Race and Ethnicity in Pride and Prejudice

In the novel, there are absolutely no mentions of people of colour. In the english countryside during the Regency Era, there was little to no diversity. While it is possible that any of the families could have owned slaves, there is never any mention of it. In all of Jane Austen’s novels, there is only one that even mentions slavery-which is Mansfield Park. Consequently, the casts for all three historical adaptations of the novel are completely white. In the Bollywood production, the majority of the cast is indian, which makes perfect sense since the majority of the movie takes place in India. In The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, the Bingleys (aka Bing and Caroline Lee) and Ms. Lucas (aka Charlotte Lu) are asian and Colonel Fitzwilliams (aka Fitz) is african american, making it a more diverse cast as a way to modernise the story. Present-day California- where the adaptation takes place- is much more diverse than Regency Era England and the show makes sure to portray that more accurately. Though both adaptations boast diverse casts, there are two characters that continue to be played by white men- Darcy and Wickham. Wealthy, privileged Darcy is always played by a white man because in the past two hundred years, white men have continued to be the most privileged group. Wickham, though not wealthy and not as privileged, he is still used as a stereotype of the deceptive and greedy white man who indulges in gambling and excessive spending. Both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham are roles more suited to be played by white men.