What if we've been reading Jane Austen and romantic classics all wrong? A literary scholar offers a funny, brainy, eye-opening take on how our contemporary love stories are actually terrifying. Covering cultural touchstones ranging from Normal People to Taylor Swift and from Lord Byron to The Bachelor, The Darcy Myth is a book for anyone who loves thinking deeply about literature and culture whether it s Jane Austen or not. You already know Mr. Darcy at least you think you do! The brooding, rude, standoffish romantic hero of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy initially insults and ignores the witty heroine, but eventually succumbs to her charms. It s a classic enemies-to-lovers plot, and one that has profoundly influenced our cultural ideas about courtship. But what if this classic isn t just a grand romance, but a horror novel about how scary love and marriage can be for women? In The Darcy Myth, literature scholar Rachel Feder unpacks Austen s Gothic influences and how they ve led us to a romantic ideal that s halfway to being a monster story. Why is our culture so obsessed with cruel, indifferent romantic heroes (and sometimes heroines)? How much of that is Darcy s fault? And, now that we know, what do we do about it?

A USA TODAY Bestseller

“A wildly entertaining read.”—The Washington Post

“The Darcy Myth explores the ways in which romantic fiction has contributed to creating a deeply harmful cultural notion that “bad boys” — à la the brooding, cranky Mr. Darcy of Pride & Prejudice — represent the path to true love”—CNN

“An entertaining and thought-provoking ride.”—The New Republic

“Feder’s study is a readable, entertaining contemporary analysis that is suitable for students new to Austen’s work and for discussion groups looking for a fresh approach to many readers’ favorite novel.”—Library Journal, starred review

“[The Darcy Myth is] the most interesting interpretation of the phenomenon that was and is Darcy.”—Maya Rodale, XO Romance

Rachel Feder is an associate professor of English and literary arts at the University of Denver, where she regularly ruins Pride and Prejudice for her students (but in a fun way!). Her work on the Gothic and nineteenth-century British literature includes the book Harvester of Hearts: Motherhood Under the Sign of Frankenstein and the Norton Library Edition of Dracula, which she edited. Her poetry and prose have appeared widely.