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diff --git a/faith/disappearance-lizzy-bennet.rst b/faith/disappearance-lizzy-bennet.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ed7c139 --- /dev/null +++ b/faith/disappearance-lizzy-bennet.rst @@ -0,0 +1,62 @@ +The Strange Disappearance of Lizzy Bennet +######################################### + +:date: 2023-07-24T16:51:33 +:category: faith +:tags: review, Austeniana, blogComment, fromReddit + +(my comments on “`The Strange Disappearance of Lizzy Bennet`_” by HelenaMira, originally +published on Reddit_) + +I really wanted to like this story. The beginning of the story +promised a good plot and I like neglectful!Mr Bennet and evil!Mrs +Bennet as a fresh alternative to otherwise generally boring canon +personalities. Mr Bennet unwillingly running all around England +looking for his daughter and scheming Mr Gardiner were both also +pleasure to observe. + +And then finally Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy and it went down the +drain. Well, not immediately, although I have to confess that +their meeting was a great disappointment. There are situations in +life, where no matter what you say and no matter what are your +actual intentions, asking a girl to marry is just shamelessly +exploiting her. A true gentleman would in such a situation +leave his feelings and hopes for himself and help the girl to +achieve safety and establish her in a safe position in the +world. Yes, Georgiana needed a governess and I am quite certain +Elizabeth could very well be one, and the situation can slowly +and naturally arise to the “Jane Eyre”-like situation of a +governess turning into the Mistress of the House (especially +after revealing that she is a daughter of a gentleman, so there +is nothing wrong with marrying her). + +Although this fortunate scene could be probably silently ignored +and pushed to the hidden wardrobe, where many fanfictions have +hidden their less fortunate parts, it was by far not all wrong +with the story. It seems to me that the author fell into that +classical shock of every other fanfiction writer that although +she hoped to write the biggest novel since Pride and Prejudice +itself, there is enough plot just for a very brief version of P&P +itself (124 713 words) or even less. But that is not enough for +the GREAT and SERIOUS novel she was writing, so the length must +be extended by endless repetition of the same three thoughts and +endlessly analysing what has been already talked to death. And +yes, the length (without any changing actual content) increased +to twice the P&P size (223,347) as yet another example that +the elimination of editors from the publishing process is an +unfortunate disaster from which the literary world won’t recover +for a long time. 220,000 words are more than Herman Melville’s +“Moby Dick” (215,839) and I have to ask you, Reader, does “The +Strange Disappearance of Lizzy Bennet” have the same amount of +plot and character development (or even deep thoughts)? It does +not. + +In the beginning, I was prepared to give an enthusiastically +positive review of the story, but I am not still at the end of +this slog, and I question my decision to start. + +.. _`The Strange Disappearance of Lizzy Bennet`: + https://meryton.com/aha/index.php?/topic/17995-the-strange-disappearance-of-lizzy-bennet-revised/ + +.. _Reddit: + https://www.reddit.com/r/JaneAustenFF/comments/155t8zc/comment/jt9hkms/ |