This isn't really a Superhero article per se, so unless you're really into Georgian Literature or the works of Jane Austen, we'll see you next time when we talk about Stardust or Captain Ultra or something equally as silly.
Although it's an obvious choice, I would say that Pride and Prejudice is probably one of the greatest novels ever written in the English language. It's sharp, witty, romantic, and funny as fuck two centuries and change later, which is quite an achievement. Elizabeth Bennet is an iconic heroine and so beloved that she's seen to represent everyone who reads the books, even men, people of colour and those who are against the very traditional marriage which Lizzie seeks. So it should come as no shock that many authors over the years have taken a swing at either expanding the seminal novel or simply penning flat-out sequels. Just taking into account properly published novels, the list exceeds one hundred books, and add to that what is doubtless a mountain of fan-fiction and self-published works that also add more to the world of the sisters Bennet. I, myself have read Death At Pemberly by P.D. James, The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow and Charlotte by Helen Moffett.
Through perpetuation, there are probably hundreds of Elizabeth Bennets and other characters floating around their local multiverse. Ok, so I guess I need to mention Pride & Prejudice and Zombies before I go too much further on, but I never got too far through that one, it was so badly written. Although academically fraught, biographical readings of Lizzie Bennet as a stand in for Austen herself are pretty hard to resist for die-hard fans like myself; especially as both Jane and Lizzie were complimented on their "fine eyes", but knowing a little about Jane's life puts paid to this pretty quick. In fact, even biographies on Austen tend towards the romantic (pardon the pun), inventing marriage near-misses for Jane that don't seem to be much more than wishful thinking. As her books only really gained fame after she passed, much of Austen's life is a mystery, so it's tempting to fill in the gaps. Anyway, in one of those novel sequels I mentioned, Mary is seduced by a vagrant living in a cave on the family estate.
Look, this article is another one of those ideas that was stuck in my head for months and I had to get it out somehow. The image of The Council of Kangs/Reeds/Ricks but all various Elizabeths Bennet in a massive sitting room is oddly compelling to me. What would they be talking about? Would it be the "sensible" prattle that trapped them inside their own minds, unable to communicate their true feelings, or would they find a new and unique kind of freedom that they rarely found in the stories from which they spawned? What impact would a veritable army of Lizzies have on the multiverse? I can't imagine that there would be a single buffoon left un-skewered by rapier wit in all of creation. The tendency to see Lizzie as a modern woman-in-waiting is tempting, the television series Lost In Austen has fun with this idea, but again, this is us reading into the text what may not actually be there. Jane and Lizzie are women of their time, for good or ill. We love them for who they are as much as who they are to us. So get out there and get reading; endless possibilities await.
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