Yesterday, I finished the first edit on a new manuscript and decided to treat myself to a Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice five-hour extravaganza. That miniseries just seems to get better with time.
However, I'm wondering how I never realized before that P&P is one of the first billionaire alpha-hole romances. (Inflation-adjusted, of course). Darcy is a complete tool at first, although in the sexiest of ways. I think it went unnoticed by me because of the language and manners of the time. Darcy would never swear in front of us, or manhandle anyone like our current heroes do (not even a long-over due beating to Wickham), so his general assholery got overlooked.
But he was pretty darned insulting to Lizzie the first half of the story. Redeemed in the second half. The perfect alpha-hole. And Austen's descriptions of Pemberley were a fantasy of a luxurious life that a girl in any age could dream about.
I need to go reread Austen with a fresh eye. Seem how many other romance tropes she was the forbear of.
