Am I the only person who doesn't like the character Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? It seems every woman I talk to swoons at the mention of his name. I admit I don't talk very often about Darcy with men, so maybe they're on my side. But it still worries me that Darcy embodies the masculine ideal for so many women.

Darcy is a prick. He's self-centered, conceited, insulting, tactless, he holds grudges, and even when he's nice, he only does it because it will help him get the girl he wants. This is not the type of man I would wish upon any woman, let alone a woman I care about.

Mr. Bingley--now that's the kind of man I have always tried to be, and the kind of man I would expect women to be attracted to. But women always shrug Bingley off as "nice, but..." (I guess I am Bingleyesque, because I can't tell you how many times in my dating years I was brushed off as "nice, but...")

I was discussing this topic recently with a woman who, typically, was enamored of Darcy, and apathetic toward the much more esteemable Bingley. She explained to me that perhaps Darcy is the kind of man that in real life no good woman would really want to even go out with, but when embodied in fiction, he's got that rough edge that makes him attractive. I guess I don't understand what it is about being a jerk that could be attractive--even in a fictitious character--but maybe it bestows him with some mystery and perhaps even unattainability, and that makes him more seductive. I don't know.

My friend compared Mr. Darcy with Han Solo. Han, like Darcy, isn't the kind of guy you'd want your kid sister to go on a date with. He's a gambler, a smuggler, a rogue, he's headstrong, sarcastic, and a little insulting (though "Great, kid--don't get cocky!" is a far cry from Darcy's put-downs). But Han is attractive in a rough-edges sort of way. All the girls want Han, not Luke (the good guy who, though whiny, at least has a clean criminal record).

I'm not so sure about the comparison. The objections to Han Solo are based principally on the ways in which he spends his time. When you get down to it, though, he's a likable guy who's loyal to his friends and looks out for other people. Darcy, on the other hand, is fundamentally self-centered, despite his great wealth and social status, which result in countless missed opportunities for charitable actions (or even civility!) that aren't meant to woo the girl.

Han is a good person in a bad situation. Darcy is a jerk in a good situation. That's all there is to it.