Tumblr crosspost (18 November 2019)

[anghraine]

heckofabecca asked:

How would you classify Darcy and Elizabeth on the introvert/extrovert spectrum??? I just saw a meme that has them BOTH as introverts... which sounds fishy

I said:

Darcy’s definitely an introvert.

Elizabeth … I could probably go either way? It’s possible for outgoing, charming people to be actually introverted—they like people, they’re just drained by them. So, potentially, you could see Elizabeth as that sort of stealth introvert, retreating into solitude or near-solitude(with Jane) to recuperate all that energy she expends.

Buuuut you could just as easily see her “spirits” (to use her word) as pretty typical extraversion, energized by the people and world around her, and turning broody and discontented when she’s isolated with her thoughts for any serious length of time. You could even see her tendency to “side” with definite extraverts like Bingley and Wickham (despite ultimately connecting more to introverts like Jane, Charlotte, and Darcy) as a byproduct of an immature extraversion where she can’t quite grasp that some people are operating off a very different system.

These days, I do tend to see her as a pretty standard extravert, but there’s a fair argument for both IMO (or something in between). Also, I think adaptations tend to lean pretty hard on the introvert side, which can be a factor in how she’s categorized.