The Japanese language uses a term, tsundere, which refers to a character who is “initially cold (and sometimes even hostile) before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time” (Wikipedia). The term began in the realm of Japanese dating games, usually referring to female characters in games targeted towards men. However, I think that this word encapsulates a character trope in a way that no English language equivalent can—even if one were to refer to it as “playing hard to get”, it doesn’t truly show what it means to be a tsundere.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, along with other works of hers (in this case I refer to the character of Mr. Knightley in Emma), uses tsundere (long, long before the creation of the actual term) within the main male love interest. Put simply, Mr. Darcy is a tsundere.
At the beginning of the novel, Austen builds Darcy to be an incredibly unlikeable character. Per the definition of tsundere, he is described to be cold, especially in his rejection to the idea of dancing with Elizabeth, which is referred to as “coldly said” (Austen, 9). Within the same moment, he is shown to be hostile, insulting Elizabeth by calling her “not handsome enough to tempt [him]” and implying her to have been rejected by other men (Austen, 9). By starting Darcy off in such a manner where he is rude and cold to Elizabeth, Austen is setting up a relationship in the same way as the tsundere trope, relying on the concept of people wanting what they cannot have, and that passion, even hateful passion, is the basis for an intense relationship of some kind.
Over the course of the novel, as a variety of events bring them close, Darcy is transformed before the eyes of both Elizabeth and the reader into a gentleman who is shown to truly care for Elizabeth. After his first proposal, which seemed to have been propelled by the previously mentioned passion within their relationship, he is humbled in his second proposal, which has been alternatively inspired by real feelings of love and devotion. When he confesses his continued love to Elizabeth, he tells her that “[his] affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from [her] will silence [him] on this subject forever” (325). By phrasing his confession in this way, he has become warmer and friendlier than before, not giving out his feelings with prideful intensity but giving Elizabeth the power in the conversation to say no.
Jane Austen, of course, wrote novels long before the concept of a tsundere could ever exist. However, her use of the trope shows a through line of appealing characters in fiction from the 19th century to now; people enjoy falling in love with a character they originally assumed to be out of reach and unlovable. Beyond this, people enjoy a character who falls in love with them (or in the case of Austen’s literature, the main character) despite the original impression that said character detested them. The times may change and new words may be used to refer to character tropes, but those tropes remain timeless despite any evolution.
I see you gave me no credit for teaching you this term. Rude!
ReplyDeleteAside from that misstep, I think you’ve hit upon a very crucial observation about Jane Austen works that can possibly explain a great deal about why so many people in the modern age seem to love them so much. As you mentioned in your post, the term tsundere became popularized through Japanese dating sims, which already suggests that people tend to find this particular character trope attractive and interesting. I also think that, like dating sims, Jane Austen novels are in part structured in a way wherein a (female) reader can insert themselves rather easily into the protagonist’s role, thereby creating an emotional connection with other characters, including the love-interest tsundere. People enjoy the idea of being so special that they enable a previously cold, disinterested character to be overcome with passion for them; they also enjoy the power they are able to wield over said character once they’ve been converted. It makes people feel like they are different—the “not like other girls” character trope is also connected to this. Jane Austen’s prolific use of the tsundere character taps into this style of attraction with ease, and I believe that there is no question that the type of romance portrayed here—the type characterized by the tsundere—plays a large part in continuing the popularity of her novels even into the modern day. This trope, after all, is still being used with great success in modern media, so it is obvious that people continue to want this type of interaction.