My guest today on Diary of an Eccentric is Heather Lynn Rigaud, author of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star, a contemporary re-telling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. If you desire an edgier, steamier take on Austen’s masterpiece, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star (check out my review) might be the book for you. I’m always searching for unique takes on Austenesque novels, which many of you know are my guilty pleasure, and I was very curious about why Rigaud chose to turn Austen’s characters into rock stars. I’m happy to welcome her here today to shed some light on that subject. Please give a warm welcome to Heather Lynn Rigaud:
Hi Anna,
It’s nice to be here with you. It’s always pleasant to meet a fellow knitter and Jane Austen fan.
You’ve asked me the most popular question of my blog tour, which is “Why rock stars?” and I’ll admit is seems like a very strange idea. But I’ll be happy to write a bit about Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star and the thought process behind it.
When you first encounter the title, sometimes there’s a momentary tendency to pull back. Maybe even cringe. (It’s okay, I know) I think the reason is there is something showy and garish about Rock and Roll. Perhaps even something immature or loud. And if we know anything, it’s that Darcy is never garish or loud or immature. As Austen lovers, there is a crazy need to protect him from anything that might embarrass him. I get that and I share that feeling.
So let me put all your fears to rest, right here, right now. My Darcy is not immature or garish or showy or anything that might dull that Darcy glow. He’s proud, he’s aloof, he’s Darcy. When he’s on stage, he wears dark sunglasses and never speaks. When he does promotions, he’s polite to his fans, but ignores talk show hosts. Despite all the rumors to the contrary, he’s extremely professional in all of his behavior. He is, first and foremost, is a master musician and that is very Darcy.
Darcy’s band follows the Rock band tradition of having a friendly and outgoing frontman (Bingley) and a super-talented and silent guitarist. It’s likely that some of the public doesn’t even realize that Darcy’s in charge. They just hear Bingley talking, which let’s face it, is something Bingley does really well. (I kind of suspect that’s why Darcy keeps him around)
This was brought home to me all over again a Metallica concert I went to last week, where the singer and rhythm guitarist, James Hedfield, talked to the crowd, charming us all. Meanwhile the virtuoso guitarist, Kirk Hammett, never said a peep. He let his amazing guitar work do all the talking, and it was very expressive. This dynamic is not unusual. I can quickly think of 5 top-level bands set up like this and I’m sure you could too. (U2, Areosmith, Van Halen, Guns n’ Roses, Queen)
So lets get back to the question of ‘Why Rock Stars?’ The reason is that one of the things that is crucial to Austen’s story mechanics is that there has to be a reason why Elizabeth and Darcy are not a ‘proper’ match. In Pride and Prejudice, it’s the differences in their social class. Darcy is the grandson of an aristocrat, while Elizabeth’s mother’s side is still in trade. (We can tell from his mother being ‘Lady’ Anne) His wealth and property place him on a very different level from the Bennets, who are literally one heartbeat away from ruin. One of the things Darcy and Elizabeth need to overcome in the course of the story to be together is that class difference.
For my modern story, I wanted to recreate and update that difference. I needed a reason that Darcy and Elizabeth, on the surface at least, wouldn’t be obvious match. It’s harder in our society to find these differences than it was in Austen’s time, but fame is certainly something that would fit. My next question was how would Darcy be famous? He could be a rich CEO businessman, but that’s kind of boring. He could be a classical musician, but that’s been done. I wanted to try something that hasn’t been done before. Then I heard a song that was absolutely Darcy during that horrible time when he’s made his first proposal and Elizabeth has rejected him. That helped me to decide to make Darcy a rock star. It was new, it was risky, (because boy, the chance of it not working was pretty high) and I knew I could write it.
Darcy is famous, from a famous family. Elizabeth is a nobody from an average, unremarkable family. There’s some tension right there, but how to get them together? It occurred to me that a newer, up-and-coming band seeking fame could parallel a regency era lady seeking to improve her station through marriage. And just as in Pride and Prejudice Darcy felt he needed to protect his friend from a woman who just wanted his money and position, my modern Darcy would want to protect Charles from a woman who just wanted his fame. After all, can you think of a woman who’s famous just for the men she’s dated? I can. Several, in fact. It’s never a good situation.
My goal was to have a similar dynamic to Pride and Prejudice for my characters in which to interact. So, there’s my set up: Darcy and his band is rich and famous. Elizabeth and her band are not. Elizabeth wants to prove she’s good enough after being insulted by Darcy. And Darcy wants to protect his friends from the women’s ‘arts and allurements.’ We put that all into the fast-paced, high drama world of a rock band on national tour, and you’ve got Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star.
What do you think? Have I made my case for Rock Star Darcy, or are those shades of Pemberley being thus polluted? I am all eagerness to hear what you and your readers have to say. Thank you for having me here today.
Thanks, Heather! It certainly is an interesting and unique take on the classic novel.
Are any of you interested in getting to know Mr. Darcy as a rock star? If so, you’re in luck! Courtesy of Sourcebooks, I have one copy of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star up for grabs. To enter, simply leave a comment with your e-mail address. [Warning: This book contains explicit sex, so please, no entrants under age 18.] Because the publisher is shipping the book, this giveaway is open to readers with addresses in U.S. and Canada only. This giveaway will close at 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011.
**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**
Disclosure: I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
What great insight into her thinking. I really like her thought process and her decision to make them rock stars.
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oops no need to enter me, I’ll be reviewing this later in the month.
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Anna, thank you again for having me here and giving me a chance to meet your readers. I’m always happy to see what they have to say.
Serena: Thanks for commenting. I’m looking forward to your review.
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You’re very welcome!
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I am over 18, and am keen on reading about Mr. Darcy as a rocker! What a cool mash-up!! Thanks for hosting!
freda.mans[at]gmail.com
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Great post! I’m still not sure this would be a retelling that I’d like to read but I sure do appreciate the thought process that went into creating the book!
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Freda: Thanks for commenting and good luck with the drawing.
Darlene: Google books has the first 100 pages online for free, so you can take a look and see for yourself.
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Wow…that was fantastic insight into Pride and Prejudice and the correlation to it being a modern tale with a rock band at the center. I’ll admit I was a little leery about this but now I’m really intrigued! Thanks for the post and please count me in for the contest.
junegirl63 at gmail dot com
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I think this must be a very funny book! The title alone cracks me up. Terrific guest post. Please enter me in this great giveaway, Anna. I’ll post this giveaway in my blog’s sidebar.
suko95(at)gmail(dot)com
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Thanks for posting the giveaway, Suko! I really appreciate it.
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Maria: Thanks for the compliment. I find Pride & Prejudice to be such a timeless story at its base, and Darcy and Elizabeth are such clear and well-drawn characters, that it fits into many different scenarios. And it’s fun to think about and explore some of the possibilities that Austen did not.
Suko: There are funny moments and there are very dramatic moments. I tried for a bit of everything. 😀
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i’m interested…thanks for the chance to read this novel.
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Hi Anna! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting on my book blog. I really want to read P & P’s annotated version now. I’ve read the book more times than I can count, but I have no doubt the notes would open my eyes to a lot of things!
Cindy @ Cindy’s Book Club
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The annotated version is a gem! There’s so much information, and it really makes reading the book a much more rewarding experience.
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Eeeeek! I Reeeaaaally can’t wait to read this! I am all excitement! 🙂
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I liked hearing Heather’s thought process in maintaining the divide of Elizabeth and Darcy from Regency to Contemporary times. I do think this is a great idea and probably a good entree book for someone who won’t consider Austen because her books were written 2 centuries ago.
melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com
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I was wondering what Ms. Rigaud is writing next. I have read Longbourn and Pemberley Go To War, which is also a great read.
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Amanda,
At the moment, I’m celebrating being done with the blog tour. lol. I’m doing a hard re-write of Longborne & Pemberley, which is badly in need of updating. Then I have plans to do an update of Northanger Abbey, and I have one or two original para-normal romances in the works.
I might be posting a Halloween short story at hte end of October, just for fun.
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I am so fascinated by the idea of Darcy as a rockstar I must read this! Thank you for the giveaway!
Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com
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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered or just stopped by to read the guest post. The winner will be chosen via Randomizer.org, e-mailed, and announced shortly.
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