Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World

  • Author: Talia Schaffer

What makes Mr. Darcy desirable?

Here’s my simple question: when did we come to believe that Darcy was sexy? The popular image of Jane Austen’s Fitzwilliam Darcy today is Colin Firth, with his wet clinging shirt, later immortalized by a giant statue. In 1940 we had Laurence Olivier, with his dapper coat, gleaming eyes, and smoldering charm.

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