By james art By Abby Hayden
Published in 1996, Helen Fielding’s novel, Bridget Jones’s Diarybecame a worldwide sensation. With millions of copies sold worldwide, Fielding became a driving force behind the ‘chick lit movement’ of the 1990s, and her series of books were turned into beloved film adaptations that remain popular even decades later. So, of course, when the Durham Book Festival announced that Helen Fielding would be attending a speaker event in the city, it was an opportunity not to be missed.
Hosted by Claire Malcolm, the talk took place on a characteristically miserable Saturday afternoon, with hundreds of eager book fans crammed into the Gala Theater to escape the rain. I had experienced a Bridget Jones incident while walking around town when my umbrella turned upside down, meaning I arrived with wet hair and melting make-up, a scene very similar to Bridget herself arriving at a work event in her diary. Taking heart from the fact that I at least got the full Bridget Jones experience, I found my friend (my very own Jude, if you will) and we took our seats in the soaring auditorium.
The satire that surrounds these grounded, recognizable realities is simply a way in which the honest experience of a modern woman’s life can be warmly understood
Within minutes, Fielding had the audience in the palm of his hand. Unwittingly funny, highly intelligent and reassuringly down-to-earth, Fielding began by talking about growing up in Morley, West Yorkshire, attributing her innate sense of humor to her northern origins. The writer recalled an encounter during her time at Oxford University when a female peer confronted her, saying “I thought you were really sophisticated until you opened your mouth”, an anecdote that drew laughter from the audience in Durham. Moments later, however, the author takes a more honest tone, revealing that she feels how much “the north is overlooked and underappreciated,” especially creatively.
This initial presentation represents more than just Fielding’s conversational style; this echoes the very premise of her novels in general. The clumsy Bridget is hilarious, spinning through life, becoming the clumsy and comic core of every funny scene in both the book and the movie. Yet there is a depth to her character that lies beneath the obvious jokes that makes her so relatable to the reader. The main character is fiercely independent, managing her career and bachelor life in London, yet unfailingly romantic. She strives for self-improvement, relentlessly reads self-help books and makes decisions, while remaining unapologetically critical of herself and her body, adorned with insecurities. The satire that envelops these grounded, recognizable realities is simply a way in which the honest experience of a modern woman’s life can be warmly understood.
It was Virginia Woolf who wrote that we have much to learn from Jane Austen, becoming one of the few authors who saw beyond the supposed “trivialities” of stories of love and friendship. Fielding also supported this celebration of Austen’s work, basing the plot on Bridget Jones’s Diary of Austin Pride and Prejudice. “I always like to try to compare myself to Jane Austen as much as possible,” Helen Fielding joked to the audience, before establishing that “chick” stories actually often contain a lot of raw emotion and experience. Bridget Jones’s Diary is more than a humorous insight into a young woman’s diary, it’s a book about “being human, vulnerable and emotionally honest.”
Fielding praised the current generation for their own culture of open vulnerability, which was not so prominent at the time Bridget Jones was conceived
During the conversation, Fielding praised the current generation for their own culture of open vulnerability, which was not so prominent at the time of Bridget Jones’s conception. “Gen Z is a really interesting generation because they’re really a generation that has seen the world fall apart. They just looked at the TV one day and realized they couldn’t go outside anymore and saw how fragile everything was.” As a result, “they are quite emotionally open and very aware of their emotions and anxiety and talk about it on TikTok, sharing ways to deal with it.” The author smiled, “I see a lot of similarities between Bridget and these girls […] in that they are fragile”.
Fielding’s moving speech soon ended with the promise of a book signing outside the hall. Excited at the prospect of a paperback signing, “Jude” and I headed to the line to meet the author.
In person, Fielding seems like the antithesis of his famous heroine. Effortlessly put together and seemingly at ease, she tells us how glad she is that “[our] generation like this yet”. Her surprise at the enduring fame of her own work was almost unbelievable. Bridget Jones is not just a 90s icon relevant to readers 30 years ago, but rather a timeless symbol of femininity and true authenticity.
Image credit: Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) via The Guardian
