"It is a truth
universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune,
must be in want of a wife."
Jane Austen, Opening sentence from “Pride and Prejudice”
Several times I’ve seen articles – I’ve even written a few –
on the difficulty of men trying to write female characters. What about women trying to write from a male
prospective? Is a two dimensional “Booty
Call” boyfriend created by a female author any worse than a guy thinking every
woman has a shoe fetish? Does every ex-husband/boyfriend have to be a complete
jerk who is 100% responsible for the breakup with zero percent of the blame
going to the character without a “Y” chromosome?
Does every male character need to be a masculine
nymphomaniac with a one track mind and WD-40 on his zipper? Most guys I know got past that by the end of
their sophomore year of college. Okay, at least by the time they’re 30. Those
that don’t end up as politicians or the pathetic creep you can find lurking
around at the end of the bar at last call.
If you want to add three dimensional men in your writing, turn
to the Yoda of Women’s fiction, Jane Austen.
In possibly the best book ever written, “Pride and Prejudice”, she
flawless captured the full spectrum of men and their complicated relationships
with women.
William Collins: The spineless toady who
spent his days praising the vile Lady Catherine. He was a soft sycophant who, due to stupid
laws written by misogynistic men, would someday own the Bennet’s home.
Elizabeth rebuffed his offer of marriage while her weaker friend did not.
Charles Bingley: A genuinely nice fellow but weak. He allows
his vicious sister and Mr. Darcy to manipulate him. This pliable good nature
nearly costs him the love of his life.
George Wickham:
There are not many who would be ranked lower than John Edwards, but Wickham qualifies.
He is the charmer. Handsome, smart and connected with the right crowd, on the
surface he would be a catch. Under the glossy veneer is pure evil. How many
women have muttered “but for the grace of God” that they didn’t end up married
to a smooth talker like this? In the low
light of a bar or at 3 a.m. at the Motel 8, this kind of guys looks great; in
the sunlight not so much. You get the feeling that his forced marriage to the witless
flirt Lydia Bennet was a match made in heaven.
Mr. Darcy: The man
every woman pines for (or should if they had a lick of sense) and every man
hopes to emulate. Gruff and strong
willed, he is honest to a fault and doesn’t suffer fools lightly. He does what
is right without insisting on claiming credit. With Wickham, he quietly saves
the Bennet family from disgrace while refusing to divulge his part even if it means
losing the woman he loves. Does anyone
doubt for a moment that if the free spirited Elizabeth were to pass away first,
he wouldn’t join her a week later after dying of a broken heart? Colin Firth was amazing in the A&E
adaption.
Even the supporting
male cast – Elizabeth’s father and uncle among others – come across as real flesh and blood people,
not a derivative stereotype.
If you go the Wikipedia
page they have the most amazing graphic of the relationships of the characters
in the novel.
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