Whatever fanfic may dream up, Darcy is never described in Pride and Prejudice as "a man of the world." Perhaps that was a limitation on the part of female writer, or perhaps it was her delicacy that the topic is ignored.
At Rosings, when Darcy and the Colonel are standing with Elizabeth around the piano, she says of Darcy that he is a man who has lived in the world. But that is not quite the same thing as saying he has carnal knowledge of women, and wouldn't it have been surprising for the virginal Elizabeth to allude to such a possibility? She is only saying, I think, that he knows his way around enough to not be tongie-tied when talking to people, that he has no excuse for not exerting himself socially.
Perhaps the question of whether a man such as Darcy, or Knightley for that matter, would have had intimate experience with the opposite sex is something the men in the audience could address? What seems most likely, given men's natures? Certainly, we know that 40-year female virgins exist and especially during the Regency period, one would expect an unmarried woman to be a virgin.
But a man whose wealth gave him options -- would he eschew all the promptings of his hormones and save himself for his virginal bride? Would it be such a bad thing for a man to seek some experience? After all, men have needs -- right? Come on, guys, give us the straight (or, otherwise) scoop.
At Rosings, when Darcy and the Colonel are standing with Elizabeth around the piano, she says of Darcy that he is a man who has lived in the world. But that is not quite the same thing as saying he has carnal knowledge of women, and wouldn't it have been surprising for the virginal Elizabeth to allude to such a possibility? She is only saying, I think, that he knows his way around enough to not be tongie-tied when talking to people, that he has no excuse for not exerting himself socially.
Perhaps the question of whether a man such as Darcy, or Knightley for that matter, would have had intimate experience with the opposite sex is something the men in the audience could address? What seems most likely, given men's natures? Certainly, we know that 40-year female virgins exist and especially during the Regency period, one would expect an unmarried woman to be a virgin.
But a man whose wealth gave him options -- would he eschew all the promptings of his hormones and save himself for his virginal bride? Would it be such a bad thing for a man to seek some experience? After all, men have needs -- right? Come on, guys, give us the straight (or, otherwise) scoop.