You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie
By Orchidvines
Its Classic. Its Cliché.
Very vintage. Very overdone.
The debate between which of these two concepts is best has existed since the first moment a teenaged Neanderthal pulled old her mother's skin-cloth dress and called it "old", while being met with the reply of "antique". Its an age old story of taste in general-of traditional versus outdated. This debate creeps in almost every portion of our daily lives, and has especially found its way into the world of literature.
Personally, I've never taken a side between the bickering couple. I prefer to believe that it's a marriage between the new concepts and the old that create the most memorable and inspiring ideas. That using an older and even somewhat clichéd idea is fine-as long as you make it interesting. I find that missing this merging of new and old flavors is often one of the biggest downfalls for FanFiction writers. People, underneath it all, like to be comfortable. And in order to maintain that comfort, they choose easy roads. . Simple stories that don't challenge themselves or their readers. Plot and character changed that have been done and used a hundred times-no matter which category it may be under. And using one of these common plots isn't always a bad thing-often, it can lead to some of the best work I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
The beautiful child that was created between the union of a traditional plot and a modern author is entitled You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie and is a Pride and Prejudice ficwritten by Orchidvines. The main tale behind this story is well known, and purposely obvious. An angel descends from above and transfers and unhappy human man into an alternate reality to see what his life could have been like, based on certain decisions. You can pull the source material from where ever you like: It's a Wonderful Life, A Family Man, even perhaps, A Christmas Carol. We all know the story, and there are plenty of Fanfiction stories out there following this overdone plot.
Knowing what the plot was, I honestly didn't know how I would feel about this particular story before I began to read it. From the summary, and my knowledge of work the author had done previously, I knew the story would be charming and witty. But did I really want to sit threw another hopelessly romantic tale where he gets the girl in the end and changes himself for the better and realizing his mistakes and righting his wrongs and blah, blah, blah?
Nevertheless, I read it.
And was more than pleasantly surprised.
Orchidvines has managed to somehow turned an old and somewhat boring story into a delightful and even riveting story. I loved it-can not express my sheer joy upon reading it.
The story begins as we met our Mr. Darcy-handsome, a business tycoon best friends with Charlie Bingley, and driving a BMW. Of course, this last detail should inform you that he more of an asshole than usual (No offense to those BMW owners. I'm sure it's a lovely vehicle). And, between you and me, that is saying something.
Throughout his day, he thinks off and on about Elizabeth Bennet, his old college girlfriend.
And then he dies.
That chapter right there had me pause for a moment as well.
I'm a Darcy-lover, through and through. You never kill Darcy. Never. Not even a little. He must remain perfect and whole and must sweep us off our feet near the end of the book in a lovely romantic blur.
But he dies.
And then we meet who we then suspect to be God.
She's a bit of a cat-lady. She explains several things to Darcy, including that she is not God, that he is not dead (although not exactly in his prime either) and that something bad and strange will happen when he wakes up.
Cat-Lady-Not-God, also known as Jules, becomes a favorite of mine in this tale.
When Darcy awakens he is husband to Lizzy, and father to two small boys. He runs a bookstore.
He does not drive a BMW. Although he is still a bit of an asshole.
I'm not going to give anything away, or course. But over the next few weeks, Darcy learns how to live with his new life, and what his old was missing.
In some ways, this story is clichéd.
The main hero is handsome, rich, and does get the girl. The story is laced with Darcy realizing his mistakes and righting his wrongs.
But its also so much more than that.
The writing is fast and sharp. Each jokes hits you quick and hard, but lets go just in time to slap you with a new one. The writing style is obvious intelligent, while at the same time staying simple and true to the purpose of the story. The ingenious plot that Orchidvines has dreamed up is just the perfect balance of complex and basic. It easy enough that almost anyone with an IQ over Forest's could keep up, but just twisty enough that by the time you get to the last chapter you're hanging on by your fingernails wondering-just maybe-"Maybe he won't". I love this story. Its witty and fully of charming characters. And each time I read it I fall a little more in love with it.
Someday this amazing, fantastic author will be published-and God forbid, because she's going to give Jane Austen a run for her money. I highly recommend this piece.
It's a Wonderful work.