48 pages 1 hour read

Bridget Jones's Diary

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1996

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Written by Helen Fielding in 1996, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romance novel with a comedic twist. In 1998, it was named the British Book of the Year, and in 2003, it placed at number 75 on a BBC survey of favorite novels. A film adaptation was released in 2001. Renee Zellweger played the titular character and received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

This guide refers to the 1996 MacMillan Publishers print edition.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of body shaming and sexism.

Plot Summary

The novel opens at the beginning of the year with the narrator, Bridget Jones, recording some of her New Year’s resolutions. Bridget resolves to stop dating men who treat her poorly. She also decides to stop smoking and drinking to excess and resolves to start saving money and to improve her health.

At a family friend’s New Year’s Day gathering, Bridget’s mother, Pam, and Pam’s friend Una push Bridget to meet Mark Darcy, hoping to play matchmaker. Bridget finds Mark aloof and rude, and he rebuffs her attempts to talk to him.

Bridget reveals that she has a crush on her boss, Daniel, who has a reputation for being a playboy.

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