It’s no secret that Stephenie Meyer adores the works of Jane Austen; her love of the female penned novels is showcased in both the plotting of her works and in Bella’s (great) reading tastes. Bella reads the likes of Shakespeare, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Austen. In fact, she has a complete collection (just like I do) which she totes around when she craves an escape. Among her favourites in the collection is Pride and Prejudice, the book which seems to have the strongest influence on the first Twilight entry.
In which ways are the works similar? The romance should be the first focus, with everything from Edward’s behaviour to Mike’s persistence having a familiar ring. Heartbreak and romantic rebuffs are also shared elements.
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1) Enemies to Lovers
When Edward and Bella first meet, their feelings towards one another aren’t exactly friendly. Bella notes that Edward is attractive, but that he’s otherwise aloof and even outright rude to her. He leans away in his chair, leading Bella to wonder if she smells bad. When Edward later explains his strange behaviour, he even admits to what Bella had suspected: he hated her, thinking of her as a “demon” who had come to ruin everything he had built. Blood lust aside, the initial meeting between the would be lovers began with hostility, and Bella was understandably fed up with Mr. Cullen’s impolite actions.
Elizabeth Bennett’s reaction to Mr. Darcy is likewise less than mutual. Darcy, noticing Elizabeth in the corner of his eye, notes, within her hearing, that she’s “not pretty enough to tempt me.” Elizabeth comes to consider him proud, and they quarrel throughout the first half of the book.
Though Edward, like Darcy, tries to spend more time with his love interest, their bickering is constant, finally being resolved with confessions and first kisses.
2) Familial Resistance
Part of what adds to the conflict within Pride and Prejudice is the resistance from those within Mr. Darcy’s inner circle. Though Mr. Bingley, like Alice, encourages Darcy to pursue what he wants, others in his friend group don’t. The Bingley sisters, being jealous (a motivation not dissimilar to Rosalie’s) as well as snobbish (the Cullen’s can’t help thinking of the human Bella as being of a lesser status) argue with him.
Rosalie is the most stubborn. Beautiful, envious, and wealthy, her character reflects that of the Bingley sister who pursues Mr. Darcy – she doesn’t like to be rejected, particularly in favour of somebody who’s “lesser” than her. Other members of the family also disagree with Edward’s choice. Jasper considers killing Bella at one point, prompting Edward to hide his feelings, even from himself.
It takes a long time before Mr. Darcy is able to admit that he’s in love with Lizzy, however much they might disagree.
3) Rejected Suitors
Before Elizabeth can end up with her destined love interest, she must contend with unwanted advances. Her main rejection comes in the form of Mr. Collins, the cousin who will inherit the family estate when her father dies. If being related to Elizabeth by blood wasn’t bad enough, there’s also the fact that he’s a suck up and awkward as hell.
Mr. Collins plans all of his comments, so that they come across as scripted. Then, when he does show honest reactions, he refuses to take no for an answer, instead concocting his own unusual reasons for why Lizzy might reject him. He supposes that it’s normal for women to reject men initially, so that the man in question might want the woman all the more.
Mike, too, constructs his own narrative for why Bella turns him down. He continues to flirt with her, despite Bella’s hints that she’s not interested, and ends up being described as a “golden retriever” for the way he follows her around.
Bella has to contend with Eric and Tyler, both of whom are awkward. The former boy is even characterized by Bella as “chess club Eric,” a tag that would fit Mr. Collins if he had lived in modern times.
Neither Bella or Elizabeth know who they are destined for, but it’s made clear that they’re not looking for love – nor are they pleased by the messy advances they’ve received, which nevertheless amuse the reader as our heroines grow ever more “vexed.”
Moreover, the rejected suitor still “settles” for the protagonist’s friend. Mr. Collin proposes to Elizabeth’s friend, Charlotte Lucas, while Mike asks Jessica Stanley out. Though Charlotte and Jessica are both thrilled, it’s implied that both shunned suitors are still unsatisfied with losing their original interests.
4) The Wealth Gap
The most obvious similarity between Edward Cullen and Mr. Darcy are their riches. The wealth of the Cullen’s is shown in their flashy cars and their designer clothes. The fact that they avoid the rest of the school adds to their supposed pride (though they have their own reasons for remaining aloof, such as the fact they might drink someone dry if they don’t).
When Elizabeth spots Mr. Darcy, it doesn’t take long for her to learn that he makes 10, 000 pounds each year.
There’s a definite wealth gap between the woman and the man in both stories, casting the latter in something of a Prince Charming role. Though both Twilight and Pride and Prejudice make a point that love should come first, and that the lovers are interested in one another independent of their wealth, both narratives nevertheless feed into the wish fulfillment that “money is still a nice bonus.”
Elizabeth’s family will lose their home when Mr. Bennett dies, meaning that their financial security depends on each woman marrying well; without outside help, their standing is much less than that of Mr. Darcy. Though it’s not explicitly stated, Bella’s lack of wealth is also implied: she barely has enough money scraped together for college; she drives a truck that’s several decades old; her computer takes forever to start and is flooded with pop ups, being so aged; and she lives in a house which only has one bathroom.
The two women go from being considered “poor” to being richer than ever when they marry their attractive husbands, whom they just happen to love.
5) Emotionally Immature Parental Figures
Bella has learned to look after herself. Her mother is silly, almost childish, and often needs to be reined in by Bella. Bella is the “mature” one, the voice of reason when her mother, Renee, becomes caught up in something. As for Bella’s father, he’s quiet and hates social events. He’s not afraid to speak his mind when something bothers him enough, and he adores his daughter, but he usually retires to the living room to watch sports; his social skills are lacking.
Elizabeth’s parents are much the same. She even has to scold her mother, who rambles on like a girl of fifteen. Mrs. Bennett acts much younger than her age, and is described as silly; Lizzy is exasperated by her, yet she loves her too, and calms her down for the sake of them both. In a way, Lizzy has had to look after her mother. Mr. Bennett is also like Charlie – he takes little pleasure from parties or networking, and he retreats to his study. He loves his daughter deeply, but he’s mistrustful of Mr. Darcy to begin. When Bella first tells her father about Edward, he’s suspicious.
With a childish mother and a socially awkward father present in Twilight’s text, it’s not hard to see where their inspiration comes from. The difference comes in their marital status. In the days of Pride and Prejudice, divorce is unheard of – despite their incompatibility, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are forced to remain together. In modern times, it doesn’t take long for such a relationship to fall apart.
6) Secrets & Confessions
Edward’s closet is filled with skeletons, almost literally. When developing his relationship with Bella, he has to decide how much to tell her. Does he reveal Rosalie’s feelings of animosity? Does he confess to Bella that he’s killed people before, or that he’s a vampire?
Mr. Darcy is also a man of secrets. As Elizabeth becomes acquainted with him, he declines to share that his sister, Georgiana, was wronged by Mr. Wickham. He conceals his own feelings from Lizzy, not confessing to his love until later in the book. His first confession isn’t exactly steamy, either, as he shares his disapproval of Lizzy’s family in the process.
Edward’s declaration of love is likewise complicated: while he doesn’t attack Bella’s familial connections, he does confess to wanting to kill her. What are declarations of affection without some drama?
7) Letters
A large component of Pride and Prejudice is it’s letters. Mr. Darcy makes his greatest confessions to Elizabeth through a letter he leaves with her, where he explains himself and his behaviour.
Though Edward never leaves Bella a long letter, he does leave her notes, including one which reads, “Be safe.” Whilst trying to communicate in class without being overheard, the pair also scribble notes to each other on a single piece of paper. Throughout the saga, Edward leaves small notes for Bella, telling her he’ll be back or otherwise reassuring her. The notes aren’t much, but they’re a nod to the romanticism of bygone eras, when people expressed themselves through the printed word, rather than by text or email.
8) The Love Triangle
In the days when Pride and Prejudice was written, people didn’t throw around the term “love triangle,” though it was in this era that the popularity of tangled romantic interests took off.
Though Elizabeth isn’t seeking love, she is capable of it. Mr. Darcy isn’t the only man to catch her eye – she becomes interested in Mr. Wickham, who is able to insert himself in her life when Mr. Darcy makes a point of disappearing. Darcy, hoping to escape his feelings, leaves the countryside, taking with him his friend Bingley and his sisters. In his absence, Elizabeth has time to fall for Wickham. Though she doesn’t forget Darcy, she is charmed by the youthful soldier.
In New Moon, Edward, hoping to offer Bella a normal life, leaves. His family disappears, leaving her shattered.
Though Lizzy isn’t destroyed by Darcy’s absence, Bella’s sadness closely aligns with that of Lizzy’s sister, Jane, who is heartbroken when her love interest, Mr. Bingley, abruptly departs from her life. Like Bella, Jane goes out of her way to hide her anguish, but those closest to her can see it.
With Edward gone, Bella is left to spend more time with Jacob Black. They develop a natural friendship, and others watch their partnership with hope.
Eventually, the two heroines end up with their true partners, while their almost-partners end up with their…much younger family members instead.
Mr. Wickham, with Lizzy out of his grasp, ends up marrying Elizabeth’s sixteen year old sister, Lydia. If sixteen wasn’t scandalous enough, it’s implied that Jacob will end up with Bella’s infant daughter, Renesmee. While their coupling isn’t romantic in Renesmee’s early years, that doesn’t change the fact that the little girl is still Bella’s daughter.
Elizabeth’s previous love interest becomes her brother-in-law. Bella’s previous love interest becomes her son-in-law. You can’t have romance without some seriously awkward family reunions.
9) Bella & The Bennett Sisters
While Bella is meant to represent Elizabeth, she differs from Lizzy in one key point: while Lizzy has four sisters, Bella is an only child. Yet the other sisters come through in their way, with Bella embodying aspects of Jane and Marianne.
Like Jane, Bella hides her feelings. She doesn’t like to betray sadness for fear of upsetting those around her. She’s “good,” putting the needs of others before her own – even if it hurts her. Bella has made sacrifices throughout her childhood to look after her mother. She takes satisfaction in looking after others, relieved when her father, Charlie, can have some proper nutrition as a result of her cooking.
From Marianne, Bella inherits her dislike of social events and an avid love of books. Marianne hates balls, and speaks only to share quotes she has come across in her many pieces of literature. Bella tries to avoid the school prom at all costs; she’s happy to stay out of the spotlight, and sees more worth in pouring over Shakespeare than dancing all night.
Only Lydia and Kitty are absent from Bella’s character, though they’re represented through Bella’s boy chasing friend, Jessica Stanley. Even Jane has some representation in Angela, Bella’s soft spoken and “kind” friend. Angela almost loses her chance at love when she lacks the confidence to ask Ben Cheney out; Jane, too, almost loses Bingley when she remains too shy to make her feelings clearer.
10) Absent Love Interests & Moping Women
Men in Jane Austen books have a habit of disappearing, leaving their love interests to suffer. When the male lead of Sense and Sensibility, Edward Ferrars, distances himself, protagonist Elinor Dashwood is left to wonder if he ever cared for her at all. Her sister, also called Marianne, is jilted by Willoughby; in her heartbreak, Marianne is less subtle, choosing to wear her sorrow out on her sleeve. Jane Bennett, conversely, is more like Elinor or Bella, keeping her feelings hidden – though her pain is as deep as ever.
While Elinor and Jane grieve in private, and Marianne makes great shows of sobbing and wandering through the rain, Bella Swan exhibits her own symptoms of unrequited love.
Edward leaves to keep Bella safe, but she is left barely functioning as a result. In the first week of his absence, she has a teary breakdown to make Marianne proud; afterwards, she takes the Jane route and bottles up every painful emotion, smiling through her sorrow.
This trope of all hope being lost, and the love interest disappearing, carries over into the Twilight Saga. Bella isn’t the only one to deal with being jilted, either. When the werewolf Sam imprints on Emily, he abruptly breaks up with Emily’s cousin, Leah, leaving Leah bitter and lonely.
While it could be argued that these women should move on, there’s something about the theme of unrequited love that nevertheless keeps us turning the pages.
Some of Twilight’s staying power stems from it’s use of plots and themes that are borrowed from the Jane Austen collection. Whether it be messy love lives, rejected suitors, jilted women, handsome and wealthy men, or true love, the popularity of the series proves that these tropes continue to appeal to people. Twilight is Jane Austen meets vampires, and, for all the saga’s flaws, that seems to be a winning match.