03.15.07
On Bridget Jones and Ally McBeal
<b>NOTE:</b> In my summary, I will primarily focus on the elements of the article that deal directly with <i>Bridget Jones’ Diary</i>, referring only to <i>Ally McBeal</i> when the discussion seems applicable to Fielding’s novel as well.
–MC
In her essay “A Truth Universally (Un)Acknowledged: <i>Ally McBeal<i>, <i>Bridget Jones’ Diary</i> and the Conflict between Romantic Love and Feminism,” Jessica Lyn Van Slooten examines her personal conflict between feminism and romanticism, as displayed in the television show <i>Ally McBeal</i> and the novels and films <i>Bridget Jones’ Diary</i>. Van Slooten believes the two, far from being ditzy women who are only concerned with finding men, “navigate the conflicts between the myths of both romantic love and feminism” (37). Van Slooten criticizes the media fro failing to recognize or trivializing the two’s exploration or larger social issues. Van Slooten briefly looks at the definition and function of romance in modern society, seeing romance texts as a consolation for unrequited love. She also sees them as “a way for women temporarily to meet those [romantic] needs while not settling for a love less than what they truly desire. These ideas are expressed most evidently in the film when Bridget fantasizes about marrying Daniel Cleaver. Far from reading Bridget as a pathetic character deserving the reader’s sympathy, Van Slooten sees her as a strong, independent woman with a successful career, friends, and, measured by conventional standards, a successful life. While she may be troubled in love, Bridget “want[s] an extraordinary man who will be [her] equal and [her] ‘top person’…ultimately refus[ing] to settle for [a man] who does not embody the right characteristics” (40).
Next, Van Slooten looks at feminist responses to <i>Bridget Jones</i>, noting that many of these responses are characterized by a “disjunction between academic feminism’s ideology and the lived realities of most women” (41). She criticizes two critics in particular, Phyllis Chelser and Gina Bellafonte, for insinuating that romance should not be a concern of a “serious-minded” feminist, that only serious political issues should be the concerns of such women. Yet Van Slooten argues that Bridget touches on “these ‘deeper’ political issues via the world of comic fantasy, urging readers to think of the greater implications of short skirts in the workplace” (41). Van Slooten cites the text of <i>Bridget Jones</i> as a way for women to talk and think about the differences in cultural messages to women. She cites a passage from the novel where Mark asks Bridget if she has read any good books recently. Not wanting to admit she’s actually reading <i>Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus</i>, Bridget claims she has read the feminist text <i>Backlash</i>. To her surprise, Mark has read the book as well. For Van Slooten, this passage allows Fielding to insert her own critique of the novel’s message, that feminism dismisses women’s romantic anxiety, thus forcing women to turn to a “seemingly sympathetic but ultimately anti-feminist alternative” (43). While feminists may claim they shouldn’t be concerned with fictional characters, Van Slooten argues they ought to be considered, as they are “both a creation of culture and create culture” (43).
Van Slooten notes some of the characteristics of Bridget’s life, particularly her optimism in the face of her declining fertility, “decreasing desirability, and inevitable aging in a youth obsessed culture” (44). Despite this, Bridget is characterized by her lack of self-confidence and poise; yet, it is these characteristics, her less-than-perfect self, that captures the attentions of Mark Darcy. Van Slooten doesn’t want the reader to loose sight of Bridget’s social and self-knowledge. Even though Bridget dates and fantasies about Daniel Cleaver, the readers know Bridget realizes he is the culmination of all the characteristics she hates in men. Bridget comes back from her break-up with Daniel by finding a new job that better suits her personality and seriously focuses her and launches her into a better career. So, while Bridget desires the romantic dream, she does not “sacrifice other aspects of [her] life to that dream” (48).
Finally, Van Slooten looks at romantic endings. Many romantic plots end in marriage, yet <i>Bridget Jones’ Diary</i> does not force its heroine to leave a successful (or growing career) for marriage. For Van Slooten, this “more ambiguous ending suggest[s] that marriage does not always ensure from contemporary romance texts” (49). Van Slooten finds this ending much more satisfying as Bridget can be simultaneously successful in romance and in her job. She looks at the endings of both novels and the first film; after the second novel, Bridget is preparing to go to Thailand with Mark, yet her newly established career as a freelance journalist allows her to still actively pursue her dream and continue working. In the first film, Mark turns down a lucrative position in New York to return to London and his old firm to pursue Bridget. Finally, Van Slooten observes that Mark buys Bridget a new diary at the end of the film, allowing her to write herself, and in essence, create her own identity.
I really enjoyed this article, particularly the way it addressed the criticism the film received from feminists. While the article was on both Bridget and <i>Ally McBeal,</i> I found it contained a good amount of material that is pertinent to what I’d like to write about for my final paper. I do, however, wish Van Slooten had looked at some more of the social themes that run through the novels and film. I found her statement about Bridget’s ability to write herself in her diary particularly interesting. We see this in <i>Clueless</i>, where Cher is given a voice, and, unlike any of Austen’s heroines, is allowed to define and construct herself. I think this would be an interesting theme to look at as a modern retelling of Austen’s novels. However, in reading some articles for a paper grounded in 18th century literature, I’ve found that the creation of self, or the discovering of identity, was believed to lie in self-examination through writing and reading. This might be an interesting theme to tie Austen and Bridget closer together. I also appreciated Van Slooten’s emphasis on the culture expectations that plague Bridget, as they tie her and Elizabeth closer together for me. Elizabeth had to face her increasing age, and, as result, declining marriage prospects, as well as the expectation that she needed to marry and marry well to help provide for her family. As Van Slooten points out, similar issues follow Bridget. She must come to terms with her decreasing chances of having children, and like Elizabeth, her decreasing desirability to marriageable men, and her increasing age. While similar issues plague both women, their social manifestations make them appear much different. I would most definitely use this article for my paper.