a dollop of DARCY

The main characters of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice navigate sexual politics and frustrations in the lead-up to their marriage in Bishop’s novel. 

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are now engaged, but they’ve not yet found their happy ending together at Pemberley. Before setting a date, they visit gaudy Rosings Park, owned by Darcy’s pompous aunt, the Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and his sickly, mousy cousin Anne. Darcy has agreed to let his aunt educate his bride-to-be on managing a large estate as both he and Elizabeth stay at Rosings. The betrothed couple’s close proximity before marriage flies in the face of the conventions of the time—as does Darcy’s late uncle’s hidden library of lewd books and pamphlets on the premises. Lady Catherine wrongly believes Elizabeth has already seduced her nephew and hopes that she can be bribed into leaving him. Elizabeth’s sister and chaperone, Mary, is caught kissing Anne, and the latter falls in love hard despite her society’s taboo surrounding same-sex relationships. Further complications arise as rumors of Darcy’s womanizing past—and of the existence of a daughter, conceived out of wedlock—threaten the happiness of one of literature’s most famous couples. Bishop’s debut relies heavily on delaying readers’ gratification, introducing more overtly erotic elements into the world of an acclaimed novel of manners, but also keeping characters from indulging such impulses for as long as

possible. The additions aren’t excessively spicy, however; indeed, even calling them titillating may be a bit too strong. Despite some obvious creative license, most of the characters effectively resemble their Austen-created counterparts—save for the protagonists; Elizabeth has lost some of the spirited cheek which made her so memorable, particularly in her dealings with the domineering Catherine, and Darcy’s new, checkered past doesn’t comfortably line up

with the socially uneasy figure of the original novel. Still, readers willing to overlook these differences will be hard-pressed not to have fun here, particularly with such offbeat, unexpected additions as the de Bourgh library of the bawdy.

A well-played touch of the ribald opens up a new continuation of a classic.

- Kirkus Review of Books

 early reader - Nov 2021
"Readers will come to Darcy’s Education to find a playfully erotic reimagining of familiar characters beyond Pride and Prejudice’s final pages, but will also discover astute meditations on storytelling, romance, and the nature of love: how it blossoms, yes, but also how it grows, deepens, and perseveres. While the novel pays tribute to the foibles of Austen’s originals, some of the strongest characterizations are brand new creations, colourful and well-realized and carrying all of their own virtues—and vices—into the world of Regency England. At turns erotic, gothic, and satiric, with commentary on the nature of friendship, family, and gender roles, Darcy’s Education turns happily-ever-after on its head."                                  -Lise Gaston, author of Cityscapes in Mating Season

A Sequel with a Difference, a Review of:Darcy’s Education of Miss Elizabeth Bennet 

Allison Bishop’s Darcy’s Education of Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a tour de force. She gives us an entertaining, thought-provoking, and beautifully written novel in the popular Regency with-a-twist genre. Her ability to capture the characters we love and develop them in unforeseen, yet believable, directions is masterful.

Moreover, she captures the lightly satiric flavour and rhythm of Jane Austen’s style while incorporating an element of sexuality that would have been unacceptable to express in print, yet undoubtedly existed, at the time. 

Presented as a sequel to Pride and Prejudice (P&P), Bishop picks up the story after Elizabeth and Darcy have betrothed, when he takes her to Rosing Park. Here we meet two minor characters from P&P, Miss Mary Bennet and Lady Anne de Bourgh, who play small but important roles in the story as they mature in unexpected ways. As the tale progresses, misunderstandings ensue and Elizabeth suffers agonies of doubt, experiences universal in relationships, as Lady Catherine de Bourgh spins her web to oust Elizabeth and replace her with Lady Anne. Darcy himself comes to life as he, too, grows under Bishop’s talented pen. These are but a few examples of her gift for evolving her characters using classic Regency-period issues to surprise and entertain, such as Charlotte’s failure to conceive. 

If the beginning daunts you, do not give up. Although Bishop’s style is Austenesque, her authorial voice is not. The early paragraphs will introduce you to Bishop’s themes, and you may need a few pages to orient yourself. The story style is pure Austen; its themes are both universal and modern, an update on the old romantic tale much to the genre’s improvement. Try it, you will like it. 

[P.S. If you have not read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, read it first.]

By Keira Morgan

Author of The Importance of Pawns 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all romance ends with the word yes. The happy ending is assured in the deliberate absence of any further information, for no one knows how the Prince and Princess live happily-ever-after as it is never written. Few of us want to know that all good romance must suffer a little, that a marriage whose happiness is well decided is decidedly unhappy on a few occasions. Cinderella’s glass slipper, transparent and light at first, will shatter with daily use. Sleeping Beauty, serene and compliant in her dormant grace, will and must wake to confront the trials of eating, working, and fornicating. If a romance is generated from a tension of absence, then marriage is created from an equal proportion of presence.

“I assure you, there are a few young buccaneers who have replaced you,” the Earl assured Darcy.

“Is that what they call me? A buccaneer? Not very flattering...”

“I beg to differ. It conjures a flashy hero, does it not? A compelling Byronic figure.”

“Yes, but will any person remember that the man writes poetry?”

“George Byron wrote a poem for a dog – you have at least two things which favour an introduction: love of women and love of dogs.”

Intimacy is not a thing that is lost or gained with any ease. For some people, it is acquired slowly over many years, a precious and well-polished treasure the value of which is well known for the work that has been done to acquire it. And yet, it can be lost to situations both of choice or circumstance. In the case of Elizabeth and Darcy, their eagerness to know one another was in reverse proportion to the amount of time they had to acquire knowledge of one another, for Lady Catherine was relentless in her demands to keep them separate. Following some weeks of tedious finishing school à la Great Grendel and her associates (the housekeeper, butler, Mrs. Jenkinson, and the Dowager), Elizabeth was released for several days without further notice and immediately went for a walk.