Who doesn’t
like Pride and Prejudice? Memorable
characters, and a story that people are still enjoying two hundred years after
it was written. A local acting troupe recently performed Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, A Love Story, a shortened version of the
play that only focused on the love story between the two main characters
mentioned in the title. Elizabeth Bennett was played by a wonderful young lady,
Erin H, who was more than qualified to play the role of Lizzy. Erin has the same
spunk, sophisticated manner of speaking, and genteel graces the beloved Bennett
daughter possessed. Erin was in an interview last week, along with a young man,
Tyson W. who played Mr. Darcy, and both of them were asked what made them want
to play those two characters. Erin responded with this: “It was an opportunity
to do something historical, which I love, and something I’ve been reading for
years.” Tyson answered with this: “A lot of people have the same struggles in
their relationships today. Which I think brings a lot of people to the book
over and over again.”
Those
remarks got me thinking. As authors, we want our characters to be believable,
and for our readers to be able to relate to the struggles they (the characters)
go through. I’m sure when Jane Austen wrote her beloved novel, she had no idea
it would still be popular two centuries later. Her characters were in keeping
with real people of her time, but people can still relate to them in the
twenty-first century. What are some of the ways you try to make your characters
realistic and reader-relatable?
What great insight! People do face the same struggles today, and we can definitely use that!
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