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5 Parallels Between ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ & ‘Pride and Prejudice’ You Never Noticed

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Bridget Jones’s Diary is one of the greatest guilty-pleasures in the history of film. With the third installment of author and screenwriter Helen Fielding‘s series Bridget Jones’s Baby hitting theaters in September, we recommend grabbing a glass of wine and marathoning the first two chapters of the Jane Austen-inspired drama. Though very loosely based on Pride and Prejudice, Fielding weaves some pretty powerful parallels from the original book and film. Here are 5 parallels between Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice that you never noticed. 

1) Protagonists Bridget Jones and Lizzie Bennet start their story as strong, independent, painfully single women.

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Despite being centuries apart, both of these ladies feel the pressure of singledom due to society, friends and family. Nevertheless, they’re outspoken, witty and charismatic. 

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2. They both must ward off a devilishly charming jerk-face before finding true love.

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At first, it’s easy to like Bridget’s handsome, smooth-talking boss, Daniel (he is played by Hugh Grant after all); just like it’s easy to root for Lizzie and the “gentlemanly” Mr. Wickham. However, it doesn’t take long to realize both of these heartthrobs are bad news.

3. Along the way, both Bridget and Lizzie realize their many faults.

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Both women are far from perfect. Before they can get with the man of their dreams (who they, ironically, don’t realize is the man of their dreams at first), each must go through a process of self-realization.

4. Which leads them to fall unexpectedly for a quiet, solemn man named Darcy!

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Okay, so this is by far the most blatant parallel; not to mention, both Darcys are played by Colin Firth. Fielding admits to giving Mark Darcy a very Firth-like description after seeing him in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

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5. Both women also acknowledge some very important universal truths! 

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Jane Austen’s famous opening line reads, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” That might have been true back in the early nineteenth century, but modern queen, Bridget Jones, sheds light on a truth that transcends decades: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.”

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