But a group of UK academics have discovered that Austen's fictional heartthrob Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy didn't look at all like the actors — Colin Firth and Matthew MacFadyen — who've played him.
The research — led by Professor John Sutherland from University College London and Professor Amanda Vickery from Queen Mary University of London — involved a month-long study to gain a historically accurate idea of what Darcy would have looked like
The academics looked into Austen's personal life and relationships to draw conclusions about who might have been the inspiration for Mr Darcy. They also looked into the descriptions and illustrations *of the character and the socio-eco**mic and cultural factors that would contribute to Darcy's background, appearance and lifestyle.* Read more...