Why Saying "Elucien is Regency-Coded" Isn't the Flex You Think It Is
Warning: This is going to be long! As I was scrolling through posts, I saw Elucien shippers talking about how their relationship is so "Regency-Coded" and it "gives Jane Austen." They used a GIF from Pride and Prejudice. Let's talk about that.
The very first sentence of Pride and Prejudice is sarcastic. Austen says, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." This sets the stage for the whole novel. It's not the men who are in want of a wife, but it's the women who are in want of a husband. Why? Purely financial reasons. Most women didn't work, and those who did had very limited job options; none were glamorous, and they didn't pay well. They had to get married to no longer be a financial burden to their families. It wasn't uncommon to marry a relative to keep money in the bloodline, and marriages were often for convenience. Austen wrote the novel as social commentary to call out this practice.
In Pride and Prejudice, no one expects to be married for love. In fact, the FMC Elizabeth Bennet's best friend Charlotte goes so far as to say, "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance." Here's some important context to that story: The Bennet estate is entailed to a cousin named Mr. Collins. Remember how women had limited job opportunities? They can't inherit property either (unless they're super wealthy, but I digress). Mr. Collins is a preacher and a kiss-ass namedropper who is obsessed with status. He visits the Bennet estate as an offer to marry one of the 5 daughters, primarily because it gives him leverage, and his boss thinks it would be a good look for him to be married. First, he sets his sights on Jane (the oldest sister), but Mrs. Bennet believes a marriage proposal is imminent for Jane and her love interest, so she pushes him off on Elizabeth. He's boring and doesn't suit Elizabeth at all, but it's not really about love. It's about convenience and status for Mr. Collins, and convenience and financial security for Elizabeth's family. Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins' proposal even though it means her family could be financially destitute. She wants to marry for love, not convenience.
If we're operating under the assumption that Elain is Elizabeth Bennet, then this is how the rest of the love triangle would be set up according to Pride and Prejudice and ACOTAR.
Much like Elizabeth and Mr. Collins, Elain and Lucien were thrown together. Lucien says that himself: "He just wanted a walkโand a few books. It had been an age since he had free time to read, let alone do so for pleasure. But there she was. His mate. She was nothing like Jesminda. Jesminda had been all laughter and mischief, too wild and free to be contained by the country life that she'd been born into. She had teased him, taunted himโseduced him so thoroughly that he hadn't wanted anything but her. She'd seen him not as a High Lord's seventh son, but as a male. Had loved him without question, without hesitation. She had chosen him. Elain had been...thrown at him," (ACOWAR, Ch. 24). Elain isn't the type of woman Lucien would have chosen for himself, and his first thoughts are comparisons to the woman he really loved. Similarly, Mr. Collins didn't choose Elizabeth, and she certainly didn't choose him.
When Feyre questions the mating bond between Lucien and Elain, Rhys answers, "Many mated pairs will try to make it work, believing the Cauldron selected them for a reason. Only years later will they realize that perhaps the pairing was not ideal in spirit," (ACOWAR, Ch. 24). This is obvious foreshadowing, especially since it is all in the context of Elain and Lucien. When Feyre continues to press the issue, Rhys asks her not to play matchmaker. The reader can infer his motivation: he doesn't want things to get messy. Similarly, Elizabeth could have tried to make it work with Mr. Collins, especially considering the benefits it would have had for her family. The family could keep their estate when Mr. Bennet died, and they wouldn't have to worry about money. Mrs. Bennet pushes Elizabeth to marry Mr. Collins because she doesn't want things to get messy, either. In fact, she says, "Lizzy shall be brought to reason. I will speak to her about it myself directly. She is a very headstrong foolish girl, and does not know her own interest; but I will make her know it." Elizabeth could marry Mr. Collins for her own interest, meaning that Mrs. Bennet thinks it's in everyone's best interest to sacrifice Elizabeth for the good of the family.
Could Elain try to make it work with Lucien for convenience and political reasons? Sure. Remember what Rhys says: "They realize that perhaps the pairing was not ideal in spirit." In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth doesn't try to make things work with Mr. Collins because that pairing would not be ideal in spirit. Again, these are not examples of love matchesโon either side. Mr. Collins doesn't love Elizabeth, and she doesn't love him; Lucien doesn't love Elain, and she doesn't love him.
When Elizabeth marries for love, she marries Mr. Darcy. Some ELucien shippers tried to compare Elizabeth's relationship with Mr. Darcy to Lucien's relationship with Elain, but I reject that premise immediatelyโElizabeth and Darcy were not "thrown together," nor was there any element of convenience to their relationship like we see with Elain and Lucien. Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship developed organically after spending time together (sound like anyone you know?), and they realized that their personalities were quite well-suited for each other. There are a number of examples to illustrate why Elizabeth and Darcy are a good match, just like there are a number of reasons to illustrate why Elain and Azriel are a good match. Elizabeth and Darcy marry for love, and they get their HEA. If this comparison holds, Elain will end up with Azriel, and they will get their HEA.
Elain and Lucien's setup is not a romantic one, and it positions itself as an obstacle to the true love story. For those of you who think Elain should try to work things out with Lucien, you're just like Mrs. Bennet, who, by the way, is one of the most annoying characters in the whole novel.
