Pride and Prejudice (it's OT, honest!)

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 76560

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Anita Hillin <akhillin at r...> 
wrote:
<Snip>
I began to compare the James/Lily interaction with the proposal 
scene between Elizabeth and Darcy in P & P, and I was struck with 
the similarities.  James/Darcy is an arrogant, overconfident (not 
without reason) young man who is smitten with  Lily/Elizabeth, and 
he is rebuffed in no uncertain terms, to the point of saying "You 
are the last man I'd ever be interested in dating/marrying."  Both 
Lily and Elizabeth also base part of their dislike on the perceived 
wrongs James/Darcy have perpetrated on a seemingly innocent victim.  
In Elizabeth's case, we discover the truth about the "victim;" what 
will we discover in James's case? 

Pip!Squeak:
The James/Darcy parallel is plausible, but I think that in comparing 
James/Snape to Darcy's treatment of Wickham, you are ignoring the 
Darcy/Jane Bennet parallels (which, as Wanda points out, may lead us 
into interesting territory).

Darcy is prejudiced against Jane Bennet for what appears to be good 
reason. She's of doubtful gentility, has the most appalling 
relatives. He treats her with snobbery and disdain, and nearly ruins 
her life.

James is prejudiced against Snape, and may possibly have what he 
thinks are good reasons (black magic family). He bullies him, treats 
him with disdain, and if he was the cause of Snape turning to the 
DE's, nearly ruined Snape's life.

AKH:
Without venturing into Sirius/Bingly, Snape/Wickham territory, which 
is risky at best and foolhardy at worst (however tempting some 
comparisons may be), I wonder if we will continue to see some 
parallels.  After all, the end result does appear to be the same. 

Pip!Squeak:
Snape is not a Wickham. He might be an anti-Wickham figure though.

Wickham is charming. Snape is most certainly not charming.

Wickham is described as handsome. Snape is described as ugly.

Wickham is personable. Snape has dirty underwear ;-)

Wickham deserved Darcy's treatment of him. Snape (apparently) didn't 
deserve James's treatment of him.

Wickham flatters Elizabeth Bennet. Snape insults Lily Evans.

Wickham leads a profligate and immoral life and throughout the 
entire book, shows no sign of repentance. It takes some time for 
Elizabeth to discover this.
Snape's racist views are immediately obvious to Lily Evans. His 
biased and sadistic behaviour is immediately obvious to Harry. What 
it takes Harry some time to discover is that he is showing signs of 
turning against (repenting?) his DE past.

I hesitate to call Snape Mr Darcy ::blinks in vague horror:: but 
Snape starts off with Lily in pretty much the same way Darcy starts 
off with Elizabeth in the Assembly Rooms. He insults her. He's 
prejudiced against her because of her background. Again, it's anti-
Wickham, not Wickham (who is a flatterer).

So Snape may have the Wickham role of `distrust first impressions', 
but in characterisation he is very much an anti-Wickham. 

James's `Darcy' role may parallel more Elizabeth's *correct* 
assessment of Darcy, who *was* arrogant, and rude, and interfering. 
The point with Darcy was that his good qualities outweighed his bad 
ones; and when his bad qualities were pointed out to him he was 
capable of recognising that he needed to change. Presumably, since 
James became Head Boy, he changed from the `worst memory' scene. 
Like Darcy, his good qualities outweighed his bad ones.

But if Snape is an `anti-Wickham' then he will also continue to 
change in our perception. Wickham appeared nice, and moral, and hard 
done by, but underneath was morally rotten and incapable of remorse.

Snape appears nasty, and sadistic, and to have deserved every bad 
thing he's ever got, but underneath 


Pip!Squeak