Bridget Jones Baby Bridget Reading Long Name Tag
For those of you that don't know, Bridget is the main character of Helen Fielding'south series, Bridget Jones'southward Diary. Originally starting as a newspaper column and finally ending up as a series of rom-coms, the story centres around Bridget and her slightly desperate attempts to get her life together. Both the books and the films were praised for being an accurate portrayal of the challenges of modernistic womanhood, likewise as being incredibly funny. As for Bridget herself, she has go the patron saint of single women everywhere, and a staple of every girls' dark in.
But does she measure up to the hype? Let'due south detect out – but sentry out for spoilers!
- Does the character shape her own destiny? Does she actively try to change her situation and if not, why not?
Most of Bridget's story centres around her own attempts to go her life into some semblance of order. The plot revolves around her trying to make a amend life for herself, whether that's past giving up smoking, trying to drink less and losing weight or by finding herself a suitable boyfriend. She doesn't always succeed, but she keeps trying no matter how many setbacks she stumbles into. I'll give her the indicate.
SCORE SO FAR: 1
- Does she take her own goals, beliefs and hobbies? Did she come up with them on her own?
Nosotros don't encounter a lot of Bridget's hobbies apart from long, boozy dinners with her friends. Her goals, all the same, are much clearer – they're literally written out at the start of the book as New Year's Resolutions. Bridget wants to lose weight, potable less, stop smoking, and find a dainty boyfriend. Several other goals pop upward along the way – such as finding a meliorate job and, bizarrely, getting out of Thai prison – but equally a full general rule, she'southward ever got something that she'due south working towards.
Her behavior are likewise pretty well-divers too. She's quite left-wing, which causes a few disagreements between her and her boyfriend, and she actually believes in the ability of self-help books. I'll give her the indicate.
SCORE SO FAR: 2
- Is her character consistent? Do her personality or skills alter as the plot demands?
For the almost part, Bridget is a very consequent character. She'southward well-significant, slightly incompetent, funny, easy-going and relaxed, only she can be very determined when she wants to be and she'southward very prone to temptation.
Every bit far as her skills go, we don't really see a lot of what she's good at. Instead, we run across a lot of what she's bad at, such equally cooking, skiing, public speaking and blending in at a fancy party. Personally, I call back this works just besides in terms of Bridget'due south character building. Establishing a lack of skills can be just as effective as showing a character with a natural talent, as it adds another layer to their personality and often makes them much more relatable.
SCORE SO FAR: three
- Can you lot describe her in one short sentence without mentioning her dearest life, her physical appearance, or the words 'stiff female character'?
A bumbling, incompetent but well-meaning woman tries to plough her life around.
SCORE SO FAR: four
- Does she brand decisions that aren't influenced by her love life?
Bridget's love life is a significant part of both the books and the films, but it isn't all there is to her. Her story doesn't just centre around her attempts to get a swain; it also covers her efforts to go a better, healthier person. In both storylines nosotros see Bridget trying to surrender bad habits and working towards establishing a career that she finds more fulfilling.
That said, most of Bridget's storyline does circumduct around which charming British thespian she wants to buss. This manifests itself in lots of awkward stuttering, embarrassing moments, makeout sessions and two of the funniest, sweariest fight scenes in cinematic history:
While Bridget's attempts to find a boyfriend aren't the only elements to her story, they are pretty key to information technology. Even though Bridget is trying to fix other areas of her life, it's fabricated pretty clear that getting herself a beau is the most of import one. Bridget – and most of the other characters she comes across – views this as the thing which will ready all the rest of her bug, and even though Bridget doesn't focus all her attending on this, it's pretty clear that this is what she'southward really worried nearly. I'll requite her half a signal.
SCORE SO FAR: iv.5
- Does she develop over the course of the story?
Bridget does actually develop over the course of the story. She learns to walk away from things – whether that's a bad relationship or a chore she doesn't similar any more than – and actually ends upward raising her ain self-esteem in the process. She doesn't achieve all the goals she ready out to – she nevertheless drinks similar a fish and smokes similar a chimney – merely in trying to reach them she has nevertheless grown as a character. I'll give her the signal.
SCORE And then FAR: v.v
- Does she have a weakness?
Bridget has plenty of weaknesses. She'due south insecure, she's very quick to judge, she wildly over-estimates her own skills, she doesn't communicate very clearly and she doesn't always recall things through, leading her to make several very bad decisions.
These weaknesses do actually concord her back through the course of the story, too. Her lack of communication skills creates problems in all her relationships, her quick judgement means she's completely taken in by mannerly weasel Daniel Cleaver, and her inability to think things through actually lands her in a Thai prison house, when she unknowingly attempts to smuggle drugs through an aerodrome.
These are all very well-established weaknesses that don't just magically disappear when her life is dorsum on track – they're things she continually has to piece of work to overcome. Full marks here.
SCORE SO FAR: 6.5
- Does she influence the plot without getting captured or killed?
Bridget is a real influence on the plot. Her decisions create most of the storyline, whether it'due south starting time a disastrous relationship with Daniel Cleaver, finding herself a ameliorate job, taking new opportunities to travel or actively trying to repair her mistakes. She does spend a fair amount of fourth dimension reacting to other people's decisions also, simply that's not to say she doesn't brand decisions of her own. I'll give her the point.
SCORE Then FAR: 7.v
- How does she chronicle to stereotypes most gender?
Information technology's very like shooting fish in a barrel to look at Bridget Jones and encounter a lot of negative gender stereotypes there. Even though the story is about more than her beloved life, much of the plot revolves around the belief that a single woman in her thirties has somehow failed at life. Information technology isn't the fact that Bridget has managed to attain her thirties without learning how to feed herself, resorts to drowning her sorrows in vodka on a monthly ground, and stumbles from one bad conclusion to the adjacent that marks her out as a failure – it'due south the fact that she hasn't gotten married nevertheless.
Much like Rose Dawson, what makes Bridget Jones such an interesting character is that gender stereotypes are very obviously on bear witness. In Bridget'southward case, these take the form of other people'south expectations that she will settle down, go married and showtime having children. This is a abiding characteristic of Bridget'south story – the question "how's your dearest life?" pops up so often information technology may equally well exist a part of the drinking game.
The interesting thing is that whereas Rose was stifled past expectations like this, Bridget doesn't actually seem to mind them. She jokes along with them, but doesn't really question them, and isn't really moved past them in any existent capacity. This is actually kind of refreshing. We so rarely see a female grapheme who wants adequately traditional things from her life, nonetheless isn't really bothered by the pressure placed on women that tin can surround these goals. Bridget knows she wants a fulfilling relationship for her own sake, rather than to encounter somebody else's expectations.
In that location's no getting abroad from the fact Bridget's singledom is treated like a sign of failure on her part, but personally, I don't think she'southward that bad in terms of gender stereotypes. Yes, she wants fairly traditional things, but she wants them on her own terms. She doesn't just want any erstwhile beau, she wants a man who can live upward to – if not surpass – her expectations. She doesn't just want a boyfriend for the sake of having ane, she wants a boyfriend because she knows that a stable, loving human relationship will make her happy. What's more, her human relationship never eclipses the other of import things in her life, like her family, her friends and her career – it's all part of a wide range of things that make her happy. I'll requite her one-half a signal, but I can't help feeling I'm being a little harsh.
SCORE Then FAR: 8
- How does she chronicle to other female characters?
Bridget has plenty of relationships with other female person characters. She has a wide circumvolve of friends who she gets drunk with on a regular footing. She has a number of snooty colleagues she has to deal with – one of which, Perpetua, she actually manages to impress, and the two gain a footling more respect for each other. She's incredibly insecure when confronted with all the intelligent, gorgeous women her number among her love rivals, but she's never catty nigh them – they just ship her into a panic. One of them, as it turns out, really fancies Bridget and not her boyfriend, which leads to a certain corporeality of flattered embarrassment on Bridget'south part.
But Bridget'southward most interesting relationship is with her mother, Pamela. Bridget is exasperated by her mother's constant attempts to friction match-make her with almost every 'nice swain' she sees, but can't recognise the fact that her mother is unhappy in her ain marriage. When she leaves her begetter it's a total shock, and she genuinely tin can't empathise how it could've happened. Somewhen, Bridget's parents reunite, but only after Pamela confesses that sometimes she feels pushed out by how close Bridget is with her father, every bit she is ofttimes the butt of their jokes. This is a surprisingly detailed parent-child human relationship for what'due south billed every bit a adequately standard rom-com, and really adds a layer to Bridget's graphic symbol. I'll give her the point.
FINAL SCORE: 9/x
Bridget is a character who's in control of her ain life, has a range of hobbies, goals and beliefs, works confronting weaknesses that hold her back and develops over the form of her story. Yeah, her honey life is pretty central to her story, and some of it falls in line with some pretty unfortunate gender stereotypes, only that's not all there is to her. She's a adult graphic symbol with a range of interests outside her relationship, and I'thou proud to say she's passed my test.
That brings the Month of Love to a close, and it'due south fourth dimension to tot up what I've learned. Unlike Villain Month, where every character passed my test, it's been much more of a mixed bag. All the characters I've looked at this month accept had very different storylines in a range of different settings, much like their evil counterparts, merely the laissez passer rate hasn't been anywhere well-nigh every bit loftier.
I think this is because whereas villainesses go against the grain and defy what we traditionally expect of women, romantic heroines tend non to. Every bit a general rule female characters are much more likely to be classed as someone'south love interest than to be classed as the villain. My electric current theory is that it'southward harder for villainesses to fall back on traditional gender stereotypes, so they tend to get more development and more of an explanation for why they are the way they are. Romantic heroines, on the other paw, often follow along a much more than traditional storyline, and are much more prone to stereotypes dictating their personalities.
This is really what let downwards the 2 characters who failed my test this month. They didn't take enough going on that wasn't related to their love lives. Their stories begun and ended with the fact that they savage in love, but there wasn't all that much more than to them than that. Contrast that with the ii who passed, who had clearly been developed as characters without their dear lives coming into their development, and information technology becomes clear which are the more well-written characters.
It'south very easy for a female character'southward storyline, development and personality to fall dorsum on stereotypes when she'south cast as the romantic pb. It'southward easier for a writer to permit the role of 'The Dearest Involvement' take over when developing a female person character becomes hard, but the reality is that this really sells love brusk. If a character'southward love life completely eclipses their personality, it's often incredibly difficult to run across what made their partner fall in dear with them in the first identify. Every relationship is different in its own particular mode, and authors falling back on tired onetime tropes in identify of exploring something in more than depth does dear an injustice.
To my mind, this is the real danger that romance stories present. Information technology is not that falling in honey is a pace back for female characters – this is simply not true. It'due south that romance stories often tend to naturally follow some very quondam-fashioned gender stereotypes, and it'south very easy for an author to rely on those stereotypes rather than crafting a heroine with a well-adult personality. This is a subject that the romance community at large is trying to address. Many people who know the genre much amend than I exercise accept written intelligently and eloquently on the subject, and I strongly advise you lot to bank check them out.
Only information technology's actually very easy for a heroine to be the lead in a romantic novel and still have a well-developed personality with strengths, weaknesses and growth. A picayune while ago, I was an intern at Mills & Benefaction – for those of you lot that don't know, it's the UK banner connected to Harlequin, which often publishes very traditional romances that aren't always seen as specially skillful. I went into my internship expecting to be working with a certain kind of book, just I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer range of characters I concluded upwards coming across. They were all leads in adequately traditional romances, but they were likewise widows, single mothers, doctors, socialites, rape survivors, corruption victims, control freaks, scientists stuck in an Antarctic research station – the list goes on. Their love lives were central to their stories, just it was past no ways the but things the characters had going on – before they even met their gorgeous billionaire boyfriends, they were already working towards a goal of their own.
This is the kind of character I'd like to see more of in romance stories. Characters who already pb distinct and interesting lives before they encounter the hero – characters with goals, characters with beliefs that drive them through everything they do, characters who accept to struggle to work past their own weaknesses and still observe love at the end of information technology all. That's the kind of romantic lead I can get behind.
Next week, I'll be looking at His Dark Materials. Lyra, I'yard coming for you.
And if you're looking for all my posts on Strong Female Characters, you can find them here.
Source: https://jowritesstuff.wordpress.com/2016/02/27/strong-female-characters-bridget-jones/
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