No, they don't have to be cautionary, but I fear that's where this is going unless they really do something drastic to flip the storyline so Lydia takes back control over her life — both from people who mean well and want to protect her (Lizzie, Jane, her family) and those who want to manipulate and hurt her to cause pain to other people (George). I don't know enough about the book, but from what I'm gathering this is where Darcy swoops in to save the day. I don't want her to be an object acted on, in other words, I want her to do the acting. The only way I see this working is if Darcy goes to Lydia and offers his help. If he goes to Lizzie and does so and Lizzie goes to Lydia like "do this for your own good", or goes behind Lydia and does so, it's going to have all the problems inherent in using the trope (woman victimized; woman stays victimized until men/wiser people help her).
It's not that I have problems with story about victimization (FREX you know how I feel about Tender Morsels). The problem I'm seeing with how the LBD is doing this is that they're modernizing it. It still happens, yes, but where is the modernization of how women can choose to stand up for themselves that wasn't present 200 years ago? I mean, I might cry in my room if this happened to me, but the next step would be scary, scary lawyers. I also get the feeling (from reading wikipedia) that Lydia runs off with George in the book of her own volition , with full knowledge of what it's going to do to her reputation and her family's standing in society. In this, yes, she "runs off" with George (consent, knowledge her family may judge her, but no social repercussions) but the sexual and social coercion of the tape she clearly did not consent to. I don't know how this parallels the book. It may be I'm reacting to a lack of knowledge. I'm just seriously worried that they're not going to be able to swerve fast enough to avoid the giant victim-blaming tree they're driving toward, thereby making Lydia complicit in her own emotional abuse.
no subject
It's not that I have problems with story about victimization (FREX you know how I feel about Tender Morsels). The problem I'm seeing with how the LBD is doing this is that they're modernizing it. It still happens, yes, but where is the modernization of how women can choose to stand up for themselves that wasn't present 200 years ago? I mean, I might cry in my room if this happened to me, but the next step would be scary, scary lawyers. I also get the feeling (from reading wikipedia) that Lydia runs off with George in the book of her own volition , with full knowledge of what it's going to do to her reputation and her family's standing in society. In this, yes, she "runs off" with George (consent, knowledge her family may judge her, but no social repercussions) but the sexual and social coercion of the tape she clearly did not consent to. I don't know how this parallels the book. It may be I'm reacting to a lack of knowledge. I'm just seriously worried that they're not going to be able to swerve fast enough to avoid the giant victim-blaming tree they're driving toward, thereby making Lydia complicit in her own emotional abuse.