Genre
Humor; Romance; Satire
Setting and Context
The novel is set in fashionable middle-class areas of London, UK, in the mid-1990s.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is narrated as a diary by Bridget Jones; the point of view stays with Bridget.
Tone and Mood
The tone is self-effacing, cynical, and humorous; the mood oscillates between despair and joy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Bridget Jones; antagonists include Daniel, Bridget's parents, Bridgets' parents' friends, Mark, Perpetua, and Tom.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that Bridget wants to find contentment by becoming an idealized, faultless version of herself that would deny her conflicting desire to eat what she wants, do what she wants, and be who she really is.
Climax
The novel reaches its climax when Mark returns from Portugal to see that Julio is brought to justice and confesses to Bridget that he wanted to impress her because he is in love with her.
Foreshadowing
Daniel's sudden decision not to attend the Alconburys' Tarts and Vicars party foreshadows the revelation of his infidelity.
Understatement
Allusions
The novel makes allusions to Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, which features a wealthy male love interest whose surname is Darcy.
