It’s no secret Pride and Prejudice is my all time favorite romance novel. I’ve written ad nauseam about my love for it. Gone with The Wind comes close, but I always view that book more of a love tragedy than a triumph. One of the reasons P&P is so near and dear to my heart is its heroine, the feisty, intelligent, loyal Elizabeth Bennett. I put her right up there with Xena. Lizzy may not have been a warrior princess, defending land and country with a spear and a wicked drop kick, but she is certainly – in my humble opinion – a kick-ass romance chickita.
I recently read a very good piece titled 9 Reason’s we will always love Elizabeth Bennett. These include:
- She never received a formal education, but made sure to educate herself.
- She was confident and sure of herself, and even someone as imposing as Mr. Darcy couldn’t intimidate her.
- She always put her family first
- And would definitely have nothing to do with a man who dared to insult them.
- She wouldn’t accept a partner for reasons less than love…
- An ideal she stuck to, in spite of the fact that marrying Collins would have given her financial security, something no woman in her time could get on her own.
- She understood the importance of kindness over money and a harp tongue
- She never, ever took advantage of Mr. Darcy’s feelings for her
- And she always, always spoke her mind.
To sum all that up, Lizzy didn’t take anyone’s crap, be it from the snivelingly Mr Collins, who could make her family’s future miserable, or from the snotty Lady Catherine de’Bourge, a high born woman of power and influence. She stayed true to herself as a woman and as a person, believed love conquered all, and that marriage should be for love and nothing else.
See? Kick-Ass romance chickita!
Peggy Jaeger, Author 