Bethany Delleman's Blog
March 2, 2023
Most Physically Attractive Austen Hero, Rated
Rated from most to least attractive. I have collected relevant quotes from the novel to show how attractive each man is:
1. Edmund Bertram: drop-dead gorgeous. Of all the books, Mansfield Park really seems to dwell on how attractive the Bertrams all are as a family. Edmund’s hotness is so overwhelming that Mary is ashamed of his profession but impressed by his arm-candy qualities (I will take a moment to note that Mary does love Edmund for his integrity, it isn’t only lust on her side)
They were a remarkably fine family, the sons very well-looking… that the Mr. Bertrams were very fine young men, that two such young men were not often seen together even in London…. He will not do by the side of your cousin Edmund… my friends here are very much struck with his gentlemanlike appearance. Mrs. Fraser (no bad judge) declares she knows but three men in town who have so good a person, height, and air...
2. Captain Wentworth: very handsome. I give him extra props because Sir Walter Elliot is one of the most critical people of appearances and he is even impressed. Was he very fastidious in his hat wearing while at sea? Because you would think the harsh conditions would have affected his skin. Good genes I guess.
He was, at that time, a remarkably fine young man... a certain glance of his bright eye, and curl of his handsome mouth… how much handsomer, how infinitely more agreeable they thought him than any individual among their male acquaintance,.... No: the years which had destroyed her youth and bloom had only given him a more glowing, manly, open look, in no respect lessening his personal advantages. She had seen the same Frederick Wentworth….. when he [Sir Walter] saw more of Captain Wentworth, saw him repeatedly by daylight, and eyed him well, he was very much struck by his personal claims, and felt that his superiority of appearance might be not unfairly balanced against her superiority of rank
3. Fitzwilliam Darcy: handsome and tall. We do not get as much time focusing on Darcy’s looks as his wealth. So while I think he is good looking, he doesn’t seem to be quite Edmund or Wentworth level. Important to note: Wickham is almost certainly more physically attractive than Darcy.
Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien… The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening… “it is a handsome face”... “I am sure I know none so handsome”... “To be sure, Lizzy,” said her aunt, “he is not so handsome as Wickham; or, rather, he has not Wickham’s countenance, for his features are perfectly good.”... so handsome! so tall!
4. Charles Bingley: secondary to Darcy in hotness and wealth, but that’s okay, because everyone likes him better anyway.
Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners… He is so excessively handsome!... “He is also handsome… Oh! he is the handsomest young man that ever was seen!
5. Henry Tilney: good looking. He’s no match for his older brother, but he makes up for it by being awesome.
He seemed to be about four or five and twenty, was rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it… He looked as handsome and as lively as ever,... “How handsome a family they are!” … even supposed it possible that some people might think him (Captain Tilney) handsomer than his brother (Henry), though, in her eyes
6. George Knightley: Good looking. Unfortunately the only report I could find of Mr. Knightley’s physical appearance comes from Emma, who is an unreliable reporter given that she’s secretly in love with him. So I am not sure how well we can judge this quote (if you can find a better report of his looks please let me know):
His tall, firm, upright figure, among the bulky forms and stooping shoulders of the elderly men, was such as Emma felt must draw every body’s eyes; and, excepting her own partner, there was not one among the whole row of young men who could be compared with him
7. Colonel Brandon: he’s just a normal looking guy. And he wears flannel waistcoats, which is a mortal sin.
His appearance however was not unpleasing, in spite of his being in the opinion of Marianne and Margaret an absolute old bachelor, for he was on the wrong side of five and thirty; but though his face was not handsome, his countenance was sensible, and his address was particularly gentlemanlike.
8. Edward Ferrars: the dubious honour of being the least attractive Austen hero. He is plain.
He was not handsome… At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which are uncommonly good, and the general sweetness of his countenance, is perceived.
I tried to collect as many quotes as I could, but Jane Austen specifically points out that when you like someone they become more attractive, so it is very hard to judge exactly who is hot unless it is a first impression or narration.
Honourable mention: Robert Martin is also plain, but I’m not going to hold it against him. He’s a dear.
1. Edmund Bertram: drop-dead gorgeous. Of all the books, Mansfield Park really seems to dwell on how attractive the Bertrams all are as a family. Edmund’s hotness is so overwhelming that Mary is ashamed of his profession but impressed by his arm-candy qualities (I will take a moment to note that Mary does love Edmund for his integrity, it isn’t only lust on her side)
They were a remarkably fine family, the sons very well-looking… that the Mr. Bertrams were very fine young men, that two such young men were not often seen together even in London…. He will not do by the side of your cousin Edmund… my friends here are very much struck with his gentlemanlike appearance. Mrs. Fraser (no bad judge) declares she knows but three men in town who have so good a person, height, and air...
2. Captain Wentworth: very handsome. I give him extra props because Sir Walter Elliot is one of the most critical people of appearances and he is even impressed. Was he very fastidious in his hat wearing while at sea? Because you would think the harsh conditions would have affected his skin. Good genes I guess.
He was, at that time, a remarkably fine young man... a certain glance of his bright eye, and curl of his handsome mouth… how much handsomer, how infinitely more agreeable they thought him than any individual among their male acquaintance,.... No: the years which had destroyed her youth and bloom had only given him a more glowing, manly, open look, in no respect lessening his personal advantages. She had seen the same Frederick Wentworth….. when he [Sir Walter] saw more of Captain Wentworth, saw him repeatedly by daylight, and eyed him well, he was very much struck by his personal claims, and felt that his superiority of appearance might be not unfairly balanced against her superiority of rank
3. Fitzwilliam Darcy: handsome and tall. We do not get as much time focusing on Darcy’s looks as his wealth. So while I think he is good looking, he doesn’t seem to be quite Edmund or Wentworth level. Important to note: Wickham is almost certainly more physically attractive than Darcy.
Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien… The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening… “it is a handsome face”... “I am sure I know none so handsome”... “To be sure, Lizzy,” said her aunt, “he is not so handsome as Wickham; or, rather, he has not Wickham’s countenance, for his features are perfectly good.”... so handsome! so tall!
4. Charles Bingley: secondary to Darcy in hotness and wealth, but that’s okay, because everyone likes him better anyway.
Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners… He is so excessively handsome!... “He is also handsome… Oh! he is the handsomest young man that ever was seen!
5. Henry Tilney: good looking. He’s no match for his older brother, but he makes up for it by being awesome.
He seemed to be about four or five and twenty, was rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it… He looked as handsome and as lively as ever,... “How handsome a family they are!” … even supposed it possible that some people might think him (Captain Tilney) handsomer than his brother (Henry), though, in her eyes
6. George Knightley: Good looking. Unfortunately the only report I could find of Mr. Knightley’s physical appearance comes from Emma, who is an unreliable reporter given that she’s secretly in love with him. So I am not sure how well we can judge this quote (if you can find a better report of his looks please let me know):
His tall, firm, upright figure, among the bulky forms and stooping shoulders of the elderly men, was such as Emma felt must draw every body’s eyes; and, excepting her own partner, there was not one among the whole row of young men who could be compared with him
7. Colonel Brandon: he’s just a normal looking guy. And he wears flannel waistcoats, which is a mortal sin.
His appearance however was not unpleasing, in spite of his being in the opinion of Marianne and Margaret an absolute old bachelor, for he was on the wrong side of five and thirty; but though his face was not handsome, his countenance was sensible, and his address was particularly gentlemanlike.
8. Edward Ferrars: the dubious honour of being the least attractive Austen hero. He is plain.
He was not handsome… At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which are uncommonly good, and the general sweetness of his countenance, is perceived.
I tried to collect as many quotes as I could, but Jane Austen specifically points out that when you like someone they become more attractive, so it is very hard to judge exactly who is hot unless it is a first impression or narration.
Honourable mention: Robert Martin is also plain, but I’m not going to hold it against him. He’s a dear.
February 22, 2023
Rational Creatures
Jane Austen associating the word "rational" with women over six books:
Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart. - Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice
“But I hate to hear you talking so like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies, instead of rational creatures. We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” - Mrs. Croft, Persuasion
She dearly loved her father, but he was no companion for her. He could not meet her in conversation, rational or playful. - Emma Woodhouse, Emma
“Oh! never, never, never! he never will succeed with me.” And she spoke with a warmth which quite astonished Edmund, and which she blushed at the recollection of herself, when she saw his look, and heard him reply, “Never! Fanny!—so very determined and positive! This is not like yourself, your rational self.” Fanny Price, Mansfield Park (we know that this is very much her rational self, also after a marriage proposal)
Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition. Elinor Dashwood, Sense & Sensibility
You talked of expected horrors in London—and instead of instantly conceiving, as any rational creature would have done, that such words could relate only to a circulating library, - Henry Tilney, teasing his sister, Northanger Abbey
Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart. - Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice
“But I hate to hear you talking so like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies, instead of rational creatures. We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” - Mrs. Croft, Persuasion
She dearly loved her father, but he was no companion for her. He could not meet her in conversation, rational or playful. - Emma Woodhouse, Emma
“Oh! never, never, never! he never will succeed with me.” And she spoke with a warmth which quite astonished Edmund, and which she blushed at the recollection of herself, when she saw his look, and heard him reply, “Never! Fanny!—so very determined and positive! This is not like yourself, your rational self.” Fanny Price, Mansfield Park (we know that this is very much her rational self, also after a marriage proposal)
Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition. Elinor Dashwood, Sense & Sensibility
You talked of expected horrors in London—and instead of instantly conceiving, as any rational creature would have done, that such words could relate only to a circulating library, - Henry Tilney, teasing his sister, Northanger Abbey
October 21, 2022
The Tragedy of Mansfield Park
Henry Crawford did not intend to have an affair with Maria Rushworth and that’s what makes Mansfield Park so good.
Back during the play, Maria fully expected Henry to propose to her, but he walked away. She then marries a man she hates just to prove that Henry hasn’t ruined her life (odd plan). A few months later, they meet again at Mrs. Fraser’s party. Henry by now has proposed to Fanny, which made Maria angry, and she’s cold to Henry.
Henry wants to “make Mrs. Rushworth Maria Bertram again in her treatment of himself” but he does not think Maria actually loves him (“for I am not such a coxcomb as to suppose her feelings more lasting than other women’s, though I was the object of them” Ch 30). And that is what is so freaking brilliant about Mansfield Park, the hunter becomes the hunted and Maria goes after him: “He had put himself in the power of feelings on her side more strong than he had supposed... She loved him; there was no withdrawing attentions avowedly dear to her.” (Ch 48)
Maria makes some new friends, the Aylmers, so that she can follow Henry to Richmond, banishes her husband, and sets out to capture Henry. I honestly don’t know why she thought this would work, since Henry flirted with her before and then left, but this is her plan. They have an affair (please note I am not implying that Henry didn't willingly participate, because he did), Henry “would have been glad to see Mrs. Rushworth no more” (Ch 48) but this time she doesn’t accept him leaving. She follows him back to London and is so obvious about the affair that a friend of Sir Thomas writes to warn him about it. Henry gives in and elopes with Maria in the end, “ regretting Fanny even at the moment. ” (Ch 48)
The reason this matters is because it’s BRILLIANT. Henry set up the perfect trap for himself way back at the play. If he hadn’t been trifling with Maria during Lovers’ Vows, Fanny probably would have accepted him. If he hadn’t made Maria in love with him for nothing more than amusement, then she wouldn’t have pursued him later, and been perversely pleased that she ruined his chances with Fanny. He is the sole author of his own destruction. He is basically an arsonist who finally got caught by his own fire.
Henry did love Fanny, the narrator tells us here, “the woman whom he had rationally as well as passionately loved” (Ch 48) here “He was in love, very much in love” (Ch 33) and Henry tells his sister in confidence for the whole of Ch 30 (he has no reason to lie to Mary). And if only he hadn’t gone to the stupid party “he might have been deciding his own happy destiny” and that is why Mansfield Park is a magnificent, beautifully crafted, absolutely genius tragedy.
And that is also why my next book is going to change the ending. Available for Pre-order now on Amazon. Unfairly Caught: A Mansfield Park Variation
Back during the play, Maria fully expected Henry to propose to her, but he walked away. She then marries a man she hates just to prove that Henry hasn’t ruined her life (odd plan). A few months later, they meet again at Mrs. Fraser’s party. Henry by now has proposed to Fanny, which made Maria angry, and she’s cold to Henry.
Henry wants to “make Mrs. Rushworth Maria Bertram again in her treatment of himself” but he does not think Maria actually loves him (“for I am not such a coxcomb as to suppose her feelings more lasting than other women’s, though I was the object of them” Ch 30). And that is what is so freaking brilliant about Mansfield Park, the hunter becomes the hunted and Maria goes after him: “He had put himself in the power of feelings on her side more strong than he had supposed... She loved him; there was no withdrawing attentions avowedly dear to her.” (Ch 48)
Maria makes some new friends, the Aylmers, so that she can follow Henry to Richmond, banishes her husband, and sets out to capture Henry. I honestly don’t know why she thought this would work, since Henry flirted with her before and then left, but this is her plan. They have an affair (please note I am not implying that Henry didn't willingly participate, because he did), Henry “would have been glad to see Mrs. Rushworth no more” (Ch 48) but this time she doesn’t accept him leaving. She follows him back to London and is so obvious about the affair that a friend of Sir Thomas writes to warn him about it. Henry gives in and elopes with Maria in the end, “ regretting Fanny even at the moment. ” (Ch 48)
The reason this matters is because it’s BRILLIANT. Henry set up the perfect trap for himself way back at the play. If he hadn’t been trifling with Maria during Lovers’ Vows, Fanny probably would have accepted him. If he hadn’t made Maria in love with him for nothing more than amusement, then she wouldn’t have pursued him later, and been perversely pleased that she ruined his chances with Fanny. He is the sole author of his own destruction. He is basically an arsonist who finally got caught by his own fire.
Henry did love Fanny, the narrator tells us here, “the woman whom he had rationally as well as passionately loved” (Ch 48) here “He was in love, very much in love” (Ch 33) and Henry tells his sister in confidence for the whole of Ch 30 (he has no reason to lie to Mary). And if only he hadn’t gone to the stupid party “he might have been deciding his own happy destiny” and that is why Mansfield Park is a magnificent, beautifully crafted, absolutely genius tragedy.
And that is also why my next book is going to change the ending. Available for Pre-order now on Amazon. Unfairly Caught: A Mansfield Park Variation
June 19, 2022
Does Fanny Grow During Mansfield Park?
I have been asking myself lately, does Fanny Price actually experience growth during Mansfield Park? With Fanny, it seems like she is always right from the start, her judgement doesn't need work. But I have decided, yes, Fanny grows and it is mostly in realizing that she is a thinking being on her own apart from Edmund. I am going to show Fanny’s growth as reflected in the books she reads.
We begin with young Fanny, defendant on the judgement and kindness of Edmund.
but he (Edmund) recommended the books which charmed her leisure hours, he encouraged her taste, and corrected her judgment: he made reading useful by talking to her of what she read, and heightened its attraction by judicious praise. (Ch 2)
Here we have Edmund selecting Fanny’s reading material and guiding her in how to think about it. Fanny is the student and Edmund is the teacher.
Her plants, her books—of which she had been a collector from the first hour of her commanding a shilling... Edmund had been her champion and her friend: he had supported her cause or explained her meaning, he had told her not to cry, or had given her some proof of affection which made her tears delightful (Ch 16)
This chapter shows Edmund’s continued influence on Fanny. Her books that she has purchased, we will learn later, were chosen by him. She treasures the items in her room, including her books, because they remind her of Edmund’s kindness. But this very chapter Edmund comes and asks Fanny to give her approbation to acting in the play and Fanny refuses to give it. This is the first time that Fanny opposes Edmund (even though he manages to leave thinking well of himself). She has learned his judgement can be flawed.
Next we have Fanny in Portsmouth:
By degrees the girls came to spend the chief of the morning upstairs, at first only in working and talking, but after a few days, the remembrance of the said books grew so potent and stimulative that Fanny found it impossible not to try for books again. There were none in her father’s house; but wealth is luxurious and daring, and some of hers found its way to a circulating library. She became a subscriber; amazed at being anything in propria persona, amazed at her own doings in every way, to be a renter, a chuser of books! And to be having any one’s improvement in view in her choice! But so it was. Susan had read nothing, and Fanny longed to give her a share in her own first pleasures, and inspire a taste for the biography and poetry which she delighted in herself. (Ch 40)
Here we learn that even though she owns books, Fanny has never chosen them herself. It seems like for Susan’s education, Fanny doesn’t just copy the curriculum laid down by Edmund, Fanny begins to make her own choices. She moves from student to teacher and begins to educate Susan. Fanny is also amazed that Susan can have good notions at all without, “Edmund to direct her thoughts or fix her principles.” which shows again that Fanny is realizing that Edmund was very helpful to forming her morality, but she is able to stand on her own.
Jane Austen has a lot of messages about reading in her works. Catherine is led astray by her gothic novels, Marianne indulges too much in ideas of the Romantic, Mary Bennet reads but cannot assimilate information so she just parrots what she's extracted, while Anne Elliot is able to offer advice on reading to Captain Benwick as a sort of education in healing. Charles Hayter betters himself by being a scholar and "cultivating" his mind, while Mr. Bennet uses reading as an escape from his family and an excuse for neglecting his daughters (almost hoarding the educational benefits for himself?). Reading is power and Fanny has found her own way to weild it.
While I still have a hard time shipping Edmund and Fanny, mostly because Jane Austen straight out tell us that he doesn’t deserve her, it is nice to see that Fanny has learned to doubt Edmund’s judgement and rely upon her own. In a real way, through reading, she has detached herself from his reasoning and found her own path.
We begin with young Fanny, defendant on the judgement and kindness of Edmund.
but he (Edmund) recommended the books which charmed her leisure hours, he encouraged her taste, and corrected her judgment: he made reading useful by talking to her of what she read, and heightened its attraction by judicious praise. (Ch 2)
Here we have Edmund selecting Fanny’s reading material and guiding her in how to think about it. Fanny is the student and Edmund is the teacher.
Her plants, her books—of which she had been a collector from the first hour of her commanding a shilling... Edmund had been her champion and her friend: he had supported her cause or explained her meaning, he had told her not to cry, or had given her some proof of affection which made her tears delightful (Ch 16)
This chapter shows Edmund’s continued influence on Fanny. Her books that she has purchased, we will learn later, were chosen by him. She treasures the items in her room, including her books, because they remind her of Edmund’s kindness. But this very chapter Edmund comes and asks Fanny to give her approbation to acting in the play and Fanny refuses to give it. This is the first time that Fanny opposes Edmund (even though he manages to leave thinking well of himself). She has learned his judgement can be flawed.
Next we have Fanny in Portsmouth:
By degrees the girls came to spend the chief of the morning upstairs, at first only in working and talking, but after a few days, the remembrance of the said books grew so potent and stimulative that Fanny found it impossible not to try for books again. There were none in her father’s house; but wealth is luxurious and daring, and some of hers found its way to a circulating library. She became a subscriber; amazed at being anything in propria persona, amazed at her own doings in every way, to be a renter, a chuser of books! And to be having any one’s improvement in view in her choice! But so it was. Susan had read nothing, and Fanny longed to give her a share in her own first pleasures, and inspire a taste for the biography and poetry which she delighted in herself. (Ch 40)
Here we learn that even though she owns books, Fanny has never chosen them herself. It seems like for Susan’s education, Fanny doesn’t just copy the curriculum laid down by Edmund, Fanny begins to make her own choices. She moves from student to teacher and begins to educate Susan. Fanny is also amazed that Susan can have good notions at all without, “Edmund to direct her thoughts or fix her principles.” which shows again that Fanny is realizing that Edmund was very helpful to forming her morality, but she is able to stand on her own.
Jane Austen has a lot of messages about reading in her works. Catherine is led astray by her gothic novels, Marianne indulges too much in ideas of the Romantic, Mary Bennet reads but cannot assimilate information so she just parrots what she's extracted, while Anne Elliot is able to offer advice on reading to Captain Benwick as a sort of education in healing. Charles Hayter betters himself by being a scholar and "cultivating" his mind, while Mr. Bennet uses reading as an escape from his family and an excuse for neglecting his daughters (almost hoarding the educational benefits for himself?). Reading is power and Fanny has found her own way to weild it.
While I still have a hard time shipping Edmund and Fanny, mostly because Jane Austen straight out tell us that he doesn’t deserve her, it is nice to see that Fanny has learned to doubt Edmund’s judgement and rely upon her own. In a real way, through reading, she has detached herself from his reasoning and found her own path.
March 22, 2022
Why You (and your friends) Should Read Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park, despite being amazing is often on the , allow me a sales pitch. Mansfield Park: Something for Everyone...
Are you an extrovert who wants to understand the other side, have you ever experienced: "pausing a moment for what she knew would not come, for a courage which the outside of no door had ever supplied to her"? Try Mansfield Park and live inside the head of an introvert!
Are you tired of everyone loving the highly extroverted and witty Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny Price is your heroine! Watch her go from unappreciated to, "the daughter that he wanted," by being quietly helpful, moral, and kind, not bright and sparkling.
Do you enjoy watching university-aged people creating drama, being selfish, and having elaborate love triangles? TV ratings seems to indicate yes. Look no further than Mansfield Park! Sisters who love the same guy, unrequited love, hidden jealousy, and can the bad boy finally go good?
Not into drama? How about intelligent critiques of the Church of England, a good deal of it still relevant today? Mary Crawford has you covered!
Into Poetry? Fanny Price thinks in poetry! Check out her monologue on tyranic memory or her reflections on sunlight when she's staying with her family in Portsmouth. Mary Crawford didn't pay attention, but you will love it!
Do you love free stuff? Who doesn't love free stuff? Watch the master of mooching, Mrs. Norris, abscond with all the extra jellies after the ball and sponge a heath, some eggs, AND a cream cheese from Southerton. Have you ever made someone feel better by stealing green baize?
Want romance? Only read Ch 30 and forget everything else that happens!
Mansfield Park, give it another chance. And remember, neither movie follows the book, unfortunately, the 1983 mini is the only one true to canon and it is a little old.
Are you an extrovert who wants to understand the other side, have you ever experienced: "pausing a moment for what she knew would not come, for a courage which the outside of no door had ever supplied to her"? Try Mansfield Park and live inside the head of an introvert!
Are you tired of everyone loving the highly extroverted and witty Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny Price is your heroine! Watch her go from unappreciated to, "the daughter that he wanted," by being quietly helpful, moral, and kind, not bright and sparkling.
Do you enjoy watching university-aged people creating drama, being selfish, and having elaborate love triangles? TV ratings seems to indicate yes. Look no further than Mansfield Park! Sisters who love the same guy, unrequited love, hidden jealousy, and can the bad boy finally go good?
Not into drama? How about intelligent critiques of the Church of England, a good deal of it still relevant today? Mary Crawford has you covered!
Into Poetry? Fanny Price thinks in poetry! Check out her monologue on tyranic memory or her reflections on sunlight when she's staying with her family in Portsmouth. Mary Crawford didn't pay attention, but you will love it!
Do you love free stuff? Who doesn't love free stuff? Watch the master of mooching, Mrs. Norris, abscond with all the extra jellies after the ball and sponge a heath, some eggs, AND a cream cheese from Southerton. Have you ever made someone feel better by stealing green baize?
Want romance? Only read Ch 30 and forget everything else that happens!
Mansfield Park, give it another chance. And remember, neither movie follows the book, unfortunately, the 1983 mini is the only one true to canon and it is a little old.
February 24, 2022
Why does Persuasion highlight the Baronetage?
Persuasion starts and ends with the Baronetage, a book that gives the family histories of baronets. This dry text is the only book Sir Walter reads and one that he hopes will contain his daughters on multiple pages, which will only happen if they marry heirs to other baronetcies. Sir Walter loves this volume even though it only records the accident of his birth. He is high in society for no better reason than providence and can hardly maintain his own dignity in that position. He is deeply in debt and does not carry out the duties expected of a proper landowner (visiting the poor etc.)
When Persuasion begins, we start with the volume of honour which records the death of Lady Elliot and the marriage of the youngest daughter, Mary, to a mere squire. Sir Walter’s great hope was that Elizabeth would marry her cousin and thus maintain her position in society, but she was rejected. Anne, whom Sir Walter never had much hope for, was proposed to at nineteen by someone who did not deserve to be on the magnificent page of the Elliot family and he, Wentworth, was rejected by the family. The Elliot dynasty seems ready to fall and they must leave even their beloved home for Bath.
Sir Walter consents to rent Kellynch to an Admiral in the navy when they leave in debt. He does this despite hating the navy for raising men above their proper station in life, as he says “bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers never dreamt of " Ch 3. Anne, in contrast, admires the navy and people who have worked for their betterment, “The navy, I think, who have done so much for us, have at least an equal claim with any other set of men, for all the comforts and all the privileges which any home can give" Ch 3. It is not only the navy that is noted for working hard, Anne’s friend and godmother, Lady Russell, is said to have a “cultivated mind” which implies that she has worked to make her mind better. Anne uses this description for herself as well. It is also applied to Mr. Charles Hayter, whose family is considered vulgar but he has cultivated the mind and manners of a scholar. Anne seems to like him but she has no time for a boring Lady Dalrymple later in the book. Anne values not accidents of birth but improvement of mind and fortune through endeavour.
Wentworth returns having made his fortune and he makes a second proposal to Anne. This time, however, it is not just Anne that accepts him. Sir Walter recognizes that Wentworth has made himself into someone, he is more than happy to add Wentworth’s name to the baronetage. Sir Walter’s acceptance is mostly attributed to his admiration of Wentworth’s person (he’s very attractive), but it also speaks a great irony. The man who only values the rank that a person is born into has learned to value a man who achieved his position through effort.
This is not entirely true though, for we are also told over and over how fortunate Wentworth was. He had no “interest” (basically what we would call nepotism today) to get him on in the navy. He was lucky to be made officer so young, lucky to get the old Sloop the Asp, and lucky to win a lot of prize money. Charles Hayter did work for his mind, but he is lucky to be the eldest son who will someday inherit. It isn’t the “American dream” we are so often taught, that if you work hard enough you shall achieve. No, Jane Austen sees the world more clearly. Work hard and you may be Wentworth, with a massive fortune and the most excellent wife in England, but you may also end up as Harville. A good man with a great wife, but not the sort of man Sir Walter would gladly add to the volume of honour. Someone who like William and Fanny from Mansfield Park, was “born to struggle and endure." Ch 48 MP
In Persuasion one might argue that Jane Austen has written a fairy-tale or a romance, but real life is peeking around the edges, reminding us that for everyone who strives and achieves, many more, by no fault of their own, are left behind. There is no honour, however, in being born to great wealth and rank and squandering it. (Sorry, Sir Walter)
When Persuasion begins, we start with the volume of honour which records the death of Lady Elliot and the marriage of the youngest daughter, Mary, to a mere squire. Sir Walter’s great hope was that Elizabeth would marry her cousin and thus maintain her position in society, but she was rejected. Anne, whom Sir Walter never had much hope for, was proposed to at nineteen by someone who did not deserve to be on the magnificent page of the Elliot family and he, Wentworth, was rejected by the family. The Elliot dynasty seems ready to fall and they must leave even their beloved home for Bath.
Sir Walter consents to rent Kellynch to an Admiral in the navy when they leave in debt. He does this despite hating the navy for raising men above their proper station in life, as he says “bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers never dreamt of " Ch 3. Anne, in contrast, admires the navy and people who have worked for their betterment, “The navy, I think, who have done so much for us, have at least an equal claim with any other set of men, for all the comforts and all the privileges which any home can give" Ch 3. It is not only the navy that is noted for working hard, Anne’s friend and godmother, Lady Russell, is said to have a “cultivated mind” which implies that she has worked to make her mind better. Anne uses this description for herself as well. It is also applied to Mr. Charles Hayter, whose family is considered vulgar but he has cultivated the mind and manners of a scholar. Anne seems to like him but she has no time for a boring Lady Dalrymple later in the book. Anne values not accidents of birth but improvement of mind and fortune through endeavour.
Wentworth returns having made his fortune and he makes a second proposal to Anne. This time, however, it is not just Anne that accepts him. Sir Walter recognizes that Wentworth has made himself into someone, he is more than happy to add Wentworth’s name to the baronetage. Sir Walter’s acceptance is mostly attributed to his admiration of Wentworth’s person (he’s very attractive), but it also speaks a great irony. The man who only values the rank that a person is born into has learned to value a man who achieved his position through effort.
This is not entirely true though, for we are also told over and over how fortunate Wentworth was. He had no “interest” (basically what we would call nepotism today) to get him on in the navy. He was lucky to be made officer so young, lucky to get the old Sloop the Asp, and lucky to win a lot of prize money. Charles Hayter did work for his mind, but he is lucky to be the eldest son who will someday inherit. It isn’t the “American dream” we are so often taught, that if you work hard enough you shall achieve. No, Jane Austen sees the world more clearly. Work hard and you may be Wentworth, with a massive fortune and the most excellent wife in England, but you may also end up as Harville. A good man with a great wife, but not the sort of man Sir Walter would gladly add to the volume of honour. Someone who like William and Fanny from Mansfield Park, was “born to struggle and endure." Ch 48 MP
In Persuasion one might argue that Jane Austen has written a fairy-tale or a romance, but real life is peeking around the edges, reminding us that for everyone who strives and achieves, many more, by no fault of their own, are left behind. There is no honour, however, in being born to great wealth and rank and squandering it. (Sorry, Sir Walter)
January 21, 2022
Besting the Worst of Jane Austen's Characters
As a follow up to my blog posts outlining the worst men and women of Jane Austen, I held a poll. John Willoughby and Fanny Dashwood (both from S&S), "won" as the worst man and woman. I have prepared some very apt literary revenge for each of them...
Fanny Dashwood was already sitting in the lobby of the London law office with a small bundle of papers when John Willoughby arrived, “Hello Mr. Willoughby, I’ve been expecting you.”
“Really? I had no notion that you were also a descendant of Mr. James Snow, Mrs. Dashwood.”
“Had not you? I should not be surprised; you hope for success without any effort, I am sure of it. How very like a man.”
“I have done very well thus far,” he said, with a charming smile.
“And I plan to do better.”
“Do you know then, who is the executor of the will?” he asked.
“I will not say,” Fanny said. She had in fact been unable to discover his identity and was greatly bothered by it. If there was a person to be flattered, she liked to have all the relevant information.
“I will admit to not being at all worried,” Willoughby laughed, “unlike yourself, I have actually made a point of visiting dear Uncle Snow.”
“You have?” Fanny frowned.
“I do not put all my trust in one inheritance,” Willoughby smirked, “you rely on your mother’s fortune. Before I married, I visited seven different relations with private fortunes every year. I made a nice circuit of it. Mrs. Smith of Allenham, whom I know you have heard of, she is only one of many.”
“If you did do so, it is only because your own home is not fit to dwell in,” Fanny sneered.
“I assure you, with my wife’s fortune, we are quite comfortable. Have you heard of my improvements to the stables?”
“My mother’s fortune is worth twice that of your wife.”
“And you will only see it if you remain in
her favour. A dangerous game.”
“You know, Mrs. Brandon is expecting another child,” Fanny said, she saw Willoughby’s face fall.
“You mean to discompose me, but you shall not succeed. I expected something better from the second favourite child of Mrs. Ferrars. That lady has a true way with words.”
A young clerk appeared and ushered them into a small office. At one end of the table was a young man, about twenty years old.
“James! How delightful to see you again!” said Willoughby and the men spent a few moments talking in such an easy manner that it was obvious that they were intimate friends. Fanny was mortified.
“Mrs. Dashwood, please be seated,” the man said, noticing her.
“Thank you, I am sorry, I do not believe we have been introduced.”
“No, though I lived with my late uncle for ten years; I do not believe you have visited in all that time,” James said, “Mr. James Williams, your great uncle’s nephew and executor of his will.”
“I have been so busy with the education of my child and the improvements at Norland. It was a pity I could not bring little Harry today,” Fanny smiled.
“I am sure the deceased would have loved to have met him.”
Fanny did not like to begin behind; but neither did she have an adequate response to such a charge. Instead she said, “My husband has entrusted me to act in his stead, he is indisposed. But allow me to say; Mr. Snow was a dear relation, one of the best of men.”
“Yes,” Willoughby added, “Like a second father to me. I shall cherish the memories of my visits to North Hall.”
James nodded, “Thank you. Now, let me begin this sad business. As you know, Mr. Snow and his wife were childless and he has named me the executor of his will. The house, lands, and associated plantations have been bequeathed to myself, but there remains a fortune of nearly sixty thousand pounds which my uncle wished to have divided between his three remaining descendants, myself of course, your husband, Mr. John Dashwood, and Mr. John Willoughby.”
“We are then to have twenty thousand each?” Willoughby could not disguise his glee.
“No,” said James, “The sixty thousand is to be shared, but the amount given to each party is entirely left to my discretion.”
Fanny looked at Mr. Williams skeptically for a moment. If the decision was hers, she would have announced the outcome without hesitation: one pound for each man and the rest for herself. Yet he did not speak.
“Come James, tell us the whole of it,” said Willoughby in a joking manner.
“That is the whole,” he said seriously, “it is for you to convince me of what you rightly deserve.”
“If we were all to have an equal claim,” Fanny began, “then I would say divide the money in three portions of twenty each. However, I looked into the matter. Do you realize that Mr. Willoughby’s great-grandmother, Mrs. Maude Clark (nee Snow), was only the half-sister of our honoured uncle? You must know that a half-sister is almost no relation at all, but certainly the offspring of this half-blood should not be worthy of a full share.”
James looked Fanny in the eye, “I am also a descendant of Mrs. Maude Clark.”
Fanny frowned deeply and looked down at her notes.
Willoughby began his pitch, “You know I was always so attentive to our uncle, I would have visited this year, but dear Mrs. Willoughby is in a delicate condition.”
“Of course, of course, but is this your first child?”
“Yes, the first.”
“What a blessing.”
“There is no greater gift than a child.”
“Have you entirely forgotten your daughter then?” said James.
Willoughby started, “I have no daughter.”
“Is there not a Beth Williams living under the protection of Colonel Brandon? Was I mistaken?”
Fanny smirked, Willoughby was undeterred, “A youthful indiscretion! But she is well provided for. Miss Eliza Williams is the natural daughter of the Colonel, or so I have been told. Her child should be in his care.”
“How proper it all sounds,” said James coldly.
Fanny looked up, “You cannot be the descendant of Mrs. Maude Clark. John Willoughby is the only one living! Maude and her husband had only one son who lived to marry: Mr. Clark. He had two daughters. One married Mr. Willoughby and the other Miss Clarke died at fifteen without issue. John is the Willoughby’s only child, just as my husband is the only living descendant of Mrs. Janet Moore (nee Snow). We should end this now. You must be an imposter of some kind! I will return with my mother’s lawyer.”
“No, he was always with our uncle, he must be named as heir,” said Willoughby, “but Mrs. Dashwood is right, you said three living descendants. There are but two.”
They both looked at James. He began gravely, “James Snow was a man of vicious propensities. His wife was barren and he hated her for it. He despised his half-sister Maude and cheated her out of her fortune. They never met again after her marriage. When James was an older man on a trip to Weymouth, he seduced a girl of gentle birth and when his three months leisure was over, he abandoned her. Miss Clark, the granddaughter of his own sister, died in childbirth and her son; Philip Williams was placed in school and raised to think he had no father.
“Philip grew up to be a respectable attorney, married, and had a son. When that son was 10 years of age, James Snow made Philip’s true parentage known and requested that the boy, his grandson, come to live with him and be named as his heir. Of course, my father could not refuse. My grandfather never regretted anything, never cared that he destroyed his own grand-niece! I do not think he ever bothered to find out Miss Clark’s parent’s names. Only my father knew the truth and we were entirely in the old man’s confidence.
“I have hated my grandfather these last fifteen years and I shall not mourn his passing. I see that each of you have followed in the honourable traditions of the family. When my father helped my grandfather write the will, and he is a very excellent attorney, I made certain that everything was under my power. I learned everything I could about both of you. I have to say, a certain Mrs. Edward Ferrars proved to be extremely helpful.”
Fanny gasped.
“And so Mrs. Dashwood, I shall give you exactly what you gave your half-sisters: six months room and board.” he handed her a small stack of notes. “And for you, Willoughby,” James took up again the pages of the will, “’The amount is to be paid to Mr. John Willoughby or the heirs of his body’. I shall thereby bequeath your share of the twenty thousand pounds to the young Elizabeth Williams.”
Both Fanny and Willoughby cried out in protest but they each knew that nothing could be gained by it.
“I really ought to thank you both, if I had not spent so much time at Delaford, I never would have met my wife. Be assured, Mr. Willoughby, that Eliza and her daughter will be safe forever.”
Fanny cried, “So this is all a cruel joke, every pound remains under your control?”
James smiled as he stood and began to walk from the room, “I would never do less for my poor little girl.” And with a mocking bow he added, “Good morning cousins, I have done what I can and must await a juster appointment for you hereafter. Give my warmest regards to Mr. Snow when you join him.”
FINIS
Check out my book, Prideful & Persuaded for some more laser-focused karma!
For the family tree of Mr. John Snow, check out my website: https://bethanydellemanwriter.com/sho...
Fanny Dashwood was already sitting in the lobby of the London law office with a small bundle of papers when John Willoughby arrived, “Hello Mr. Willoughby, I’ve been expecting you.”
“Really? I had no notion that you were also a descendant of Mr. James Snow, Mrs. Dashwood.”
“Had not you? I should not be surprised; you hope for success without any effort, I am sure of it. How very like a man.”
“I have done very well thus far,” he said, with a charming smile.
“And I plan to do better.”
“Do you know then, who is the executor of the will?” he asked.
“I will not say,” Fanny said. She had in fact been unable to discover his identity and was greatly bothered by it. If there was a person to be flattered, she liked to have all the relevant information.
“I will admit to not being at all worried,” Willoughby laughed, “unlike yourself, I have actually made a point of visiting dear Uncle Snow.”
“You have?” Fanny frowned.
“I do not put all my trust in one inheritance,” Willoughby smirked, “you rely on your mother’s fortune. Before I married, I visited seven different relations with private fortunes every year. I made a nice circuit of it. Mrs. Smith of Allenham, whom I know you have heard of, she is only one of many.”
“If you did do so, it is only because your own home is not fit to dwell in,” Fanny sneered.
“I assure you, with my wife’s fortune, we are quite comfortable. Have you heard of my improvements to the stables?”
“My mother’s fortune is worth twice that of your wife.”
“And you will only see it if you remain in
her favour. A dangerous game.”
“You know, Mrs. Brandon is expecting another child,” Fanny said, she saw Willoughby’s face fall.
“You mean to discompose me, but you shall not succeed. I expected something better from the second favourite child of Mrs. Ferrars. That lady has a true way with words.”
A young clerk appeared and ushered them into a small office. At one end of the table was a young man, about twenty years old.
“James! How delightful to see you again!” said Willoughby and the men spent a few moments talking in such an easy manner that it was obvious that they were intimate friends. Fanny was mortified.
“Mrs. Dashwood, please be seated,” the man said, noticing her.
“Thank you, I am sorry, I do not believe we have been introduced.”
“No, though I lived with my late uncle for ten years; I do not believe you have visited in all that time,” James said, “Mr. James Williams, your great uncle’s nephew and executor of his will.”
“I have been so busy with the education of my child and the improvements at Norland. It was a pity I could not bring little Harry today,” Fanny smiled.
“I am sure the deceased would have loved to have met him.”
Fanny did not like to begin behind; but neither did she have an adequate response to such a charge. Instead she said, “My husband has entrusted me to act in his stead, he is indisposed. But allow me to say; Mr. Snow was a dear relation, one of the best of men.”
“Yes,” Willoughby added, “Like a second father to me. I shall cherish the memories of my visits to North Hall.”
James nodded, “Thank you. Now, let me begin this sad business. As you know, Mr. Snow and his wife were childless and he has named me the executor of his will. The house, lands, and associated plantations have been bequeathed to myself, but there remains a fortune of nearly sixty thousand pounds which my uncle wished to have divided between his three remaining descendants, myself of course, your husband, Mr. John Dashwood, and Mr. John Willoughby.”
“We are then to have twenty thousand each?” Willoughby could not disguise his glee.
“No,” said James, “The sixty thousand is to be shared, but the amount given to each party is entirely left to my discretion.”
Fanny looked at Mr. Williams skeptically for a moment. If the decision was hers, she would have announced the outcome without hesitation: one pound for each man and the rest for herself. Yet he did not speak.
“Come James, tell us the whole of it,” said Willoughby in a joking manner.
“That is the whole,” he said seriously, “it is for you to convince me of what you rightly deserve.”
“If we were all to have an equal claim,” Fanny began, “then I would say divide the money in three portions of twenty each. However, I looked into the matter. Do you realize that Mr. Willoughby’s great-grandmother, Mrs. Maude Clark (nee Snow), was only the half-sister of our honoured uncle? You must know that a half-sister is almost no relation at all, but certainly the offspring of this half-blood should not be worthy of a full share.”
James looked Fanny in the eye, “I am also a descendant of Mrs. Maude Clark.”
Fanny frowned deeply and looked down at her notes.
Willoughby began his pitch, “You know I was always so attentive to our uncle, I would have visited this year, but dear Mrs. Willoughby is in a delicate condition.”
“Of course, of course, but is this your first child?”
“Yes, the first.”
“What a blessing.”
“There is no greater gift than a child.”
“Have you entirely forgotten your daughter then?” said James.
Willoughby started, “I have no daughter.”
“Is there not a Beth Williams living under the protection of Colonel Brandon? Was I mistaken?”
Fanny smirked, Willoughby was undeterred, “A youthful indiscretion! But she is well provided for. Miss Eliza Williams is the natural daughter of the Colonel, or so I have been told. Her child should be in his care.”
“How proper it all sounds,” said James coldly.
Fanny looked up, “You cannot be the descendant of Mrs. Maude Clark. John Willoughby is the only one living! Maude and her husband had only one son who lived to marry: Mr. Clark. He had two daughters. One married Mr. Willoughby and the other Miss Clarke died at fifteen without issue. John is the Willoughby’s only child, just as my husband is the only living descendant of Mrs. Janet Moore (nee Snow). We should end this now. You must be an imposter of some kind! I will return with my mother’s lawyer.”
“No, he was always with our uncle, he must be named as heir,” said Willoughby, “but Mrs. Dashwood is right, you said three living descendants. There are but two.”
They both looked at James. He began gravely, “James Snow was a man of vicious propensities. His wife was barren and he hated her for it. He despised his half-sister Maude and cheated her out of her fortune. They never met again after her marriage. When James was an older man on a trip to Weymouth, he seduced a girl of gentle birth and when his three months leisure was over, he abandoned her. Miss Clark, the granddaughter of his own sister, died in childbirth and her son; Philip Williams was placed in school and raised to think he had no father.
“Philip grew up to be a respectable attorney, married, and had a son. When that son was 10 years of age, James Snow made Philip’s true parentage known and requested that the boy, his grandson, come to live with him and be named as his heir. Of course, my father could not refuse. My grandfather never regretted anything, never cared that he destroyed his own grand-niece! I do not think he ever bothered to find out Miss Clark’s parent’s names. Only my father knew the truth and we were entirely in the old man’s confidence.
“I have hated my grandfather these last fifteen years and I shall not mourn his passing. I see that each of you have followed in the honourable traditions of the family. When my father helped my grandfather write the will, and he is a very excellent attorney, I made certain that everything was under my power. I learned everything I could about both of you. I have to say, a certain Mrs. Edward Ferrars proved to be extremely helpful.”
Fanny gasped.
“And so Mrs. Dashwood, I shall give you exactly what you gave your half-sisters: six months room and board.” he handed her a small stack of notes. “And for you, Willoughby,” James took up again the pages of the will, “’The amount is to be paid to Mr. John Willoughby or the heirs of his body’. I shall thereby bequeath your share of the twenty thousand pounds to the young Elizabeth Williams.”
Both Fanny and Willoughby cried out in protest but they each knew that nothing could be gained by it.
“I really ought to thank you both, if I had not spent so much time at Delaford, I never would have met my wife. Be assured, Mr. Willoughby, that Eliza and her daughter will be safe forever.”
Fanny cried, “So this is all a cruel joke, every pound remains under your control?”
James smiled as he stood and began to walk from the room, “I would never do less for my poor little girl.” And with a mocking bow he added, “Good morning cousins, I have done what I can and must await a juster appointment for you hereafter. Give my warmest regards to Mr. Snow when you join him.”
FINIS
Check out my book, Prideful & Persuaded for some more laser-focused karma!
For the family tree of Mr. John Snow, check out my website: https://bethanydellemanwriter.com/sho...
January 14, 2022
The Worst Men in Jane Austen
I’ve already covered the worst Jane Austen women so for all fairness, here are the worst men. Again, I am focusing on people who do real harm through their actions or neglect. Mr. Collins and Mr. Elton, therefore, will not be on this list. Both of them are annoying and immoral, but relatively harmless. Snubbing a woman at a ball and suggesting that death would be better for Lydia are not the sort of things that can rank with this cast of characters…
1. Mr. William Elliot (Persuasion) - This man must top the list because the language used to describe him is past anything in Jane Austen’s other works. He is “hollow and black” according to Mrs. Smith. She is biased, but she does provide a heap of evidence in her favour. I don’t blame Mr. Elliot for disliking Sir Walter, he has good reason to, but he is cruel to the woman he married for money, he encourages the Smith’s to live beyond their means, and worst of all, he refuses to help Mrs. Smith when she is both sick and in poverty. Remember, he is the executor of the will and duty bound to do so. Let us all be glad that Anne was never induced to marry him. In my new novel, Prideful & Persuaded , we see just how far Mr. Elliot will go to keep his inheritance...
2. General Tilney (Northanger Abbey) - He might not have murdered his wife, but there is little else I would not put past this man. General Tilney has no interest in his children’s happiness and tries to force them to marry for money rather than affection. He screams at his eldest son for being late for breakfast in full view of a guest, he turns a young girl out of his house and will not even send a servant with her for protection. His children act so differently around him that we can be fairly certain that at least verbal abuse is something they regularly endure. Poor late Mrs. Tilney could not have had a happy marriage.
3. Mr. Brandon & his father (Sense & Sensibility) - We hear of Mr. Brandons Jr. and Sr. from Colonel Brandon, who is very biased against them, but these are not good men. Mr. Brandon Sr. betrayed his duty as Eliza’s guardian by forcing her to marry his son and stealing her fortune through the marriage. This is despite knowing that Eliza wanted to marry Colonel Brandon. Mr. Brandon Jr. treated his wife with cruelty from the first and “his pleasures were not what they ought to have been” which is a super ominous line. Later, when Mr. Brandon divorces Eliza, he leaves her with a tiny allowance which is not enough for her maintenance. They destroyed this happy young girl and stole her money. Detestable. They’d be first if they didn’t both die before their book began.
4. John Willoughby (Sense & Sensibility) - Obviously the foremost sin here is seducing, impregnating, and then abandoning Eliza Williams. He also admits that his flirtation with Marianne was originally meant to simply be for fun and he had no intention of marrying her. He is also incredibly selfish, forcing the distressed Elinor to listen to his huge sob story and wishing for Marianne to never be with anyone else. Unfortunately, he never really pays for his sins, beyond having to marry an out-of-humour Miss Moneybags *ahem* Grey.
5. George Wickham (Pride & Prejudice) - The list of sins here is pretty long, starting with trying to seduce a fifteen-year-old girl and ending with running off with a different fifteen-year-old with no intention of marrying her. Wickham also slanders Darcy, racks up gambling debt that he will not pay, and seduces an undisclosed number of tradesmen’s daughters. Let’s just assume he’s spreading some STIs just based on sheer statistical probability. How many Wickham babies are scattered around Derbyshire, Cambridge, and Hertfordshire? Wickham is slightly better than Willoughby because he does marry Lydia (after being bribed) and therefore she is saved from the fate of poor Eliza Williams.
6. John Dashwood (Sense & Sensibility) - A lot of hatred for this man’s actions goes towards his wife, but he is the one who actually did the deed! John Dashwood, despite making a deathbed promise to his father to provide for his half-sisters, is convinced by his wife to give them nothing. No matter what Fanny said, John is the one who has the power to provide and he does nothing more than allow a grieving widow to stay for six months in her former home and then hope that the daughters will marry well (but not to Edward!)
7. Mr. Bennet (Pride & Prejudice) - A surprise contender! Mr. Bennet exposes his wife to “the contempt of her own children”, which is bad enough, but he is also an extremely lazy parent. Jane and Elizabeth both try to correct Kitty and Lydia’s behaviour, but having no support from the only parent who knows better, they fail. Mr. Bennet should have gotten out of his library years ago and actually done some parenting. He should have listened to Elizabeth’s warning at the very least and not allowed Lydia to go to Brighton, but he values peace above his daughter’s safety and his family’s respectability. Lastly, he did nothing to financially support his family after his death. Even fifty pounds each per girl, saved since their births, could have been a big help.
8. Henry Crawford (Mansfield Park) - Yes, he had an affair with a married woman that led to her divorce and ruin and yes, he’s a bad flirt, but Henry did not prey on young women in the same way as Willoughby or Wickham. His MO is to flirt, make a girl a little in love with him, and then skip town before he is expected to propose. There is no evidence that he ever ruined any of the girls he flirted with. He does have an affair with Maria Rushworth after she followed him to Richmond, but the narrator tells us that the exposure and ruin was a result of “her imprudence”. She exposed herself hoping that he would marry her. He’s not a good person, but he is not the worst of the bunch.
9. Sir Thomas (Mansfield Park) – He takes over the care of his niece with all these high-minded notions of providing for her and then does nothing to actually provide. Yes, she is educated, dressed, and housed, but when it comes to introducing her to the world so she can marry, nothing is done. It seems like the long-term plan is to make Fanny into a permanent unpaid companion for Lady Bertram. He neglects his own daughters and allows Mrs. Norris to spoil them rotten. And then we have the rampant child abuse that Sir Thomas somehow doesn’t notice…
10. Admiral Crawford (Mansfield Park) – He does not appear on page but his vicious propensities are widely discussed. The Admiral did provide a comfortable home for his orphaned niece and nephew. However, we do not know how altruistic this was since they are both rich and therefore not a financial burden. When his wife died, he took a mistress under his roof, which drove his niece, Mary, from his home. Mary also says that her aunt was miserable while married to the Admiral.
11. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) – Not the worst offender but there are some sins to atone for. Darcy, knowing Wickham’s true character, does not even attempt to expose him or warn the good people of Meryton about his gambling and profligacy. He could do something, you must imagine, without exposing Georgiana. Darcy also separated Jane and Bingley, knowing that Bingley was in love with Jane. He might have excuses, but one suspects that he might have really done it to get away from those alluring "fine eyes”...
12. Mr. Price (Mansfield Park) - I have some compassion for Mr. Price. He is disabled in some way (we are not told how) from his former profession in the marines. According to some commentary I read, this means he is at least missing a limb, maybe worse. While he is certainly a drunk and a negligent father, we might imagine that he suffers from PTSD or chronic pain as a result of his military service and injury. So while I cannot forgive him for making his daughter the object of a crude joke, he is at least somewhat sympathetic.
13. Robert Ferrars (Sense & Sensibility) – this is a borderline case, because Robert ended up doing more good than harm, but stealing your brother’s fiancé is pretty low. We know that Edward was by now in love with someone else, but Robert didn’t know that and from what we know of his character, he was probably trying to complete his theft of Edward’s life by taking both his inheritance and his woman.
Honourable Mention: Captain Frederick Tilney (Northanger Abbey) – He flirts with an engaged woman and this leads to her engagement being broken off. I’d dislike him more if he wasn’t doing James Moreland a HUGE favour and opening his eyes about Isabella Thorpe’s true character. There is also no evidence in the book that he actually slept with Isabella, that was all the 2003 adaption.
Honourable Mention 2: Edmund Bertram (Mansfield Park) – He’s supposed to be Fanny’s defender but he’s just so darn bad at it. Everyone else is worse, no doubt, especially Mrs. Norris, but I blame Edmund because he knows better. He knows Fanny has no fire and does nothing to fix that. He knows Fanny wants to see the avenue at Southerton but he wants to flirt with Mary instead so Fanny misses it. He even tries to tell her that she’ll be happy living with her abusive aunt! And he sits back and pretends to read a newspaper while Henry harasses Fanny. You need to do better Edmund!
Honourable Mention 3: John Thorpe (Northanger Abbey) – He’s so slimy that you want to have a nice shower after his sections of the book, but John Thorpe doesn’t manage to do anything worse than kind of kidnap Catherine for a carriage ride and tell her a ton of braggy lies. He’s the worst, but luckily, he’s not dangerous.
Honourable Mention 4: Sir Walter Elliot (Persuasion) – He is a bad father (shocking I know, Jane Austen never has those…) but Sir Walter does not have any glaring sins like the other men. He’s described by his late wife as “a conceited, silly father.” Unlike General Tilney however, he is not actively unkind, he just tends to forget that any of his daughters except Elizabeth exist. He is also deeply in debt and this must be hurting the people he owes money to.
Honourable Mention 5: Frank Churchill (Emma) – I have a hard time with Frank. He flirts a bit with Emma but she is helped rather than harmed by his attention (it finally brought Mr. Knightley to the point). Jane is made physically sick but we aren’t sure if this is because of his behaviour or because she hates lying about her engagement. His biggest sin, in my opinion, is clearly only visiting his father to see Jane, which is a scummy thing to do, but Mr. Weston immediately forgives him. So I don’t know what to do with this guy.
Honourable Mention 6: Mr. Henry Woodhouse (Emma) – This one is again tricky. Emma doesn’t seem to really mind being stuck at home and taking care of her father. However, Mr. Woodhouse has kept Emma from living her life which is the opposite of good parenting. He can hardly allow her to have a ball he has so many concerns about drafts. Despite living very close to London, Emma has never visited her sister even for a few days! Whatever his health problems, real or imaginary, Mr. Woodhouse has clipped his daughter’s wings and I have a hard time forgiving him for it.
Honourable Mention 7: Edward Ferrars (Sense & Sensibility) – Only Colonel Brandon and Sir John are safe from me! Edward is a difficult hero, he showed Elinor enough attention that even her rational heart had expectations and for his sister Fanny to become worried. Yet, he was engaged the whole time. Even if he no longer loved Lucy, that isn’t an excuse to start hitting on another girl.
1. Mr. William Elliot (Persuasion) - This man must top the list because the language used to describe him is past anything in Jane Austen’s other works. He is “hollow and black” according to Mrs. Smith. She is biased, but she does provide a heap of evidence in her favour. I don’t blame Mr. Elliot for disliking Sir Walter, he has good reason to, but he is cruel to the woman he married for money, he encourages the Smith’s to live beyond their means, and worst of all, he refuses to help Mrs. Smith when she is both sick and in poverty. Remember, he is the executor of the will and duty bound to do so. Let us all be glad that Anne was never induced to marry him. In my new novel, Prideful & Persuaded , we see just how far Mr. Elliot will go to keep his inheritance...
2. General Tilney (Northanger Abbey) - He might not have murdered his wife, but there is little else I would not put past this man. General Tilney has no interest in his children’s happiness and tries to force them to marry for money rather than affection. He screams at his eldest son for being late for breakfast in full view of a guest, he turns a young girl out of his house and will not even send a servant with her for protection. His children act so differently around him that we can be fairly certain that at least verbal abuse is something they regularly endure. Poor late Mrs. Tilney could not have had a happy marriage.
3. Mr. Brandon & his father (Sense & Sensibility) - We hear of Mr. Brandons Jr. and Sr. from Colonel Brandon, who is very biased against them, but these are not good men. Mr. Brandon Sr. betrayed his duty as Eliza’s guardian by forcing her to marry his son and stealing her fortune through the marriage. This is despite knowing that Eliza wanted to marry Colonel Brandon. Mr. Brandon Jr. treated his wife with cruelty from the first and “his pleasures were not what they ought to have been” which is a super ominous line. Later, when Mr. Brandon divorces Eliza, he leaves her with a tiny allowance which is not enough for her maintenance. They destroyed this happy young girl and stole her money. Detestable. They’d be first if they didn’t both die before their book began.
4. John Willoughby (Sense & Sensibility) - Obviously the foremost sin here is seducing, impregnating, and then abandoning Eliza Williams. He also admits that his flirtation with Marianne was originally meant to simply be for fun and he had no intention of marrying her. He is also incredibly selfish, forcing the distressed Elinor to listen to his huge sob story and wishing for Marianne to never be with anyone else. Unfortunately, he never really pays for his sins, beyond having to marry an out-of-humour Miss Moneybags *ahem* Grey.
5. George Wickham (Pride & Prejudice) - The list of sins here is pretty long, starting with trying to seduce a fifteen-year-old girl and ending with running off with a different fifteen-year-old with no intention of marrying her. Wickham also slanders Darcy, racks up gambling debt that he will not pay, and seduces an undisclosed number of tradesmen’s daughters. Let’s just assume he’s spreading some STIs just based on sheer statistical probability. How many Wickham babies are scattered around Derbyshire, Cambridge, and Hertfordshire? Wickham is slightly better than Willoughby because he does marry Lydia (after being bribed) and therefore she is saved from the fate of poor Eliza Williams.
6. John Dashwood (Sense & Sensibility) - A lot of hatred for this man’s actions goes towards his wife, but he is the one who actually did the deed! John Dashwood, despite making a deathbed promise to his father to provide for his half-sisters, is convinced by his wife to give them nothing. No matter what Fanny said, John is the one who has the power to provide and he does nothing more than allow a grieving widow to stay for six months in her former home and then hope that the daughters will marry well (but not to Edward!)
7. Mr. Bennet (Pride & Prejudice) - A surprise contender! Mr. Bennet exposes his wife to “the contempt of her own children”, which is bad enough, but he is also an extremely lazy parent. Jane and Elizabeth both try to correct Kitty and Lydia’s behaviour, but having no support from the only parent who knows better, they fail. Mr. Bennet should have gotten out of his library years ago and actually done some parenting. He should have listened to Elizabeth’s warning at the very least and not allowed Lydia to go to Brighton, but he values peace above his daughter’s safety and his family’s respectability. Lastly, he did nothing to financially support his family after his death. Even fifty pounds each per girl, saved since their births, could have been a big help.
8. Henry Crawford (Mansfield Park) - Yes, he had an affair with a married woman that led to her divorce and ruin and yes, he’s a bad flirt, but Henry did not prey on young women in the same way as Willoughby or Wickham. His MO is to flirt, make a girl a little in love with him, and then skip town before he is expected to propose. There is no evidence that he ever ruined any of the girls he flirted with. He does have an affair with Maria Rushworth after she followed him to Richmond, but the narrator tells us that the exposure and ruin was a result of “her imprudence”. She exposed herself hoping that he would marry her. He’s not a good person, but he is not the worst of the bunch.
9. Sir Thomas (Mansfield Park) – He takes over the care of his niece with all these high-minded notions of providing for her and then does nothing to actually provide. Yes, she is educated, dressed, and housed, but when it comes to introducing her to the world so she can marry, nothing is done. It seems like the long-term plan is to make Fanny into a permanent unpaid companion for Lady Bertram. He neglects his own daughters and allows Mrs. Norris to spoil them rotten. And then we have the rampant child abuse that Sir Thomas somehow doesn’t notice…
10. Admiral Crawford (Mansfield Park) – He does not appear on page but his vicious propensities are widely discussed. The Admiral did provide a comfortable home for his orphaned niece and nephew. However, we do not know how altruistic this was since they are both rich and therefore not a financial burden. When his wife died, he took a mistress under his roof, which drove his niece, Mary, from his home. Mary also says that her aunt was miserable while married to the Admiral.
11. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) – Not the worst offender but there are some sins to atone for. Darcy, knowing Wickham’s true character, does not even attempt to expose him or warn the good people of Meryton about his gambling and profligacy. He could do something, you must imagine, without exposing Georgiana. Darcy also separated Jane and Bingley, knowing that Bingley was in love with Jane. He might have excuses, but one suspects that he might have really done it to get away from those alluring "fine eyes”...
12. Mr. Price (Mansfield Park) - I have some compassion for Mr. Price. He is disabled in some way (we are not told how) from his former profession in the marines. According to some commentary I read, this means he is at least missing a limb, maybe worse. While he is certainly a drunk and a negligent father, we might imagine that he suffers from PTSD or chronic pain as a result of his military service and injury. So while I cannot forgive him for making his daughter the object of a crude joke, he is at least somewhat sympathetic.
13. Robert Ferrars (Sense & Sensibility) – this is a borderline case, because Robert ended up doing more good than harm, but stealing your brother’s fiancé is pretty low. We know that Edward was by now in love with someone else, but Robert didn’t know that and from what we know of his character, he was probably trying to complete his theft of Edward’s life by taking both his inheritance and his woman.
Honourable Mention: Captain Frederick Tilney (Northanger Abbey) – He flirts with an engaged woman and this leads to her engagement being broken off. I’d dislike him more if he wasn’t doing James Moreland a HUGE favour and opening his eyes about Isabella Thorpe’s true character. There is also no evidence in the book that he actually slept with Isabella, that was all the 2003 adaption.
Honourable Mention 2: Edmund Bertram (Mansfield Park) – He’s supposed to be Fanny’s defender but he’s just so darn bad at it. Everyone else is worse, no doubt, especially Mrs. Norris, but I blame Edmund because he knows better. He knows Fanny has no fire and does nothing to fix that. He knows Fanny wants to see the avenue at Southerton but he wants to flirt with Mary instead so Fanny misses it. He even tries to tell her that she’ll be happy living with her abusive aunt! And he sits back and pretends to read a newspaper while Henry harasses Fanny. You need to do better Edmund!
Honourable Mention 3: John Thorpe (Northanger Abbey) – He’s so slimy that you want to have a nice shower after his sections of the book, but John Thorpe doesn’t manage to do anything worse than kind of kidnap Catherine for a carriage ride and tell her a ton of braggy lies. He’s the worst, but luckily, he’s not dangerous.
Honourable Mention 4: Sir Walter Elliot (Persuasion) – He is a bad father (shocking I know, Jane Austen never has those…) but Sir Walter does not have any glaring sins like the other men. He’s described by his late wife as “a conceited, silly father.” Unlike General Tilney however, he is not actively unkind, he just tends to forget that any of his daughters except Elizabeth exist. He is also deeply in debt and this must be hurting the people he owes money to.
Honourable Mention 5: Frank Churchill (Emma) – I have a hard time with Frank. He flirts a bit with Emma but she is helped rather than harmed by his attention (it finally brought Mr. Knightley to the point). Jane is made physically sick but we aren’t sure if this is because of his behaviour or because she hates lying about her engagement. His biggest sin, in my opinion, is clearly only visiting his father to see Jane, which is a scummy thing to do, but Mr. Weston immediately forgives him. So I don’t know what to do with this guy.
Honourable Mention 6: Mr. Henry Woodhouse (Emma) – This one is again tricky. Emma doesn’t seem to really mind being stuck at home and taking care of her father. However, Mr. Woodhouse has kept Emma from living her life which is the opposite of good parenting. He can hardly allow her to have a ball he has so many concerns about drafts. Despite living very close to London, Emma has never visited her sister even for a few days! Whatever his health problems, real or imaginary, Mr. Woodhouse has clipped his daughter’s wings and I have a hard time forgiving him for it.
Honourable Mention 7: Edward Ferrars (Sense & Sensibility) – Only Colonel Brandon and Sir John are safe from me! Edward is a difficult hero, he showed Elinor enough attention that even her rational heart had expectations and for his sister Fanny to become worried. Yet, he was engaged the whole time. Even if he no longer loved Lucy, that isn’t an excuse to start hitting on another girl.
January 6, 2022
Who is the Worst Woman in Jane Austen?
Because Pride & Prejudice is Jane Austen’s most popular work, often lists of Jane Austen’s worst women include Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine. While each of these women is certainly an antagonist, I would hesitate to call them a villain. Caroline’s only real sin is separating Jane and Bingley, something she did with Darcy’s help and could have been for mostly-pure motives (saving her brother from a mercenary marriage). Lady Catherine’s biggest sin is… yelling at Elizabeth. These most hated women can’t hold a candle to Jane Austen's real female villains…
1. Mrs. Norris, Mansfield Park. She must top the list because as far as I can tell, she is the only person who could be charged with an actual crime (at least in the 21st century). Mrs. Norris, besides verbally and emotionally abusing her niece, Fanny Price, also denies her what today we would call, “necessities of life”. That is, she does not allow a fire to be lit in East Room, the chimney of which would heat Fanny’s bedroom. In cold, damp, England, this is incredibly cruel and may contribute to Fanny’s continued ill health. Mrs. Norris also seems to enjoy abusing her niece; it makes her feel better about being a leech on the Bertram family. Horrid woman.
2. Lady Susan, Lady Susan. She is the only Austen character whom I might label a psychopath. Lady Susan has absolutely no moral compass, she is sleeping with a married man and doesn’t care that the wife is miserable. She tries to force her daughter to marry an idiot and then punishes her by sending her to school when Frederica refuses. It is heavily implied that she burned through her husband’s entire fortune and then out of spite, did not allow the younger brother to purchase his own family’s indebted estate. She also tried to keep that same younger brother from marrying because she was mooching his money. Lady Susan does not feel remorse for any of these actions and only regrets being caught in her own lies because it harms her prospects. Everything she does is completely selfishly motivated without any hint of guilt for harming anyone.
3. Mrs. Ferrars, Sense & Sensibility. Mrs. Ferrars is one of the most powerful women in Jane Austen. Even though Mr. Ferrars is dead, it is she, and not Edward, the eldest son, who controls the family fortune and estate. Mrs. Ferrars uses this power to make Edward miserable. All Edward wants is to be a country rector but she wants him to be something fancier, so she holds Edwards inheritance hostage until he makes something of himself. When it is revealed that Edward is engaged to the penniless Lucy Steele, Mrs. Ferrars disowns him completely, even though he is doing the honourable thing by living up to his promises. Mrs. Ferrars is also a mercenary fortune hunter when it comes to her sons and does not seem to care at all about their personal happiness.
4. Fanny Dashwood , Sense & Sensibility. I find it very important, if a woman is to be a villain, that she has the power to do her dirty deeds. Fanny does not actually have the power to deny her three half-sisters an inheritance, that is in the hands of her husband. Therefore, while Fanny shows herself to be a terrible person by convincing him to not give his three sisters a penny, despite being extremely wealthy and able to do so, I cannot blame her as much as the women above. John Dashwood shares in Fanny’s despicable actions, he is the one who acts.
5. Mrs. Young, Pride & Prejudice. There is a female villain in P&P but she is never on page. Mrs. Young colluded with Wickham to help him elope with Georgiana. We do not know why she did this or how she knew Wickham, but allowing a man to abscond with an underage girl in order to gain control of her fortune is despicable. She also conceals the location of Wickham and a second teenage girl until paid a bribe. While Mrs. Young did not succeed in ruining Georgiana, she meant to do it and betrayed the trust of the Darcy family.
6. Lucy Steele, Sense & Sensibility. Some people might put Lucy higher, but I feel kind of sorry for Lucy and Nancy (Anne) Steele. In my book Prideful & Persuaded, I gave them a sympathetic backstory which fit with canon. The Steeles are poor and possibly orphans (Mr. Steele is mentioned once and by a character who might not actually know if he is alive). It seems like they had been living with their uncle and are now Regency-couch surfing. As little as Lucy seems to actually like Edward, her engagement to him is her golden ticket out of abject poverty. Lucy spends a lot of time with her older sister, who must be a living reminder of what might happen to herself. Yes, Lucy is deliberately cruel to Elinor and makes Edward miserable, but from Lucy's perspective, Elinor is a home-wreaker and Edward is straying from his engagement. In that context, Lucy’s actions are not justified but they are at least understandable.
7. Elizabeth Elliot, Persuasion. In all of Austen’s works, I can think of no crueller sister than Elizabeth. Her idea of saving money is to stop buying Anne presents. She shows no concern for the feelings of anyone beyond herself and her father. She dismisses Anne’s intelligence and audibly tells Mrs. Clay that she is preferential to Anne. While she commits no greater sins than these, she does not even have the good sense to be comical. We can laugh at Miss Bingley and her claims to exceptional skill at mending pens, but Elizabeth never inspires laughter, only contempt.
8. Emma, Emma. I am not saying Emma is a villain for insulting Miss Bates, that was merely careless, but Emma does nearly destroy Harriet Smith’s life. By convincing her to reject Robert Martin, a man whom Harriet clearly loved, Emma could have done catastrophic damage to her future prospects. If Mr. Knightley had not intervened and reunited the couple by the end of the book, Harriet may have become a permanent parlour boarder or a teacher, never gaining a respectable marriage.
Honorable Mention: Isabella Thorpe , Northanger Abbey. Isabella causes a lot of emotional pain to James Morland during their engagement. She tries to two-time him and Captain Tilney and he is being gaslit by her. While this is awful, it was fortunate for him that he found out her character sooner rather than later. I have reduced her to an honourable mention because the only person Isabella ends up doing lasting damage to is herself.
Edit: Honorable Mention 2: Lady Bertram , Mansfield Park. As someone brought up in comments, Lady Bertram deserves to be included because she allows Fanny's abuse to continue, often right in front of her, and does nothing about it. This is despite the fact that she seems to actually appreciate Fanny. She is such a space-cadet that it's hard to make her one of the worst women, but she is not a good one.
1. Mrs. Norris, Mansfield Park. She must top the list because as far as I can tell, she is the only person who could be charged with an actual crime (at least in the 21st century). Mrs. Norris, besides verbally and emotionally abusing her niece, Fanny Price, also denies her what today we would call, “necessities of life”. That is, she does not allow a fire to be lit in East Room, the chimney of which would heat Fanny’s bedroom. In cold, damp, England, this is incredibly cruel and may contribute to Fanny’s continued ill health. Mrs. Norris also seems to enjoy abusing her niece; it makes her feel better about being a leech on the Bertram family. Horrid woman.
2. Lady Susan, Lady Susan. She is the only Austen character whom I might label a psychopath. Lady Susan has absolutely no moral compass, she is sleeping with a married man and doesn’t care that the wife is miserable. She tries to force her daughter to marry an idiot and then punishes her by sending her to school when Frederica refuses. It is heavily implied that she burned through her husband’s entire fortune and then out of spite, did not allow the younger brother to purchase his own family’s indebted estate. She also tried to keep that same younger brother from marrying because she was mooching his money. Lady Susan does not feel remorse for any of these actions and only regrets being caught in her own lies because it harms her prospects. Everything she does is completely selfishly motivated without any hint of guilt for harming anyone.
3. Mrs. Ferrars, Sense & Sensibility. Mrs. Ferrars is one of the most powerful women in Jane Austen. Even though Mr. Ferrars is dead, it is she, and not Edward, the eldest son, who controls the family fortune and estate. Mrs. Ferrars uses this power to make Edward miserable. All Edward wants is to be a country rector but she wants him to be something fancier, so she holds Edwards inheritance hostage until he makes something of himself. When it is revealed that Edward is engaged to the penniless Lucy Steele, Mrs. Ferrars disowns him completely, even though he is doing the honourable thing by living up to his promises. Mrs. Ferrars is also a mercenary fortune hunter when it comes to her sons and does not seem to care at all about their personal happiness.
4. Fanny Dashwood , Sense & Sensibility. I find it very important, if a woman is to be a villain, that she has the power to do her dirty deeds. Fanny does not actually have the power to deny her three half-sisters an inheritance, that is in the hands of her husband. Therefore, while Fanny shows herself to be a terrible person by convincing him to not give his three sisters a penny, despite being extremely wealthy and able to do so, I cannot blame her as much as the women above. John Dashwood shares in Fanny’s despicable actions, he is the one who acts.
5. Mrs. Young, Pride & Prejudice. There is a female villain in P&P but she is never on page. Mrs. Young colluded with Wickham to help him elope with Georgiana. We do not know why she did this or how she knew Wickham, but allowing a man to abscond with an underage girl in order to gain control of her fortune is despicable. She also conceals the location of Wickham and a second teenage girl until paid a bribe. While Mrs. Young did not succeed in ruining Georgiana, she meant to do it and betrayed the trust of the Darcy family.
6. Lucy Steele, Sense & Sensibility. Some people might put Lucy higher, but I feel kind of sorry for Lucy and Nancy (Anne) Steele. In my book Prideful & Persuaded, I gave them a sympathetic backstory which fit with canon. The Steeles are poor and possibly orphans (Mr. Steele is mentioned once and by a character who might not actually know if he is alive). It seems like they had been living with their uncle and are now Regency-couch surfing. As little as Lucy seems to actually like Edward, her engagement to him is her golden ticket out of abject poverty. Lucy spends a lot of time with her older sister, who must be a living reminder of what might happen to herself. Yes, Lucy is deliberately cruel to Elinor and makes Edward miserable, but from Lucy's perspective, Elinor is a home-wreaker and Edward is straying from his engagement. In that context, Lucy’s actions are not justified but they are at least understandable.
7. Elizabeth Elliot, Persuasion. In all of Austen’s works, I can think of no crueller sister than Elizabeth. Her idea of saving money is to stop buying Anne presents. She shows no concern for the feelings of anyone beyond herself and her father. She dismisses Anne’s intelligence and audibly tells Mrs. Clay that she is preferential to Anne. While she commits no greater sins than these, she does not even have the good sense to be comical. We can laugh at Miss Bingley and her claims to exceptional skill at mending pens, but Elizabeth never inspires laughter, only contempt.
8. Emma, Emma. I am not saying Emma is a villain for insulting Miss Bates, that was merely careless, but Emma does nearly destroy Harriet Smith’s life. By convincing her to reject Robert Martin, a man whom Harriet clearly loved, Emma could have done catastrophic damage to her future prospects. If Mr. Knightley had not intervened and reunited the couple by the end of the book, Harriet may have become a permanent parlour boarder or a teacher, never gaining a respectable marriage.
Honorable Mention: Isabella Thorpe , Northanger Abbey. Isabella causes a lot of emotional pain to James Morland during their engagement. She tries to two-time him and Captain Tilney and he is being gaslit by her. While this is awful, it was fortunate for him that he found out her character sooner rather than later. I have reduced her to an honourable mention because the only person Isabella ends up doing lasting damage to is herself.
Edit: Honorable Mention 2: Lady Bertram , Mansfield Park. As someone brought up in comments, Lady Bertram deserves to be included because she allows Fanny's abuse to continue, often right in front of her, and does nothing about it. This is despite the fact that she seems to actually appreciate Fanny. She is such a space-cadet that it's hard to make her one of the worst women, but she is not a good one.
December 29, 2021
Sir Walter is the Best
The first time I read Persuasion I didn’t like it (I was 17, that must be my excuse) but I loved Sir Walter Elliot. The first chapter, where we learn that a man spends all his spare time reading his own family history just tickled my fancy. His actions and speeches throughout the book are hilarious. Now that I have read the entirety of Jane Austen’s illustrious works, I find Sir Walter to be the best of her comical yet cruel characters. Mrs. Norris from Mansfield Park is another great example, she is terrible but very often funny (especially when she mooches cream cheese and partridge eggs from Southerton).
We meet Sir Walter first, before Anne, the actual main character, or Wentworth the male hero. We are told that “vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot's character”. This is extremely true, when Sir Walter takes a moment to think about his youngest daughter, Mary, he asks about her appearance, “The last time I saw her she had a red nose, but I hope that may not happen every day." and then he offers to buy her new clothes to protect her from sharp winds. When he is alone with Anne, he compliments her looks, “less thin in her person, in her cheeks; her skin, her complexion, greatly improved; clearer, fresher. Had she been using any thing in particular?” This is the full extent of his paternal affection, he’s a terrible father. Or as Lady Elliot, Anne’s mother, thought before dying, “a conceited, silly father.”
This is rather tragic, and it’s certainly messed up Mary, who is so starved for attention and love that she can’t appreciate that she has married into a very normal, loving family. But it’s also so over the top that you can’t help but laugh. It also helps to know that not very much would have been expected of a Regency father. The girls would have had a governess, they all went to school, and we can assume that even neglected Anne is well-dressed and provided for if only because Sir Walter wants his whole family to look their best.
What is worse is that Sir Walter is also most likely a member of parliament, as he met his heir, Mr. Elliot, “in the lobby of the House of Commons”. Yes, this man is helping run a country! That’s hilarious! But also, very concerning for the state of the country. Let’s hope the other MPs are more intelligent (I wonder if he is friends with some other Jane Austen MPs, Mr. Palmer from S&S and Sir Thomas from MP?)
My favourite part of Sir Walter’s character is his counting of plain women. It’s horrible, it’s very bad in the light of MeToo, but I just can’t help laughing because of how exact he is about all of it. “once, as he had stood in a shop on Bond Street, he had counted eighty-seven women go by, one after another, without there being a tolerable face among them.” Eighty-seven! Who counts to eighty-seven!?! I can’t think of a single time in my life that I’ve counted eighty-seven of something for fun. And then luckily, because Sir Walter’s dislike of plain faces is universal, he insults all the men too. See, not so misogynist after all.
The last great part about Sir Walter is that he accepts Anne’s marriage to Wentworth because Wentworth is a very handsome man:
"Sir Walter, indeed, though he had no affection for Anne, and no vanity flattered, to make him really happy on the occasion, was very far from thinking it a bad match for her. On the contrary, when he saw more of Captain Wentworth, saw him repeatedly by daylight, and eyed him well, he was very much struck by his personal claims, and felt that his superiority of appearance might be not unfairly balanced against her superiority of rank; and all this, assisted by his well-sounding name, enabled Sir Walter at last to prepare his pen, with a very good grace, for the insertion of the marriage in the volume of honour."
What an excellent father! What a wonderful character that Jane Austen put together. Absolutely terrible but at the same time, so funny that I can’t work up a real hatred for him.
I actually started my novel by writing chapter 2, where Mr. Shepherd and Lady Russell persuade Sir Walter to have lower expectations for marriage. I love how Sir Walter, through Persuasion, seems to be so very persuadable. He doesn’t want to rent his house; he certainly doesn’t want it rented to the navy! but he comes around. Mr. Elliot has grievously insulted the family, but he talks his way right back in. Sir Walter was a very fun character to write and I’m so happy that Jane Austen invented him!
We meet Sir Walter first, before Anne, the actual main character, or Wentworth the male hero. We are told that “vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot's character”. This is extremely true, when Sir Walter takes a moment to think about his youngest daughter, Mary, he asks about her appearance, “The last time I saw her she had a red nose, but I hope that may not happen every day." and then he offers to buy her new clothes to protect her from sharp winds. When he is alone with Anne, he compliments her looks, “less thin in her person, in her cheeks; her skin, her complexion, greatly improved; clearer, fresher. Had she been using any thing in particular?” This is the full extent of his paternal affection, he’s a terrible father. Or as Lady Elliot, Anne’s mother, thought before dying, “a conceited, silly father.”
This is rather tragic, and it’s certainly messed up Mary, who is so starved for attention and love that she can’t appreciate that she has married into a very normal, loving family. But it’s also so over the top that you can’t help but laugh. It also helps to know that not very much would have been expected of a Regency father. The girls would have had a governess, they all went to school, and we can assume that even neglected Anne is well-dressed and provided for if only because Sir Walter wants his whole family to look their best.
What is worse is that Sir Walter is also most likely a member of parliament, as he met his heir, Mr. Elliot, “in the lobby of the House of Commons”. Yes, this man is helping run a country! That’s hilarious! But also, very concerning for the state of the country. Let’s hope the other MPs are more intelligent (I wonder if he is friends with some other Jane Austen MPs, Mr. Palmer from S&S and Sir Thomas from MP?)
My favourite part of Sir Walter’s character is his counting of plain women. It’s horrible, it’s very bad in the light of MeToo, but I just can’t help laughing because of how exact he is about all of it. “once, as he had stood in a shop on Bond Street, he had counted eighty-seven women go by, one after another, without there being a tolerable face among them.” Eighty-seven! Who counts to eighty-seven!?! I can’t think of a single time in my life that I’ve counted eighty-seven of something for fun. And then luckily, because Sir Walter’s dislike of plain faces is universal, he insults all the men too. See, not so misogynist after all.
The last great part about Sir Walter is that he accepts Anne’s marriage to Wentworth because Wentworth is a very handsome man:
"Sir Walter, indeed, though he had no affection for Anne, and no vanity flattered, to make him really happy on the occasion, was very far from thinking it a bad match for her. On the contrary, when he saw more of Captain Wentworth, saw him repeatedly by daylight, and eyed him well, he was very much struck by his personal claims, and felt that his superiority of appearance might be not unfairly balanced against her superiority of rank; and all this, assisted by his well-sounding name, enabled Sir Walter at last to prepare his pen, with a very good grace, for the insertion of the marriage in the volume of honour."
What an excellent father! What a wonderful character that Jane Austen put together. Absolutely terrible but at the same time, so funny that I can’t work up a real hatred for him.
I actually started my novel by writing chapter 2, where Mr. Shepherd and Lady Russell persuade Sir Walter to have lower expectations for marriage. I love how Sir Walter, through Persuasion, seems to be so very persuadable. He doesn’t want to rent his house; he certainly doesn’t want it rented to the navy! but he comes around. Mr. Elliot has grievously insulted the family, but he talks his way right back in. Sir Walter was a very fun character to write and I’m so happy that Jane Austen invented him!
