Quelques mots sur un de mes romans anglais préférés : Pride and Prejudice( Orgueil et préjugés) , de Jane Austen( 1775-1817), publié en 1813 et surtout sur ses adaptations sur petit et grand écran...
Dans un petit village d'Angleterre, sous Georges III, Mrs. Bennet veut marier ses cinq filles (Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty et Lydia) afin de leur assurer un bel avenir. Elle espère que l'une d'elles saura plaire à Mr Bingley, leur riche nouveau voisin. Malheureusement l'orgueilleux Mr. Darcy, ami influent de Bingley, voit d'un très mauvais oeil son ami s'éprendre de Jane Bennet, la plus âgée des soeurs, de peur d'un mariage malheureux.
Elizabeth est l'héroïne de ce roman. Elle est d'une vive intelligence, d'une sagesse éloignée de tout pédantisme qui lui permet de supporter sereinement et avec indulgence l'atmosphère provinciale étriquée dans laquelle il lui faut vivre. Son caractère naturellement gai la met en état de percevoir le côté humoristique ou grotesque de toute situation quelle qu'elle soit . Elle suit avec attention l'évolution des sentiments de sa soeur préférée, Jane, tout en faisant attention à l'officier Wickham, un militaire séduisant qui ne la laisse pas indifférente.
Amenée à souvent rencontrer l'orgueilleux Darcy, Elizabeth dit de lui: Je pourrais facilement lui pardonner son orgueil s'il n'avait mortifié le mien . C'est de là que naît le préjugé qu'elle a contre le jeune homme qui est pourtant secrètement épris d'elle.
Elizabeth Bennet aimera-t-elle Darcy ? En sera-t-elle aimée ? L'épousera-t-elle ?
Il apparaît clairement qu'il n'y a en fait qu'un héros qui est l'héroïne, et que c'est par elle, en elle et pour elle que tout se passe.
Quelques images de l'adaptation faite par la BBC en 1995 ( mini-série en 6 épisodes), avec Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennet) et Colin Firth ( Fitzwilliam Darcy)
Et quelques images du film de Joe Wrigth, sorti en 2005, avec Keira Knightley et Matthew Mac Fadyan :
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"It is a truthuniversally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters."
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"Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."
"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."
"I would not be so fastidious as you are," cried Mr. Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty."
"YOU are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr. Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.
"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you."
"Which do you mean?" and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt ME; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."
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"Elizabeth laughed heartily at this picture of herself, and said to Colonel Fitzwilliam, "Your cousin will give you a very pretty notion of me, and teach you not to believe a word I say. I am particularly unlucky in meeting with a person so able to expose my real character, in a part of the world where I had hoped to pass myself off with some degree of credit. Indeed, Mr. Darcy, it is very ungenerous in you to mention all that you knew to my disadvantage in Hertfordshire--and, give me leave to say, very impolitic too--for it is provoking me to retaliate, and such things may come out as will shock your relations to hear."
"I am not afraid of you," said he, smilingly.
"Pray let me hear what you have to accuse him of," cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. "I should like to know how he behaves among strangers."
"You shall hear then--but prepare yourself for something very dreadful. The first time of my ever seeing him in Hertfordshire, you must know, was at a ball--and at this ball, what do you think he did? He danced only four dances, though gentlemen were scarce; and, to my certain knowledge, more than one young lady was sitting down in want of a partner. Mr. Darcy, you cannot deny the fact.""
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"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."
Elizabeth's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement; and the avowal of all that he felt, and had long felt for her, immediately followed. He spoke well; but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority--of its being a degradation--of the family obstacles which judgement had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit."
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