Jane Austen's Heroines Ranked
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Oh where do I begin with poor Fanny, I wish I could say something positive for the sake of this post, and I will really try, because there are, no doubt, others who actually love her and consider her the best, so I'll do my best to keep a middle-ground. Why is she my least? I don't find there to be anything at all likeable about her. She was and continued to be treated as being the "other relative" of the Bertram family and that sort of stuck throughout the novel. She is treated more like a companion than an actual blood relative, to do housework and tasks that nobody else wants to do, like items from the poor basket, or running back and forth from Aunt Norris's house. She is not at all adventurous or as confrontational nor as witty as, say, Elizabeth Bennet. Nor does she have the serene calmness of, say, Elinore Dashwood.
Jane Austen's own mother thought her inspid. She is just quiet and introverted, hardly able to say boo to a goose. The only person who seemed to treat her as herself was Edmund, but he too blind-sided her when he started to catch feelings for Mary Crawford. She reminds me so much of a mouse, sitting in a corner too skittish to move quickly lest it draws attention to herself. Whilst I do pity her situation, I think if she had spoken up a little more, I might have liked her more, but throughout the book she just gives off this whole 'woe is me' thing that I disliked.
Jane Austen's own mother thought her inspid. She is just quiet and introverted, hardly able to say boo to a goose. The only person who seemed to treat her as herself was Edmund, but he too blind-sided her when he started to catch feelings for Mary Crawford. She reminds me so much of a mouse, sitting in a corner too skittish to move quickly lest it draws attention to herself. Whilst I do pity her situation, I think if she had spoken up a little more, I might have liked her more, but throughout the book she just gives off this whole 'woe is me' thing that I disliked.
As she herself quoted;
“I can never be important to anyone.''What is to prevent you?''Everything -- my situation -- my foolishness and awkwardness."
The pro points of her character though are that, like Anne Elliot in Persuasion, her observation skills are on point. She saw, ahead of the others, that Mr Crawford was a rake. She stood by what she knew was right, avoided doing things that were wrong and had patience that, were I in her shoes, I'd have cracked long ago and pushed Aunt Norris into a pile of dung. Sadly though, she has come bottom of the list. I wish I could like her more but I can not.
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Like Fanny Price, Marianne has this self-pitying wandering shade vibe to her that just irritates me, which is why I love Austen's work so much; her ability to write characters that make you feel such positives and, in this case, negatives. From the very beginning of being introduced to Marianne, she is all dramatics, throwing herself around crying and comparing herself to some doomed woman from historical literature, like she herself was on the stage. This theme continues in the book and more so when she loses Willoughby. All she does is either cry or mope around, making herself ill with love and disappointments. I won't suggest watching the '70s series based on the book, because they latch onto exactly this and all the actress Ciaran Madden does is shriek and toss herself about. Kate Winslet's portrayal was a lot nicer, and in my opinion, nothing can compare to it. She has crying moments, yes, she feels deeply, yes, but she doesn't make it over the top and still accurately brings out Marianne's character.
I do like her spirit when things are positive for her. She has moments which could make people second-glance, in a way that is almost similar to Lydia Bennet; vivacious, not caring what people think, open and carefree. So she is more open and communicative, unlike the poor Fanny Price above.
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Unpopular opinion perhaps, but I do actually think she'd have been more suitable for Col Brandon, who, like her, is quiet, serious and composed. But in the end, he stuck with his feeling for Marianne, which reminds me of a middle-aged man picking a young bride to feel youthful again. Sorry for Col Brandon lovers, but I can not help but see it that way.
But I digress, Elinore is sensible, calm and genteel but she is too serious. She can easily appear unfeeling, but this is her safety net. By not showing her feelings, unlike her sister, she does not open herself to comments and ridicule.
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But her innocence and lack of society and its intricacies left her open to so much falsehood and manipulation by those who wrongly believed her to be an heiress. She is so easily talked into opinions and situations, which towards the end of the book leads her to be evicted from Northanger Abbey. (or so she believed, it turned out it was due to her not being an heiress, but that's not what she thought at the time). Several times in the book, she readily believed things she was told instead of trusting her own beliefs. Her willingness to be liked made her not see that some people around her were using her and tricking her. A jealous-fuelled comment by Mr Thorpe made her wrongly assume a murder had taken place and this caused cross remarks to come from her love interest, Henry Tilney.
I loved her imaginative spirit and openness but as I've gotten older, I've become more sensible about the fact that she was rather immature and gullible. But it is nice to see how her honesty and goodness help her develop and overcome some of the difficulties she comes across.
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So many people dislike Emma and I have to agree, that as a person, she is hugely stuck-up selfish, self-important, [insterts more similies here], but this is why I like her. I know what you're thinking, how can you like someone like that? It's because Austen made her so unique and believable that I think she is one of the most interesting characters Austen ever wrote. Emma is the book and the show I think I've watched the most. It's witty and sarcastic, and the characters are all interesting. I love the ending and seeing how Emma develops, from a bored wealthy woman to being in love and understanding her faults. She has such a sharp mind and is quick at wit and comebacks.
She has such a fierce determination about her views, though some would disagree with her. Some see her as trying to marry Miss Smith off to Mr Elton as her passing her boredom, but it could also be argued she was thinking of a secure future for her new friend. She could not see what Mr Knightly could; that Mr Elton wanted fortune and would look down on the class of Miss Smith.
There are, however, qualities in Emma that would make her unlikable and they are rather apparent. She can be incredibly selfish, governed by her motives, those which often circle around social class. Though she is seen to be charitable and tolerates the likes of Miss Bates and her mother, who fell from high society due to circumstances, she would snub the likes of Mr Martin and his family, farming tenants of Mr Knightly. She would not accept that Mr Martin was above Miss Smith, wanting her to marry Mr Elton instead. She dismissed and even mocked Jane Fairfax, who she considered reserved and overly praised. But was she simply jealous she had more accomplishments than herself?
Jane Austen wanted to write a character that, as she herself wrote, "...a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." She wanted a female protagonist that was not the common heroine or romantic interest, but strong, and independent. A character that had no need to seek a husband, did not lack fortune or consequences; some believe this is Austen's feminist opinions showing in her writing. She also wanted a character that was proud and idle, who was convinced that their opinions and actions were the correct ones and someone who, due to lack of experience, is vulnerable to situations. She has never left Highbury, and similar to Catherine Morland, she has no knowledge of the real world and how romances were not perfect, handsome men did not always marry poor parlour-borders, and scandals happened.
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Elizabeth aka Lizzy, is the most well-known and most beloved Character by Austen. She is more recognisable due to her many appearances in TV and Movie adaptations. Pride and Prejudice is considered Austen's most beloved and popular novel and remains in the top Ten most popular novels in the United Kingdom. Elizabeth and the broody and stoical Mister Darcy are a widely recognised romantic couple that readers and audiences alike have seen time and time again, meet and dislike one another, watching their battle of wits and warming friendship. They have watched Lizzy interact with a myriad of quirky and interesting characters, from the ridiculous Mr Collins, her loud obnoxious mother and the dashing Mr Wickham.
I love her wit and outgoingness and I can never tire of reading Pride and Prejudice again and again. And nobody would capture the true essence of Lizzy more than Jennifer Ehle in the 1995 BBC adaptation.
Lizzy is considered the wittiest of Austen's heroine's, with an outgoing, charismatic and independent personality. She has no reluctance in speaking her mind, voicing her opinions and dislikes, and her judgements on people and situations. We see this several times when it comes to Mr Darcy, who she criticises and mocks him. She thinks him a proud and disagreeable man, reserved and thinks he looks down on others when in truth he is introverted, rational and much like Lizzy, he is willing to speak his mind. When she begins to see his true motives, when the secret of Mr Wickam trying to seduce Mr Darcy's sister for her fortune is revealed, she starts to realise where she had been mistaken and too hasty in her opinions and even her feelings for him. When he saves her family from scandal when her sister Lydia elopes with Mr Wickam, she finally understands she loved him.
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I have such adoration and respect for Anne, that I'm going to struggle to go through all the aspects of her character that make her my ultimate top Jane Austen Heroine, because that is what she is and I don't think that shall ever change. When I was younger, like Fanny Price, I did not much like her, she was an unfortunate unlikable woman that was the third-wheel in her social circle and overlooked. But, over the years, going through my own personal experiences and changing my opinions as I got older, I have come to relate to her on such a deep level and understand her feelings, her passions and her ideals. She is not as pretty as those around her and in the novel, she is close to spinsterhood, as being 27 and not yet married in that time period was a big misfortune. This was made worse by her family, which led by vanity and good appearances, considered her a hindrance. She is isolated despite her good sense and respectability and only those outside the family seem to recognise her good qualities. She is even said to be the most respected and liked of the Elliot family and does not have "the Elliot pride".
When she was younger, she was once engaged to the dashing Fredrick Wentworth, but was persuaded by Lady Russel to give him up, as he had no fortune or connections to make him worthy of her hand, despite their being a deep love between them. She did not see him again for Seven years and by then he had become a rich Captain in the Napoleonic wars and was worth the catch. Seeing him again was hard, as she now battled with her previous decisions, knowing she had not stopped loving him and had been constant in her feelings. Maybe they could rekindle? That idea was dashed painfully when he was cold towards her and instead seemed to be interested in Lousia Musgrove, the sister to her Brother-In-Law, Charles Musgrove. Everyone seemed thrilled with the prospect they become an item and poor Anne had to watch and listen as people went on about it, encouraging it. All the time she still loved him. It was only when Mr Elliot, her Cousin, started to show her attention, that Wentworth began to show any reaction or feelings for her. In the end, he writes her a passionate letter, pouring his heart into how much he still loved her and never stopped.
Can you imagine having to sit in a group of family and friends as they all constantly talked about the possible union between a relative and the person you love? Silently suffering the agony of a love you once had and lost. Imagine, on top of that, you have a family who thinks of nobody but themselves and disrespects you, ignoring your qualities and good heart. I wish I had Anne's patience, to go through all that and not have a tantrum or speak ill about anyone. All her good qualities are what makes her so endearing to me and I hope, if you have not read an Austen novel before, you read Anne Elliot's story first and love her as I do.
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