The last few days I’ve gone all out with chick flick catch up and my obsession with Mr. Darcy by watching Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, and Pride and Prejudice (not the BBC version since I don’t have that much time to waste over Spring Break).

This got me thinking: which Mr. Darcy would you rather have? Mark Darcy or Fitzwilliam Darcy? If you’ve forgotten who’s who, here’s a brief refresher:

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy (from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice): 28 year-old very wealthy gentleman with an annual income of at least 10,000 pounds and the proprietor of Pemberley, the largest estate in Derbyshire.  A bit of a smug bastard but extremely tall, dark, and handsome. Elizabeth Bennet, the story’s heroine, hates him at first for being cold and arrogant, but eventually he reveals himself to be a sincerely generous and upright man who had been wronged and misinterpreted and actually loves Elizabeth. Portrayed by Colin Firth in the 1995 BBC series and Matthew Macfayden in the 2005 feature film.

Mark Darcy (from Helen Fielding’s novel Bridget Jones’s Diary): 30-something human rights lawyer who comes from a wealthy background and elite schooling. Introduced by Bridget as “a top barrister. Comes from Grafton Underwood.” Also a bit of a smug bastard who Bridget Jones, the story’s heroine, hates at first for being cold and arrogant, but eventually he reveals himself to be a sincerely generous and upright man who had been wronged and misinterpreted and actually loves Bridget (just the way she is). Portrayed by Colin Firth in the movie adaptation. Hmm that sounds familiar…

So anyway despite the obvious similarities, would you rather have 18th century Victorian artisocrat or 21st century British lawyer? Either way they’re prigs but the most utterly romantic prigs ever conceived in literature.