Janet Aylmer Attempts to Tell Darcy's Story

I’ve been on a Jane Austen kick lately thanks to a friend who lent me several Austen tie-in novels. Unsurprisingly, several of them take heavy inspiration from Pride and Prejudice, and that is certainly the case with Darcy’s Story, which follows the plot of that book but focuses on Darcy’s perspective with over-the-shoulder narration that follows his thoughts instead of Elizabeth’s.

This novel by Janet Aylmer is considerably shorter than Pride and Prejudice and was originally written upon request from her daughter. Its purpose is to really get into Darcy’s head and show events from his point of view. However, the manner of writing conveys that Aylmer did not want to stray too far from the established narrative. In fact, quite a bit of dialogue is lifted from the original novel verbatim, and some quotes turn up multiple times throughout the novel as Darcy mulls them over or agonizes about them.

While this tactic does allow for some interesting opportunities to look at established dialogue in a slightly different light, it mostly feels like a retread, especially when the quotes resurface later on. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of wiggle room for Darcy and Elizabeth’s scenes together, so the novel is usually at its most interesting when Elizabeth is absent, since we are covering new territory. However, the scene in which Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth is well-drawn and manages to aptly demonstrate how unsettling an experience it is for him. Other established scenes emphasize Darcy’s social discomfort, making shyness as much to blame for his behavior as overattention to social station.

My favorite aspect of the book is the relationship between Darcy and his younger sister Georgiana, who comes across as just as sweet and judicious as Elizabeth’s sister Jane. In fact, she serves a similar role in helping him consider a new perspective. I also enjoyed Darcy’s reflections on Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, the Gardiners, and how their genteel manners and kindness help him overcome his prejudices against those with a lower social status.

At about 270 pages, Darcy’s Story isn’t terribly long, especially if you skim through all of the portions that are quoted. However, that doesn’t leave too much wholly original material. Everyone who’s loved Pride and Prejudice has probably done a bit of speculating on Darcy’s doings during his absence from the story; I doubt this is the best of all possible versions. Additionally, while there would still be an element of surprise to those who read this first, I wouldn’t recommend anyone depriving themselves of letting their first encounter with Pride and Prejudice be the original novel. Still, if you don’t mind all the repetition, which is a liability of tales of this type anyway, Darcy’s Story, and particularly its midsection, is an enjoyable enough read for Austen fans.