Monday is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In honor of this occasion The Economist has charted the number of times the novel's protagonists, Elizabeth Bennet. and the man who ultimately becomes her love interest, Fitzwilliam Darcy (a.k.a. Mr. Darcy), have appeared in books and journals in Britain over the years. While Lizzy has been steadily mentioned through time, Darcy's name has gone through fits and spurts of popularity in texts. The Economist elaborates: "The brooding Mr Darcy, however, did not fare well during the time of women's suffrage or second-wave feminism. But in the 1990s he bounced back, thanks to a BBC television series featuring Colin Firth in a wet shirt and Helen Fielding's 'Bridget Jones's Diary' (the film adaptation of which also starred Mr Firth)." Thank you, to Mr. Firth and his shirt, for reviving Mr. Darcy:

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Esther Zuckerman