Catherine Hemingway's Blog, page 2

Jane Austen’s Legacy of Charmers

Enter Henry Tilney when ingenue Catherine Moreland attends her first ball in Bath but lacks proper introductions and is relegated to the role of observer when she longs to dance.  We all fall a bit in love right along with her when Prince Charming arrives to invite her to dance and later teases her about what her diary entry will be the next day.  He’s even an expert on the finer points of Indian muslin.  A chain of events brings them together at Northanger Abbey where Catherine is at first welcomed and then rudely dismissed by General Tilney to travel home on her own, but Henry comes through in the end to win her hand as any Prince Charming would be expected to do.  Of course, not all the charmers Jane Austen introduces are as open, honest, and good natured as Henry Tilney.  Some are dishonest, self-serving, and not at all to be admired as we come to find out.   Just for fun, let’s examine the natural charmers we love and the charming rogues we come to loath for taking advantage of our young heroines.

 

Natural Charmers

 

Mr. Bingley immediately strikes us as genuinely open, affable, and affectionate.  When Netherfield Park is let at last, the neighborhood is overjoyed to have a single man of good fortune in their midst, and he does not disappoint.  He sincerely enjoys engaging with local society at large and Jane Bennet in particular, so what’s not to love?  Well, perhaps a bit of a weak spine since he is easily persuaded to move back to London because his friend, Mr. Darcy, and his sisters are fearful that he'll make an imprudent match with an attractive young lady who lacks fortune and rank and is saddled with an unruly family.  Still, we never doubt his goodwill or open temperament and he comes through with a proposal in the end.  Well done, Mr. Bingley.

 

 

Colonel Fitzwilliam is another natural charmer who was “very much admired” when he called at the Parsonage while visiting Lady Catherine at Rosings Park with his cousin, especially in comparison to the introverted Mr. Darcy.  He is an eager conversationalist on all manner of topics and Lizzy is quite taken with him.  She even has thoughts of marrying Fitzwilliam considering “he was beyond comparison the pleasantest man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life was most eligible.” In her more rational moments, she understands that his position as a second son of an earl prevents him from pursuing her since he is expected to make an advantageous marriage to a wealthy bride, but she is most definitely charmed by him.  Had he been a first son rather than a second, Darcy would have had real competition on his hands.

 

Charming Rogues

 

How could clever, witty, and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet be so easily duped by a cad like Mr. Wickham?  Among other reasons it is because “Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself.”   She was easily charmed by his friendly manners, handsome bearing, and willingness to reveal slanderous stories about Mr. Darcy, a man whom she already despises for his arrogant behavior and for slighting her the first time they met.  Wickham ingratiates himself to the degree that Lizzy is quite enthralled and her aunt steps in to caution her about her “warm recommendation” of Wickham and to remind her of her family obligations.  It’s not until we learn of Wickham’s debt and debaucheries after leaving Meryton and running off with Lizzy’s youngest sister, Lydia, that we come to realize how willfully he uses his charm to get what he wants.  That he demands a payout from Darcy to marry Lydia is a good indication of his lack of character. 

 

We discover another willful charmer in Mr. Willoughby from the moment he whisks up Marianne and carries her home after she sprains her ankle and calls the next day to check on her.  They quickly compare notes to discover so many similar tastes and interests that it seems they’re made for each other.  Elinor admonishes Marianne “how is your acquaintance to be long supported, under such extraordinary dispatch of every subject of discourse?” to which Marianne protests, “Elinor, is this fair? Is this just? Are my ideas so scanty?” Willoughby proceeds to further ingratiate himself with the family such that everyone who sees them believes he and Marianne must surely be engaged or soon will be, until his aunt sends him away to London where he betrays Marianne and becomes engaged to a wealthy young woman.  Later we learn of an even worse indiscretion with the ward of Colonel Brandon whom he seduced and abandoned. 

 

When Frank Churchill finally makes his way to HIghbury he proves himself to be another charming rogue.  He readily leads everyone to believe he is interested in Emma, including Emma herself.  Emma presumes his attentions are genuine because she is, after all, clever, handsome, and rich, yet there is always something sly about Frank and his interactions, so when we finally learn about his secret engagement to Jane Fairfax, we realize how deceitful he is with his family and the inhabitants of Highbury.  Emma is charmed because she felt she ought to be charmed and she expected to be the object of his interest. Why would she not be?  Thankfully, she has Mr. Knightly, who despises Frank Churchill as artful and duplicitous, to make Emma realize there is only one man for her, Mr. Knightly himself.

 

William Elliot works quite hard at being charming as he tries to redeem himself with Sir Walter Elliot, whom he slighted when first introduced to him and favorite daughter, Elizabeth. He intends to ensure his inheritance is not threatened by the wily Mrs. Clay who has managed to ingratiate herself with Sir Walter.  If not for a crooked tooth and clumsy wrist, she might have succeeded in winning him.  To Anne his efforts always seem transparent and when she learns from Mrs. Smith of his true opinion of Sir Walter and Elizabeth, it comes as no surprise that he is not to be trusted even as he tries to court her.  Anne already questions his character based on her own observations, so he is never able to use his charms to win her hand despite pressure from her friend, Lady Reynolds, to accept his attentions and become the next Lady Elliot. 

 

 

Almost Charming

 

We can imagine that Captain Wentworth was quite the natural charmer when he and Anne Elliot first fell in love.  Eight years later, he loses any claim to that in his resentful behavior towards Anne and thoughtless flirtation with the Musgrove sisters.  Towards them he exhibits boundless charm, but we never believe that he has serious intentions towards either sister.  When he finally realizes during a trip to Lyme Regis how easily he could be ensnared in an engagement to someone he doesn’t love, he quickly exits and later follows Anne to Bath.  Of course, we can forgive Captain Wentworth anything for writing the world’s greatest love letter.

 

Mr. Knightly doesn’t quite qualify as a natural charmer because of the role he plays trying to guide Emma to be her better self.  He can be a bit of a scold.  On the other hand, Mrs. Elton considers him to be quite charming and assures her husband that Knightly was one friend he needn’t be ashamed of.  However, since impertinent Mrs. Elton lacks any charm in her own right, her opinion carries no weight with us. 

 

 

 

Jane Austen’s Prince Charming

 

We know Jane had at least one affair of the heart with handsome young Irishman, Tom Lefroy.  There was no chance it would become anything more because he needed to acquire money through marriage, and she had none.  Despite that encumbrance they did appear to have a great deal of fun together as Jane writes in a letter to Cassandra: “He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you.”  Later she writes, “I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved.  Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together.  I can expose myself, however, only once more, because he leaves the country soon after next Friday.”  Later in life, after making a suitable marriage and eventually becoming Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, Tome Lefroy admitted to his nephew when asked about his acquaintance with Jane that he was in love with her but qualified it as a “boyish love”.  He must have been a real charmer in his youth.  Still, had he not been hampered by the lack of fortune, would he and Jane have married?  Had they married, would she have managed to write her six timeless novels?  As fate would have it, she never married and we, her devoted readers over two centuries, are able enjoy her gallery of charmers and rogues over and over again.

 

Jane Austen’s Happily Ever Afters

Jane Austen fans are romantics at heart.  We read her novels for many reasons, her subtle wit and amusing observations, her craftsmanship, her unique plots, characterizations, and settings, but most of all, we long for our favorite heroines to overcome obstacles and find true love.  At the end of the novels, we’re gratified to assume the fortunate couples will live happily ever after.  Still, I find myself wondering what Jane reveals about her own thoughts on marriage based on how it is portrayed in her stories.  Towards that end, here is a review of some of the married partners in each novel using the criteria of attraction, shared values, and compatibility to categorize them as either happy or disappointed.  Attraction almost always plays a part in bringing couples together, but happiness depends on shared values and compatible personality traits. 

 

Pride and Prejudice

 

Happy

 

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner qualify as a happy couple based on their behavior towards each other and their nieces, they seem to have all the key ingredients in place.  They appear to be very compatible, are loving parents, and kindly disposed towards their nieces which is evidence of shared values.  Mrs. Gardiner cautions Lizzy about her “warm recommendation” of Mr. Wickham and to remember her family obligations; “You must not let your fancy run away with you.”  Jane is invited to stay with them in London and later, Lizzy is invited to travel with her aunt and uncle to visit Lambton where she has a pivotal encounter with Mr. Darcy.  They take an incorrigible Lydia under wing until her marriage to Wickham can take place.  They are amiable, caring, and generous which ultimately reflects on them as a happy, well-adjusted couple who are mindful of the happiness of others.

 

Disappointed

 

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are decidedly not happy.  Surely attraction brought them together, but shared values and compatibility are missing which makes for an unsuitable marriage.  He copes by using his droll sense of humor to tease and belittle his wife and daughters (all save Lizzy), and by withdrawing to his library to avoid taking responsibility for his family’s future.  Mrs. Bennet is described as “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married.”  Shared values have not found a home with the Bennet’s, leading to an incompatible home life in which surely Mr. Bennet is the disappointed party.  Thankfully, the marriage of three daughters over the course of a year relieved some of the vexation from Mrs. Bennet’s life but I doubt it made them any more compatible or him any less disappointed in his choice of a wife.

 

Satisfied

 

I couldn’t overlook the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Collins so I was forced to create a new category just for them.  As annoying as Mr. Collins could be, Charlotte realized exactly what she signed up for when she married him, and she wisely set about establishing a relationship that encouraged him to pursue his interests which provided her more time for herself.  “When Mr. Collins could be forgotten, there was really a great air of comfort throughout, and by Charlotte’s evident enjoyment of it, Elizabeth supposed he must be often forgotten.”  While Mr. Collins was no doubt happy, Charlotte was well satisfied.

 

Sense and Sensibility

 

Happy

 

John and Fanny Dashwood seem the height of compatibility and shared values so surely, they qualify as happy.  They are selfish, self-centered, grasping, insensitive, and thoroughly self-absorbed.  They and their child are the center of the universe, and they justify any behavior, no matter how unkind, if it serves to support their own financial gain and social status.  In settling on giving the Dashwood’s 500 pounds a year amongst the four of them, Fanny heartlessly asserts “what on earth can four women want for more than that?  They will live so cheap! Their housekeeping will be nothing at all.  They will have no carriage, no horses, and hardly any servants; they will keep no company and can have no expenses of any kind!  Only conceive how comfortable they will be.”  Perhaps the only thing to vex them is the marriage of Robert Ferrars to Lucy Steele who is equally self-serving, and the delicate family balance is disrupted due to the ill-will between Fanny and Lucy.

 

Disappointed

 

Sir John and Lady Middleton qualify for this category.  He is amiable, jovial, outgoing, and oblivious to the feelings of others but seems to enjoy great felicity in life; he even likes his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings.  Lady Middleton appears to be a less than compatible companion.  Her only enjoyment appears to come primarily from the attention paid to her children no matter how misbehaved they may be.  It’s difficult to imagine that this is a match made in heaven but far more likely one of financial advantage.  Shared values and compatibility are not visible, and one imagines Lady Middleton is often importuned by her jovial husband’s insensible behavior.  The same could be said for Lady Middleton’s sister, Mrs. Palmer, except that it is her husband who is continually importuned by his wife’s loquacious silliness.  Lady Middleton and Mr. Palmer are the disappointed parties in this novel.

 

Persuasion

 

Happy

 

One cannot help but find Admiral and Mrs. Croft an endearing couple who seem compatible in every way and live life to the fullest thanks to attraction and shared values.  “How many days was it, my dear, between the first time of my seeing you, and our sitting down together in our lodgings at North Yarmouth?”  “We better had not talk about it, my dear,” replied Mrs. Croft, pleasantly; for if Miss Elliot were to hear how soon we came to an understanding she would never be persuaded that we could be happy together.”  This description of their brief courtship, as well as their adventurous life together on board the ships in his command, and their loving concern for the happiness of her brother, Captain Wentworth, all display felicity in marriage and a kind regard for others. 

 

Disappointed

 

Happiness in the marriage of Charles and Mary Musgrove is limited by her narcissism.  Much like her father and eldest sister, Mary is consumed with her own needs and expects those around her to follow suit.  While perhaps not as vain as Sir Walter or Elizabeth, she is preoccupied with her family’s social status and looks down on suitors of the Musgrove sisters based on her elevated sense of herself.  Her husband maintains his equanimity by pursuing his own interests in hunting and raising dogs and ignoring his wife’s self-centered demands for attention.  Compatibility is unachievable and shared interests are limited to their two children.  Even his family expressed disappointment that Charles married Mary after Anne refused him.

 

 

Mansfield Park

 

Happy

 

Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram enjoyed what must be considered a happy marriage.  He was captivated by a pretty woman with “tranquil feelings, and a temper remarkably easy and indolent,” who bore him two sons and two daughters.   With such a wife there can be little discord, so it is safe to assume they were very compatible, and that she shared his values as she probably had no opinions of her own that she held dearly, and “his rank, a handsome house, and a large income made for a very tolerable life.”  The primary dissonance they faced had to do with the self-indulgence of their oldest son with a penchant for living beyond his means, not to mention bad behavior on the part of their daughters.

 

Disappointed

 

One need only read the opening of this story to realize that Fanny Price’s parents were not happily married.  “Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disoblige her family, and by fixing on a Lieutenant of Marines, without education, fortune, or connections,” she thoroughly alienated her family.  The very fact that their impoverished life forced them to send away their oldest daughter to the care of Mrs. Price’s married sister, Lady Bertram, is indicative of the poor choice she made in choosing a husband.  When Fanny is sent home to reconsider her refusal to marry Henry Crawford, she encounters parents who have little to offer.  Her father was “more negligent of his family, his habits were worse, and his manners coarser than she had been prepared for...he swore and he drank, he was dirty and gross.”  As for her mother, she had “neither leisure nor affection to bestow on Fanny.”  Here is an example of a marriage that was initially based on attraction but if they ever had enjoyed shared values or compatibility, it was overthrown by poverty.  It seems that they were both disappointed in life.

 

Emma

 

Happy

 

Who could be more self-satisfied with their happy match made in Bath than the Mr. and Mrs. Elton?  In Emma’s misguided effort to play matchmaker for her friend, Harriet, she mistook Mr. Elton’s ingratiating intentions towards herself.  Having been scorned by Emma, he takes solace in Bath and returns with a new wife who is impertinent, egotistical, brash, and eager to usurp Emma as a leader in local society.  She is such a suitable choice because her husband shares her values with an equally inflated view of his own attributes and station in life.  There is no reason to doubt they will enjoy felicity in marriage except, perhaps, if he tires of hearing about the small size of their home or their lack of a carriage, for you may depend on Mrs. Elton to continue expounding on her standard of living at Maple Grove.

 

Disappointed

 

The marriage of John and Isabella Knightly may have had its challenges because she shared the same hypochondriac tendencies as her father, Mr. Woodhouse.  She had a “general benevolence of temper” like her father but she “was delicate in her own health, over-careful of that of her children, had many fears and many nerves.”  Though it may not have been an unhappy marriage, after all they had five children, but it resides in this category because she may have tried her husband’s patience by being rather high maintenance as was her father.

 

Northanger Abbey

 

Happy

 

Our introduction to the parents of Catherine Moreland indicates that the key ingredients for happiness are in place.  Her father was a respected clergyman with two good livings and her mother was “a woman of good sense, with a good temper and a good constitution” who bore her husband ten children.  There was no pressure on their children to be accomplished and the parents provided the education; writing and accounts by her father and French by her mother who “wished to see her children everything they ought to be.”  Surely this is an example of two compatible parents with shared values, concerned for the best interests of their children.  Their interest in the welfare of Catherine is established when they allow her to travel with neighbors to enjoy new experiences and entertainments available in Bath.  When she returns after being abruptly dismissed from Northanger Abbey, they embrace her with tenderness and when Henry Tilney pursues Catherine and asks for her hand, they are wise enough to insist the young people wait in hopes of getting the blessing of General Tilney for the match.  They were like-minded and loving which bodes well for marital happiness.

 

Disappointed

 

Although she is deceased and we have no way of knowing, surely General Tilney’s wife must have been very unhappy being married to such a malignant narcissist as evidenced by the fear his children experience living with him and his churlish behavior towards Catherine when he dismisses her from his estate in the middle of the night.  No one could be happily married to such a man. 

 

Can we evaluate Jane Austen’s views on marriage based on her novels? The characters in her stories are created as plot devices to help drive the narrative so they don’t necessarily reflect her views.  They may be composites of people with whom she was acquainted, and she was an adroit observer of people and the times in which she lived.   

 

The importance of wealth is a theme that highlights the need for eligible young women to have suitable dowries.  The Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice along with the Dashwood sisters in Sense and Sensibility have limited prospects because of this.  Mrs. Austen shared these concerns for her two daughters although neither sister married.  Cassandra was engaged but financial concerns prevented her from marrying right away only to have her fiancé die later.  Jane accepted a proposal that would have brought wealth and security to her family but was unable to enter a loveless marriage knowing she would surely be disappointed in her life if she did.

 

Women had little agency and were at the mercy of the men who had financial responsibility for them.  Fanny in Mansfield Park and Jane Fairfield in Emma are examples of women who lacked agency over their own fates.   Jane and Cassandra experienced the same situation when their father died, and they became dependent on the generosity of their brothers to survive and moved from place to place until they finally settled at the cottage in Chawton. 

 

Women could be forced into marriage such as the ward of Colonel Brandon’s father who was obliged to marry his older brother while he was sent away to military service.  She abandoned the marriage and died leaving behind a daughter who in turn was seduced and abandoned.

 

Jane reveals the challenges that women faced in her time and that marriage was not necessarily a matter of falling in love and living happily ever after In Regency times, but we can still enjoy our own fantasies that our favorite heroines are happy rather than disappointed in their marriages.

Jane Austen fans are romantics at heart.  We read her novels for many reasons, her subtle wit and amusing observations, her craftsmanship, her unique plots, characterizations, and settings, but most of all, we long for our favorite heroines to overcome obstacles and find true love.  At the end of the novels, we’re gratified to assume the fortunate couples will live happily ever after.  Still, I find myself wondering what Jane reveals about her own thoughts on marriage based on how it is portrayed in her stories.  Towards that end, here is a review of some of the married partners in each novel using the criteria of attraction, shared values, and compatibility to categorize them as either happy or disappointed.  Attraction almost always plays a part in bringing couples together, but happiness depends on shared values and compatible personality traits. 

 

Pride and Prejudice

 

Happy

 

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner qualify as a happy couple based on their behavior towards each other and their nieces, they seem to have all the key ingredients in place.  They appear to be very compatible, are loving parents, and kindly disposed towards their nieces which is evidence of shared values.  Mrs. Gardiner cautions Lizzy about her “warm recommendation” of Mr. Wickham and to remember her family obligations; “You must not let your fancy run away with you.”  Jane is invited to stay with them in London and later, Lizzy is invited to travel with her aunt and uncle to visit Lambton where she has a pivotal encounter with Mr. Darcy.  They take an incorrigible Lydia under wing until her marriage to Wickham can take place.  They are amiable, caring, and generous which ultimately reflects on them as a happy, well-adjusted couple who are mindful of the happiness of others.

 

Disappointed

 

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are decidedly not happy.  Surely attraction brought them together, but shared values and compatibility are missing which makes for an unsuitable marriage.  He copes by using his droll sense of humor to tease and belittle his wife and daughters (all save Lizzy), and by withdrawing to his library to avoid taking responsibility for his family’s future.  Mrs. Bennet is described as “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married.”  Shared values have not found a home with the Bennet’s, leading to an incompatible home life in which surely Mr. Bennet is the disappointed party.  Thankfully, the marriage of three daughters over the course of a year relieved some of the vexation from Mrs. Bennet’s life but I doubt it made them any more compatible or him any less disappointed in his choice of a wife.

 

Satisfied

 

I couldn’t overlook the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Collins so I was forced to create a new category just for them.  As annoying as Mr. Collins could be, Charlotte realized exactly what she signed up for when she married him, and she wisely set about establishing a relationship that encouraged him to pursue his interests which provided her more time for herself.  “When Mr. Collins could be forgotten, there was really a great air of comfort throughout, and by Charlotte’s evident enjoyment of it, Elizabeth supposed he must be often forgotten.”  While Mr. Collins was no doubt happy, Charlotte was well satisfied.

 

Sense and Sensibility

 

Happy

 

John and Fanny Dashwood seem the height of compatibility and shared values so surely, they qualify as happy.  They are selfish, self-centered, grasping, insensitive, and thoroughly self-absorbed.  They and their child are the center of the universe, and they justify any behavior, no matter how unkind, if it serves to support their own financial gain and social status.  In settling on giving the Dashwood’s 500 pounds a year amongst the four of them, Fanny heartlessly asserts “what on earth can four women want for more than that?  They will live so cheap! Their housekeeping will be nothing at all.  They will have no carriage, no horses, and hardly any servants; they will keep no company and can have no expenses of any kind!  Only conceive how comfortable they will be.”  Perhaps the only thing to vex them is the marriage of Robert Ferrars to Lucy Steele who is equally self-serving, and the delicate family balance is disrupted due to the ill-will between Fanny and Lucy.

 

Disappointed

 

Sir John and Lady Middleton qualify for this category.  He is amiable, jovial, outgoing, and oblivious to the feelings of others but seems to enjoy great felicity in life; he even likes his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings.  Lady Middleton appears to be a less than compatible companion.  Her only enjoyment appears to come primarily from the attention paid to her children no matter how misbehaved they may be.  It’s difficult to imagine that this is a match made in heaven but far more likely one of financial advantage.  Shared values and compatibility are not visible, and one imagines Lady Middleton is often importuned by her jovial husband’s insensible behavior.  The same could be said for Lady Middleton’s sister, Mrs. Palmer, except that it is her husband who is continually importuned by his wife’s loquacious silliness.  Lady Middleton and Mr. Palmer are the disappointed parties in this novel.

 

Persuasion

 

Happy

 

One cannot help but find Admiral and Mrs. Croft an endearing couple who seem compatible in every way and live life to the fullest thanks to attraction and shared values.  “How many days was it, my dear, between the first time of my seeing you, and our sitting down together in our lodgings at North Yarmouth?”  “We better had not talk about it, my dear,” replied Mrs. Croft, pleasantly; for if Miss Elliot were to hear how soon we came to an understanding she would never be persuaded that we could be happy together.”  This description of their brief courtship, as well as their adventurous life together on board the ships in his command, and their loving concern for the happiness of her brother, Captain Wentworth, all display felicity in marriage and a kind regard for others. 

 

Disappointed

 

Happiness in the marriage of Charles and Mary Musgrove is limited by her narcissism.  Much like her father and eldest sister, Mary is consumed with her own needs and expects those around her to follow suit.  While perhaps not as vain as Sir Walter or Elizabeth, she is preoccupied with her family’s social status and looks down on suitors of the Musgrove sisters based on her elevated sense of herself.  Her husband maintains his equanimity by pursuing his own interests in hunting and raising dogs and ignoring his wife’s self-centered demands for attention.  Compatibility is unachievable and shared interests are limited to their two children.  Even his family expressed disappointment that Charles married Mary after Anne refused him.

 

 

Mansfield Park

 

Happy

 

Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram enjoyed what must be considered a happy marriage.  He was captivated by a pretty woman with “tranquil feelings, and a temper remarkably easy and indolent,” who bore him two sons and two daughters.   With such a wife there can be little discord, so it is safe to assume they were very compatible, and that she shared his values as she probably had no opinions of her own that she held dearly, and “his rank, a handsome house, and a large income made for a very tolerable life.”  The primary dissonance they faced had to do with the self-indulgence of their oldest son with a penchant for living beyond his means, not to mention bad behavior on the part of their daughters.

 

Disappointed

 

One need only read the opening of this story to realize that Fanny Price’s parents were not happily married.  “Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disoblige her family, and by fixing on a Lieutenant of Marines, without education, fortune, or connections,” she thoroughly alienated her family.  The very fact that their impoverished life forced them to send away their oldest daughter to the care of Mrs. Price’s married sister, Lady Bertram, is indicative of the poor choice she made in choosing a husband.  When Fanny is sent home to reconsider her refusal to marry Henry Crawford, she encounters parents who have little to offer.  Her father was “more negligent of his family, his habits were worse, and his manners coarser than she had been prepared for...he swore and he drank, he was dirty and gross.”  As for her mother, she had “neither leisure nor affection to bestow on Fanny.”  Here is an example of a marriage that was initially based on attraction but if they ever had enjoyed shared values or compatibility, it was overthrown by poverty.  It seems that they were both disappointed in life.

 

Emma

 

Happy

 

Who could be more self-satisfied with their happy match made in Bath than the Mr. and Mrs. Elton?  In Emma’s misguided effort to play matchmaker for her friend, Harriet, she mistook Mr. Elton’s ingratiating intentions towards herself.  Having been scorned by Emma, he takes solace in Bath and returns with a new wife who is impertinent, egotistical, brash, and eager to usurp Emma as a leader in local society.  She is such a suitable choice because her husband shares her values with an equally inflated view of his own attributes and station in life.  There is no reason to doubt they will enjoy felicity in marriage except, perhaps, if he tires of hearing about the small size of their home or their lack of a carriage, for you may depend on Mrs. Elton to continue expounding on her standard of living at Maple Grove.

 

Disappointed

 

The marriage of John and Isabella Knightly may have had its challenges because she shared the same hypochondriac tendencies as her father, Mr. Woodhouse.  She had a “general benevolence of temper” like her father but she “was delicate in her own health, over-careful of that of her children, had many fears and many nerves.”  Though it may not have been an unhappy marriage, after all they had five children, but it resides in this category because she may have tried her husband’s patience by being rather high maintenance as was her father.

 

Northanger Abbey

 

Happy

 

Our introduction to the parents of Catherine Moreland indicates that the key ingredients for happiness are in place.  Her father was a respected clergyman with two good livings and her mother was “a woman of good sense, with a good temper and a good constitution” who bore her husband ten children.  There was no pressure on their children to be accomplished and the parents provided the education; writing and accounts by her father and French by her mother who “wished to see her children everything they ought to be.”  Surely this is an example of two compatible parents with shared values, concerned for the best interests of their children.  Their interest in the welfare of Catherine is established when they allow her to travel with neighbors to enjoy new experiences and entertainments available in Bath.  When she returns after being abruptly dismissed from Northanger Abbey, they embrace her with tenderness and when Henry Tilney pursues Catherine and asks for her hand, they are wise enough to insist the young people wait in hopes of getting the blessing of General Tilney for the match.  They were like-minded and loving which bodes well for marital happiness.

 

Disappointed

 

Although she is deceased and we have no way of knowing, surely General Tilney’s wife must have been very unhappy being married to such a malignant narcissist as evidenced by the fear his children experience living with him and his churlish behavior towards Catherine when he dismisses her from his estate in the middle of the night.  No one could be happily married to such a man. 

 

Can we evaluate Jane Austen’s views on marriage based on her novels? The characters in her stories are created as plot devices to help drive the narrative so they don’t necessarily reflect her views.  They may be composites of people with whom she was acquainted, and she was an adroit observer of people and the times in which she lived.   

 

The importance of wealth is a theme that highlights the need for eligible young women to have

suitable dowries.  The Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice along with the Dashwood sisters in Sense and Sensibility have limited prospects because of this.  Mrs. Austen shared these concerns for her two daughters although neither sister married.  Cassandra was engaged but financial concerns prevented her from marrying right away only to have her fiancé die later.  Jane accepted a proposal that would have brought wealth and security to her family but was unable to enter a loveless marriage knowing she would surely be disappointed in her life if she did.

 

Women had little agency and were at the mercy of the men who had financial responsibility for them.  Fanny in Mansfield Park and Jane Fairfield in Emma are examples of women who lacked agency over their own fates.   Jane and Cassandra experienced the same situation when their father died, and they became dependent on the generosity of their brothers to survive and moved from place to place until they finally settled at the cottage in Chawton. 

 

Women could be forced into marriage such as the ward of Colonel Brandon’s father who was obliged to marry his older brother while he was sent away to military service.  She abandoned the marriage and died leaving behind a daughter who in turn was seduced and abandoned.

 

Jane reveals the challenges that women faced in her time and that marriage was not necessarily a matter of falling in love and living happily ever after In Regency times, but we can still enjoy our own fantasies that our favorite heroines are happy rather than disappointed in their marriages.

Jane Austen and the Fine Art of Teasing

Among Jane Austen’s most beloved qualities are her sense of humor, subtle wit, and penchant for teasing.  We find evidence of it in her personal life through her letters and encounter it in her novels through the sparkling dialog of her characters.  She never fails to amuse no matter how many times we read her stories.  She is sublimely clever at delivering slyly crafted bon mots; you can almost envision the smile crossing her face after completing a particularly inspired remark by one of her characters.  She was said to sometimes jump up from working on a sewing project to rush to her writing desk and capture a thought for inclusion in one of her novels.  It seems she wrote for her own amusement as much as for her readers.

 

Her humor is often on display in her letters which provide a window into the incisiveness of her ironic observations while revealing her personality and view of the world.  Trapped in a patriarchal culture, dependent on the largesse of male family members, and living in a tightly controlled social milieu, correspondence was a significant outlet for expressing her opinions.  Such a pity that so few of her letters survived, but the few that do reveal her wit including these examples:

 

“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”

“You deserve a longer letter than this; but it is my unhappy fate seldom to treat people so well as they deserve.” 

“And pictures of perfection, as you know, make me sick and wicked.” 

 

“Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise.” 

 

She endowed many characters in her novels with sparkling wit that reveals her wry observations and sense of humor, while others are boorish, and some even devious, causing us to wonder if Jane modeled them on people of her own acquaintance.  There can be no doubt that both Jane and her characters love to tease. Let’s review some examples from her novels.

 

Witty Teasing

 

Lizzy Bennet is the most beguiling of all Jane Austen’s heroines for her wit and humor.  She relishes teasing and enjoys similar traits in her father.  After a contentious introduction and many less than pleasant encounters that followed, Lizzy and Darcy meet again at the estate of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.  While seated at the piano forte with Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy joins them only to be teased by Lizzy in front of his cousin for refusing to dance at a ball during their first meeting.  After Darcy protested that he was “ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers”, Lizzy wryly retorts that she was not as accomplished at playing the instrument, “but I have always supposed it to be my own fault – because I would not take the trouble of practicing”, which resulted in a smile and acknowledgement from Darcy that she was “perfectly right”.  After finally resolving their differences and acknowledging their true feelings, Lizzy tells Darcy, “My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasion for teasing and quarreling with you as often as may be...” 

 

Lizzy’s father, Mr. Bennet, has a very dry wit and ability to subtly tease.  When his cousin, Mr. Collins, a clergyman who arrives in pursuit of a bride from among the Bennet sisters, proves himself to be a “mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility,” as he discloses his pompous veneration of his patroness, Lady Catherine, he becomes a target for Mr. Bennet’s droll humor.  “It is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with delicacy.  May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are they the result of previous study?”  To this, Mr. Collins unselfconsciously admits to “arranging small, elegant compliments as may be adapted to ordinary occasions” while trying to make them seem “as unstudied an air as possible,” much to Mr. Bennet’s amusement.  Mr. Bennet’s relationship with his long suffering, wife provides another rich source of examples. "You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least.”  Still, who can blame him?

 

In Northanger Abbey, Henry Tilney wins us over from the moment he is introduced because of the charming way he teases Catherine Moreland at her first ball.  He accuses her of keeping a journal, which she denies, and then he alludes to what she would write about their encounter.  “Yes, I know exactly what you will say: Friday, went to the Lower Rooms; wore my sprigged muslin robe with blue trimmings -- plain black shoes -- appeared to much advantage; but was strangely harassed by a queer, half-witted man, who would make me dance with him, and distressed me by his nonsense." His humor carries forward throughout including on the way to Northanger Abbey by filling Catherine’s head with gothic imaginings of the mysteries she will discover there.  He is so effective that she does, indeed, get caught up in her fantasies, prowling about the mansion in search of nefarious clues as to the demise of Mrs. Tilney.  His humor is on view throughout along with his kind and gentle heart.  No wonder we are all enamored.

 

Devious Teasing

 

Who can help but find Frank Churchill rather annoying and self-indulgent.  Granted he was a product of his upbringing, but he comes across as duplicitous in his dealings with the inhabitants of Highgrove.  He must realize how anxious his father and new wife were about the possibility of an attachment to Emma, which he reinforces by flirting with her to distract from his real love interest to whom he was secretly engaged, Jane Fairfax.  When Frank Churchill bypasses Miss Fairfax at a party and comes to sit with Emma, she “divined what everybody present must be thinking.  She was his object…” While curiosity abounded about who secretly gifted a piano to Miss Fairfax, he boldly and deviously suggested to Emma that Mr. Dixon was the source, a particularly egregious move, since he was clearly toying with Emma by drawing her into his supposed conspiracy with all its associated innuendos.  He went so far as to suggest that Mr. Dixon was secretly in love with Jane.  It was self-serving, unfair to both women, and done solely for his own amusement.  Badly done, Frank Churchill.

 

When Anne Elliot became better acquainted with Mr. William Elliot in Bath, she found him engaging but observed he was “not always quite sincere.”  Later, he teased her that he had known of her for a long time saying, “I had heard you described by those who knew you intimately.  I have been acquainted with you by character many years.  Your person, your disposition, accomplishments, manner – they were all present to me.  She wondered and questioned him eagerly – but in vain. He delighted in being asked, but he would not tell.” Thanks to her friend, Mrs. Smith, Anne became aware of his questionable character and then “she saw insincerity in everything” and began to actively avoid him.  Thankfully her own instincts and the intelligence from her friend kept her from being persuaded to accept his attentions as a suitor and become the next Lady Elliot.   Well done, Anne.

 

Mary Crawford was a consummate flirt.  She had beauty, wealth, and a modern attitude towards life and its pleasures, as well as an aversion to Edmund Bertram’s chosen profession as a cleric.  “A clergyman has nothing to do but to be slovenly and selfish – read the newspaper, watch the weather, and quarrel with his wife.  His curate does all the work, and the business of his own life is to dine.”  Poor Edmund was forced to admit her opinion was a “common-place censure”.  She continues her denunciation by describing those who choose the ‘living’ to be “very sincere in preferring an income ready made to the trouble of working for one”.  Miss Crawford had formed an attachment to Edmund but not to his chosen career and these comments, presented in a teasing manner, were a manipulative effort towards getting him to reconsider his calling.  What a disaster that match would have been. Good riddance, Mary Crawford!

 

Boorish Teasing

 

When Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters are forced to move to Barton Cottage at the invitation of her cousin, Sir John Middleton, they find themselves in the company of his visiting mother-in-law, the jovial Mrs. Jennings, both of whom see fit to tease Elinor and Marianne relentlessly, much to the perturbation of the two young ladies.  While they were well meaning, the jokes and teasing shared between Mrs. Jennings and Sir John, at the expense of the newly arrived inhabitants were particularly vexing to the sisters.  The incorrigible matchmaker and her son-in-law, with their constant references to lovers and husbands, endless jokes about Colonel Brandon’s admiration of Marianne, and the mysterious “Mr. F” comments to annoy Elinor, were the worst kind of teasing. It served to amuse only themselves at the expense of their young neighbors.  Rather than being clever, it was genuinely insensitive.  Later she teased Mr. Willoughby for taking Marianne out in his curricle.  “Yes, yes, Mr. Impudence.  I know that very well and I was determined to find out where you had been to.”  She then went on to infer that the house of Mrs. Allen which they visited, would someday be Marianne’s, laughing heartily when Marianne turned away in confusion.  How inconsiderate, Mrs. Jennings!

 

A more perverse teasing was that of John Willoughby in describing Colonel Brandon when the colonel was urgently called out of town at the last minute.  Willoughby whispered to Marianne, “There are some people who cannot bear a party of pleasure.  Brandon is one of them.  He was afraid of catching cold I dare say and intended this trick for getting out of it.”  Such impudence from the person who was the source of distress that called Colonel Brandon away.  Badly done, Willoughby.

 

You probably have your own favorite examples of the best and worst teasers for there are many from which to choose.  We can thank Jane Austen for bringing all these endearing and not so endearing characters to life based on her own insightful observations and understanding of human nature.  Well done, Jane.

Jane Austen’s Best Loved Influencers

In the Austen canon, lesser-known characters can play pivotal roles in her stories, affecting outcomes or creating diversions; some by taking an advisory role and others by exerting pressure to achieve an outcome they believe will be beneficial.  Some are simply benign creatures who appear to have the best interests of others in mind and unintentionally become a catalyst for change.

 

In Persuasion, consider the influence Lady Russell had in Anne Elliot’s life.  She stepped in as a motherly figure when her dearest friend, Lady Elliot, died leaving behind three young daughters, but she was fondest of Anne because her temperament and behavior most resembled that of her late mother.   As a friend and adviser anxious to see Anne prosper through an advantageous marriage, Lady Russell interfered with her engagement to Captain Wentworth, considering her to be too young and his prospects and future to be too uncertain.  Convinced it would be an imprudent match, she aligned herself with Sir Walter who had already deemed it a degrading alliance and the engagement was broken off.  Fast forward eight years when Anne and Wentworth meet again and he is wealthy, established, and in want of a wife.  Still angry over her rejection, he began courting the sisters of Anne’s brother-in-law while she pined for their lost love.  Later, Lady Russell pressured Anne to accept the attentions of William Elliot, the heir to her father’s estate, as the most propitious choice for a husband because she aspired to see Anne become the next Lady Elliot.  She was oblivious to Anne’s renewed feelings and hopes for a reconciliation with Captain Wentworth.  True love never runs smooth, but Anne and Wentworth finally reunited, and Lady Russell had to accept that her influence had been misguided, embrace the long-delayed marriage, and begin to mend the relationship between herself and Captain Wentworth.

 

Another influencer in Anne’s life was her former schoolmate, Mrs. Smith, who was aware of rumors that Mr. Elliot was courting Anne and that it appeared to be the perfect alliance, but she held important intelligence about his past behavior that she eventually shared and it corroborated Anne’s own mistrust of his character.  However, I don’t believe Anne was ever at risk of an attachment to Mr. Elliot because her constant heart was set on Captain Wentworth.

 

Some characters have a more genial influence over our heroines.  They have everyone’s best interests at heart and desire to improve the lives of the young people they know by identifying and encouraging matches.   

 

In Sense and Sensibility, we meet Mrs. Jennings who, having married off her own two daughters, “she had now therefore nothing to do but to marry all the rest of the world.”  She was well meaning but an irritant to Elinor and Marianne when they first met her.  The jokes and teasing shared between Mrs. Jennings and her son-in-law, Sir John Middleton, at the expense of the newly arrived inhabitants at Barton Cottage, were particularly vexing to the sisters, but the good-hearted woman redeemed herself when she invited them to travel with her to London.  Marianne was grateful and eager to go because her dearest hope was to re-connect with John Willoughby, who had left her with a broken heart when he returned to London, at the behest of his aunt.  While Elinor was happy for Marianne, she was beset with concerns about meeting Edward Ferrers again, since she had learned of his secret engagement to Lucy Steele and pledged to tell no one including her sister.  Throughout the turmoil in London, Mrs. Jennings remained resolutely cheerful and hopeful for the happiness of the young ladies in her charge, treating them kindly and sympathetically during their visit to London.  What transpired there was pivotal to the story. 

 

Mrs. Grant in Mansfield Park was another devoted matchmaker convinced she could influence the young people around her to marry.  When her well-to-do half siblings, Mary and Henry Crawford arrived, they were introduced to Sir Thomas Bertram’s four eligible offspring, Tom, Edmund, Maria, and Julia, plus one, their timid, overlooked, and under-appreciated cousin, Fanny Price.   Early on, the warm-hearted, unreserved Mrs. Grant was determined to see an attachment formed between Mary and the heir to the family estate, Tom Bertram.   She was ready to pair Henry with the younger Bertram sister, Julia, although both sisters were enamored with him.  It was made clear by Mary that he was “the most horrible flirt that can be imagined” and quite resistant to marrying, but Mrs. Grant was not to be dissuaded and established an open-door policy encouraging increased intimacy between the families.  This provided greater exposure in society for Fanny, who became a frequent guest along with her cousins, and eventually captured the admiration of Henry who pressed her to marry him.  Mrs. Grant’s schemes were well intentioned, but her influence was unproductive considering the eventual outcome, when Maria scandalized the family by having an open affair with Henry which ended in her divorce, and Fanny won the love of Edmund. 

 

Mrs. Allen in Northanger Abbey was a “good-humoured” woman who was fond of her young neighbor, Catherine Moreland and even more fond of her fashionable wardrobe since “Dress was her passion.”  While not an active matchmaker, she was very aware of propriety and guided Catherine accordingly, especially when it came to the plans of Isabella and John Thorpe, who along with her brother James, pressed her to join them for excursions so that James and Isabella could spend time together.  Their efforts were a distraction from her true interest to get further acquainted with Henry Tilney and his sister, Eleanor.   After Mrs. Allen offered some sage advice regarding riding around in open carriages stating it “has an odd appearance, if young ladies, are frequently driven about in them by young men, to whom they are not even related.” Armed with this advice, Catherine was free to decline an invitation for an outing and instead meet with the Tilneys.  Thanks to Mrs. Allen’s influence and concern for Catherine’s reputation, she was invited to visit Northanger Abbey and pursued her attachment to Henry Tilney, and we all know how well that turned out.

 

Emma is the most determined influencer of the Austen canon.  If she lived in our time, she would probably have been a Tic Toc star.  When her former governess, Miss Taylor, married Mr. Weston, she developed a new avocation, grooming her recent acquaintance, Harriet Smith, whose “natural graces should not be wasted on the inferior society of Highbury.”  The list for improvements for Harriet was long and Emma was determined “she would introduce her into good society; she would inform her opinions and her manners” which Emma felt would be “highly becoming her own situation in life, her leisure, and powers.”  These conceits were so imprudent that Emma required an influencer of her own in the form of Mr. Knightly to set her straight and make her realize how misguided she was.  The novel, Emma, is the namesake of a truly dedicated influencer in need of an influencer to reign in the worst of her misapprehensions about friends and acquaintances and allow her to finally recognize the person who was dearest to her own heart, Mr. Knightly.

 

Unlike Emma, Aunt Gardiner in Pride and Prejudice brings together all the best qualities of a valuable influencer.  She’s intelligent, observant, loving, and wise.  After observing them together, she worried about Lizzie’s “warm recommendation” of Mr. Wickham and cautions her about her family obligations saying, “You must not let your fancy run away with you.”  Lizzy, after a lively defense of herself, in turn promises, “upon my honour, I will try to do what I think to be wisest; and now I hope you are satisfied.”  When they parted it is described as “a wonderful instance of advice being given on such a point, without being resented.”    Best of all, Aunt Gardiner makes the very sensible suggestion to acquire a cart and ponies to better to see the grounds of Pemberley, to which Lizzy replies, “Your idea of the ponies is delightful.  We will go round the Park every day.   I am the happiest creature in the world.”

 

And indeed, so are we, the readers, as Jane Austen’s novels reach their happy conclusions, and we can be thankful for all the delightful influencers who guide and support our heroines in their journey to find true love. 

Jane Austen Understands Social Anxiety

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Not everyone is an extrovert in this world; self-confident, genial, at ease with new acquaintances or in new settings.  Some of us are beset with angst, apprehensive and fretful in new situations, fearful of being judged or making an embarrassing mistake. Jane Austen introduces us to many characters with social anxiety who set the stage for interactions that drive the narrative.  In some cases, opposites attract while in other cases, one misguided character can wreak havoc in the life of another.  This is why we embrace the world of Jane Austen; she provides contrast with real examples of the follies and foibles of human nature that can both attract and sometimes repel but are always relatable.  Whether a product of nature based on intrinsic personality traits such as extreme shyness, or nurture, learned behavior based on life experiences, social anxiety plays an important role in the lives of these characters.  Nature, nurture, or both, the outcome is still the same, social anxiety in the company of others.

 

 

 

Mansfield Park

 

Fanny Price is a prime example of the effects of both nature and nurture in the development of her personality.  The oldest daughter of large but impoverished family, she is whisked away by wealthy relatives to live in a society where she is taken care of but looked down upon, barely more than a servant in the eyes of the Bertram family.  Shy and timid by nature, she became more so in an environment that dismissed her value and treated her as an outsider beholding to them for her good fortune.  No wonder as she came of age and grew more attractive, she remained self-conscious and experienced anxiety even in ordinary social situations.  She saw herself as others saw her, on the periphery, the outside looking in.  Were it not for her extraordinary forbearance and highly attuned moral compass, she would have been easily overcome by those around her with more power and bent to their will.  Some readers feel that she was always secretly in love with Edmund, but I don’t think she would have ever been so bold as to admit it, even to herself; she wouldn’t have seen herself as a candidate worthy of such an extraordinary outcome until Edmund finally acknowledge her true value and proposed. 

 

Edmund Bertram is an introvert by nature, eclipsed by his older brother’s self-centered behavior and content to take on the role of a clergyman as planned by his father.  He didn’t even appear to be disturbed by the loss of income and inheritance to pay off his brother’s debts.  He seems compliant and easily led by others; his participation in the play despite his early protests and his attraction to a woman so wholly unsuited to him and his career as Mary Crawford are good examples.  He was the most empathetic person in Fanny’s life, and she was devoted to him, but still he overlooked her until scandal befell the family when his recently married sister, Maria, ran off with Henry Crawford.  Underneath it all he was a man of principle, but his acknowledgement of Fanny and declaration of love was late in coming.  Was low self-esteem an issue, perhaps an outcome of growing up with a high-spirited, egotistical, overly indulged older brother? If so, perhaps nurture may have played a part as well.

 

Emma

 

Whether Harriet Smith’s timid personality was a product of nature or nurture can be debated, but she was a perfect vessel for Emma to fill with her own ideas and aspirations as Harriet had so little self-confidence that she was eager for attention, advice, and acceptance.  As a person of unknown parentage living in a boarding school, Harriet was a clean slate for Emma to imprint her own values. Harriet was concerned about being judged negatively, eager to please, and worshiped her mentor.  Instead of following her own heart, Harriet was easily misled by Emma whose goal was to improve her friend’s circumstances through misguided matchmaking. 

 

Jane Fairfax comes across as an introvert which could be attributed to her status as an orphan and the circumstance of being raised by a wealthy family while facing an uncertain future.  This combined with her secret engagement to Frank Churchill added to her insecurity which she covered with aloofness and reserve.  Even Mr. Knightly remarked that she lacked an “open temper which a man would wish for in a wife.”  He went on to comment that she appeared more reserved than she used to be which was likely due to hiding the relationship with Frank Churchill.  Her emotional fragility was highlighted by her early departure from a gathering at Donwell Abbey when she begged Emma to let the party know that she had departed early to walk home.  She was agitated and fatigued but insistent on leaving, even commenting on “the comfort of being sometimes alone.”  The strain of her secret engagement was an exhausting burden to carry while she wondered what the future held if the marriage was prevented, and she was forced to accept work as a governess.  Who would not suffer social anxiety under the circumstances.

 

 

 

Sense and Sensibility

 

Men can also be subject to the disorder.  Edward Ferrars seems a likely candidate having been raised by a controlling mother whose expectations for his future as the heir to her estate far exceeded his own natural inclinations and personal values.  “He was neither fitted by abilities nor disposition to answer the wishes of his mother and sister, who longed to see him distinguished” (perhaps in Parliament), while all Edward’s “wishes centered in domestic comfort and the quiet of a private life.”  One could easily imagine his anxiety about the prospect of performing in public or making speeches. That he was easily manipulated at a tender age by Lucy Steele to enter a secret engagement always struck me as more her doing than his, especially if he was timid, shy, eager to please, and easily dominated.  Edward, though faced with disinheritance and few career prospects, held true to his moral principles; finally released from the expectations of others, he was free to pursue true happiness with Elinor.  One wonders how easily he adapted to giving Sunday sermons after Colonel Brandon bestowed the living on him.  I still imagine actor Hugh Grant stumbling and stammering through a sermon, while nervously brushing his hair out of his eyes and realize how perfectly cast he was in the role of Edward in Sense and Sensibility ’95.

 

Persuasion

 

Anne Elliot had the misfortune of being a middle child born to a vain, narcissistic father and caught between two demanding sisters.  After losing her mother at the tender age of 14, she was sent off to school and taken under wing by an older classmate who took pity on her loneliness and shyness.  That her upbringing influenced her self-esteem seems certain and her father’s critical behavior toward her would have led to her being very self-conscious.  These factors can easily be cause for developing social anxiety which typically emerges in the early to mid-teens.  She fell in love at the age of 19 and we can see why Anne was so drawn to Captain Wentworth because “she had hardly anybody to love”.  She broke off the engagement under pressure from her father and close family friend, Lady Russell, because Wentworth was considered a “degrading alliance” with an “uncertain profession.”  We can also understand how she could be so easily influenced by those she was supposed to be able to trust even though she was left brokenhearted. Her social anxiety comes into full bloom when Wentworth re-enters her life eight years later and it is her own perseverance and strength of character that allows her to gain confidence and reclaim his love. 

 

Northanger Abbey

 

Catherine Moreland suffered from teenage angst as much as she did social anxiety.  Lifted out of her sheltered family circle to enter society in Bath as a guest of wealthy neighbors was a life changing experience that expanded her perspective and challenged her personal ethics.   Her social inexperience combined with her strong sense of values and a vivid imagination makes her an endearing character.  We watch her struggle to assert herself and navigate her way through new social settings, while new acquaintances misguide and mislead her and others.  Her naivete is balanced by her strong sense of right and wrong behavior.  Her frustration with the Thorpe siblings’ manipulations to interfere with her plans was equaled by her astonishment at their behavior, and righteous need to set the record straight with Eleanor Tilney and her brother, Henry.  Later she was wracked with guilt and embarrassment by her own behavior thanks to an over-active imagination that led her to snoop about Northanger Abbey where she was discovered by Henry.  She demonstrated her resilience by managing to find her way home after being summarily dismissed in the middle of the night by General Tilney, angry that he had been misled by John Thorpe about her wealth and status.   No wonder the poor girl was anxious, self-conscious, and confused.  Fortunately, she found love at first sight and prevailed despite all.

 

Eleanor Tilney’s social anxiety can be directly attributed to her domineering father, an oppressive individual who used intimidation to control his children and was a force of nature entirely focused on his own wealth and prestige.  “General Tilney, though so charming a man, seemed always a check upon his children’s spirits and scarcely anything was said but by himself.”  Eleanor, whose mother had died, was the only daughter and trapped at home with her demanding father while her older brother, Captain Tilney, was away in the military and Henry had a vicarage in a nearby community; both were able to put distance between themselves and their father.  The scene of General Tilney scolding Eleanor for rushing their guest to dinner even though she was extremely stressed at the prospect at arriving late and displeasing him, stands out as she would have been criticized either way, late or not.  Thankfully she was able marry well and escape the rule of her tyrannical father.

 

Pride and Prejudice

 

Was ever there a man capable of more missteps in pursuit of love than Mr. Darcy?  After insulting Elizabeth during their first meeting, he later finds himself attracted to her when she visits Netherfield but decides to ignore her for fear of raising her expectations. “He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.”  Meanwhile, she is under the misapprehension that he is scornful of everything about her.  Then comes the most disastrous proposal of marriage imaginable when he insults and impugns her while asking for her hand.  All evidence points to the fact that Mr. Darcy suffered from social anxiety masked by pride and aloofness.  We can imagine his discomfort arriving at a dance in a room full of strangers for the first time.  He can’t feel comfortable dancing with women he does not know as he later acknowledges to Elizabeth when they meet at Rosings.  “I certainly have not talent which some people possess,’ said Darcy, ‘of conversing easily with those I have never seen before, I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.” 

 

Here is an example of social phobia leading to avoidance by projecting arrogance.  Self-consciousness and a fear of being scrutinized is covered by aloof behavior as he tells Elizabeth “We neither of us perform to strangers.” Who can blame her for failing to recognize his growing attraction and misjudging his character and intentions?  He comes to grips with his own pride and overt distain for others after she refuses him and accuses him of behaving in an ungentlemanlike manner.  She must face her own mistaken assumptions when she discovers she willingly embraced the easy charm and lies of Mr. Wickham. Here is an example of opposites that attract; he suffers from social anxiety and will benefit from a woman who moves easily within social settings using her charm, wit, and good humor.  They were perfect for each other.

 

Anne de Bourg, the daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is another character domineered by an overbearing and controlling parent.  Lady Catherine is so enamored with her own opinions and sense of self-importance, there can be no doubt that the self-esteem of her daughter suffered.   If ever she was allowed to form and opinion let alone express it, her mother would impose her own as the only opinion of consequence.  What her health issues were are unknown but it’s clear expectations of her were set very low.  While professing that Anne had superb taste in music in comparison to Elizabeth, Lady Catherine follows with the comment, “Anne would have been a delightful performer, had her health allowed her to learn.”  One can only hope she discovers some level of independence that allows her to emerge from the crushing control of her mother, a favorite topic of many JAFF writers. 

 

All things considered, were it not for Jane Austen’s cast of characters that suffer from social anxiety, her beloved novels might not have stood the test of time for two hundred years and still speak to us today of sensibilities and insecurities as common in our times as in hers. 

Was Jane Austen a Closet Abolitionist?

What may we imply from the writings of Jane Austen regarding her feelings about slavery since, like many global events during her lifetime, she did not directly address the topic?  There is more than one school of thought on her opinion about slavery and, since Mansfield Park is the primary novel to broach the subject, it has been scrupulously studied for evidence of her beliefs.  Some accuse her of subscribing to the benefits of plantation wealth and suppressing any further discussions of it in her novels, while others maintain her true opinions are more implicitly rendered in her writings.

 

In a fascinating and particularly scholarly article written by Corrine Fowler and published by Cambridge University Press, the author takes exception with an earlier opinion published by Edward W. Said expressing his view that Mansfield Park “highlights Sir Thomas Bertram’s plantation wealth, which mak[es] possible his values to which Fanny Price (and Austen herself) finally subscribes.”  This is based on the theory that British colonialism was embraced at the time with the slave trade directly funding newfound wealth, elegant country estates, and luxurious lifestyles.

 

This claim that she supported colonialism refers to a conversation between Sir Thomas Bertram and Fanny when he returned from the West Indies. Fanny asks a single question about the slave trade (although we don’t know exactly what she asked or how Sir Thomas answered) but she doesn’t follow up with any other questions that might shed light on the author’s feelings and leads to the conclusion that Jane is guilty of willful silence.

 

However, this underestimates the strength of Austen’s pro-abolitionist feelings and the subversive ways they are revealed.  Jane provides hidden gems by ingeniously creating characters that share the names of key figures in the national abolition debate. “Mansfield” references Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, who ruled in 1772 that slavery on English soil was unsupported by common law.  The name of the spiteful Mrs. Norris may allude to the brutal slave captain John Norris, who was condemned by abolitionist historian, Thomas Clarkson, whom Austen was known to admire.  Maria Bertram, upon becoming Mrs. Rushworth, acquires a house in ‘town’ formerly owned by the Lascelles who were known to have been slave owners that profited enormously from the practice.  

 

According to Fowler, “If Mrs. Norris was named after a slave-trader, and Mansfield Park was named after a man who prevented slavery on British soil, then Sir Thomas’s reflections acquire a political dimension. Not only is he anxious for his wealth to be disassociated with its point of origin, but his self-seeking relatives begin to look like the morally bankrupt offspring of an economic system that relies on colonial cruelty.”

 

Lady Bertram is depicted as indolent, self-centered, and lacking in moral judgment. She is troubled neither by the source of Sir Thomas’s wealth nor the moral corruption of his involvement with slavery.  Fowler writes, “Indications of Austen’s distaste for the upper-class consumption of empire is not restricted to Lady Bertram’s unsympathetic character alone. It is also suggested by the link that Austen draws between the fictional Bertram family and the real-life Lascelles family.”

 

The efforts to obscure the colonial origins of new money is revealed throughout the novel.  That Mansfield Park is a recently built house suggests that the Bertram family was newly wealthy and, like many beneficiaries of colonial profiteering, wanted to establish their affluence by constructing a great country house, acquiring luxury goods, and infusing the largesse into the local economy.  Jane’s subtle reference to Lady Bertram’s desire to acquire a cashmere shawl through Fanny’s brother is a symbolic example. “William must not forget my shawl if he goes to the East Indies.” If anything, it parodies the tastes of the newly rich, who craved expensive goods from British colonies, with Lady Bertram entreating that William should bring back “anything else that is worth having.” 

 

Another reference is to the use of mahogany imported from the West Indies which was popular to showcase wealth in newly built country homes.  In Mansfield Park, Jane writes that a “profusion of mahogany” was installed at Sotherton Court.  This could be an oblique commentary on the consumption of colonial goods by wealthy Britons, but it also supports the broader observation that these goods were a familiar feature of upper-class domesticity.

 

“Biographical work on Austen reveals ever more personal connections to empire, highlighting the influence of pro-abolition figures in Austen’s family, while studies of her reading reveal her approval of pro-abolitionist writers like Cowper, Thomas Clarkson, and Helen Maria Williams,” according to Fowler’s article.

Consider Jane’s unfinished work, Sanditon, which introduces a mixed-race character, Miss Lambe, who closely resembles Dido Belle, the adopted daughter and blood relation of Lord Chief Justice Mansfield.  Jane knew Dido’s cousin and possibly met Dido herself who was a freeborn, half mulatto woman with an independent income of her own, much like Miss Lambe.

Supporters argue that Austen did not detail slaves’ suffering in her writings because it was a well-worn and an emotionally charged topic to which Austen’s readers had, by then (1814), been exposed for some decades.  There is also evidence that the abolitionist movement was generally supported by women of Austen’s time.  Jane was never one to proselytize when she could more discretely reveal her thoughts and opinions through the characters and situations about which she wrote.  I don’t believe the woman who wrote Pride and Prejudice would support prejudice against others because of the color of their skin nor would she tolerate the unconscionable cruelty that slavery represented.

 

I would like to thank a fellow Facebook fan, Prachi K, for sending me a link to the article upon which I based this content.  February is Black History month and he, along with many others, responded to my post asking about the racial heritage of Henry and Mary Crawford based on the description of them.  It was generally agreed that Jane was referencing hair color rather than skin color because the term ‘black’ was not commonly used to describe people of color at the time.  It’s a bit of a slog to read the entire article but I found the information fascinating and tried to encapsulate some of the key concepts in my writing.   If you choose to tackle the lengthier version, here’s the link.

 

Revisiting Mansfield Park: The Critical and Literary Legacies of Edward W. Said’s Essay “Jane Austen and Empire” in  Culture and Imperialism  (1993) by Corrine Fowler.

Jane Austen Knows Narcissists

Love them or hate them, considering the many narcissistic characters Jane Austen introduces in her novels, one speculates whether she was exposed to countless examples of narcissistic behavior in her own life and social encounters, or simply conjured them to use as foils for her storylines, exaggerating their behaviors to suit her needs as a novelist. 

2007 Northanger Abbey – ITV Studios

Some are so egregiously behaved as to become humorous objects of contempt while others take on a more pathological role, malignant, hurtful, and controlling of those near them who should be dear to them.  Alas, narcissists hold themselves dearest of all and lack empathy for those around them, instead, manipulating and exploiting others to serve their own purposes.  The list is deliciously long and fun to examine.

 

Persuasion

 

Sir Walter Elliot jumps immediately to mind as one of the most flagrant narcissists.  From the opening chapter we learn he was extremely vain of both his appearance and title.  His favorite reading source was the Baronetage in which “he could read his own history with an interest which never failed – this was the page at which the favourite volume always opened.”  He surrounded himself with mirrors, better admire himself and evaluated everyone on their appearance and social standing.   As a widower, he extended his preferment to his oldest daughter, Elizabeth, at the expense of her two younger sisters, based primarily on her beauty and ability to endlessly project her admiration for his appearance, superior taste, and unerring judgement.  In an example of the apple not falling far from the tree, she was also a narcissistic personality mirroring her father’s values, disinterested in any opinions but her own, and embracing flattery from those who would fawn over her.

 

Pride and Prejudice

 

Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a classic narcissist, self-involved, demanding to be the center of attention, and expecting special treatment; she was enamored with her own superior opinions and was domineering and intrusive towards those around her.  No wonder her passive daughter never had the opportunity to bloom or form an opinion and her nephews appeared to dread visiting her.  Her demand for a commitment from Lizzy Bennet not to enter an engagement with Mr. Darcy because of her lack of wealth and consequence was the height of arrogance coming from someone so “wholly disconnected” to the Bennet family.

 

Only the obsequious Mr. Collins basked in the glory of Lady Catherine’s patronage and was effusive in his praise both in her presence and outside of it.  He carried her approbation as a mantle of privilege and a sign of his consequence.   He presumed he would be a desirable suitor when he visited Longbourn in search of a wife, convinced that as the future inheritor of the estate, his efforts would be acceptable to which ever daughter he chose, and oblivious to their feelings.  It’s difficult to determine if Mr. Collins was also a narcissist or merely a sycophant basking in the glow of his association with Lady Catherine.  He may have been vain and self-satisfied, but he was so preoccupied with his benefactress that he appears less focused on himself, a key ingredient for the label of narcissist.  Is it possible to be a narcissist by proxy?

 

Sense and Sensibility

 

So many choices for the label of narcissist in this cast of characters!  Fanny Dashwood and her brother, Robert were entitled, vain, controlling, and completely lacked empathy for others, thereby qualifying for the moniker; but the behavior of Mrs. Ferrars when she abandoned her first-born son, Edward, because of the youthful indiscretion of a secret engagement to Lucy Steele, smacks strongly of a different level of narcissism.  Edward had disappointed her grandiose plans for his career and marriage prospects; she was unable to accept his introverted personality traits and lacked empathy for his plight.  Unable to control him, she vindictively punished him for refusing to abandon his commitment to Lucy even though his heart, unbeknownst to her, was attached to Elinor Dashwood. 

 

Mrs. Ferrars paid a price for her arrogance when she settled her inheritance on her favorite son, Robert.  Once he was named heir, he was no longer obligated to obey his mother’s wishes and was easily manipulated into marriage by the cunning Lucy Steele once she released Edward from his obligation.  Dear Lucy, a manipulative, attention seeking, exploiter of opportunities can certainly lay claim to the title of narcissist.   Imagine the harmony between all those narcissists living together.  Jane vividly describes the “jealousies and ill-will” between Fanny and Lucy, “in which their husbands of course took a part, as well as the frequent domestic disagreements between Robert and Lucy”.  Sense and Sensibility is riddled with calculating personalities who qualify for the moniker narcissist.

 

Emma

 

Who but Emma can rightfully qualify for the title of narcissist in this novel?  In her favor she was not totally lacking in empathy, she was merely caught up in her own perceived powers of discernment, her sense of privilege and status, her conviction that she was always right, and the critical importance of her role caring for her father.  She presumed Mr. Churchill was in love with her because she was, after all, Emma, and yet she was appalled that Mr. Elton should express his love after he misinterpreted her behavior as an invitation to courtship and, even worse, was so far beneath her socially.  She was the center of her own little universe, amiably inclined to direct the lives of others according to her own best judgement, which often went awry.  She is rather a benign narcissist, well intentioned but controlling, concerned for the welfare of others, but out of touch with their needs and desires.  She was like a child playing with a doll house, directing the lives of an assortment of dolls in her own little fantasy world.  It took Mr. Knightley’s resolve to bring her down to earth and help her understand not just the impact of her behavior on others but also the inclinations of her own heart.   Some readers love her and some hate her; either way, I believe what they are really responding to is the challenge of living with a delightfully misguided narcissist. 

 

Mansfield Park

 

The narcissists in Mansfield Park are a bit more subtle to discern as their behavior is less overt but it is still smacks of entitlement, vanity, and a desire to control others.  The candidates?  Let’s start with brother and sister duo, Henry and Mary Crawford, charismatic charmers who exhibited the necessary traits.   When they made an entrance into local society to visit their half sibling, Mrs. Grant, they enthralled the Bertram offspring with their wit, sophistication, and worldly attitudes.   Romantic interest was shared by the young people who were all wealthy, single, and very eligible.  While not handsome, Henry had a magnetism that attracted the attention of both the Bertram sisters, most especially Maria, who had recently become engaged.  Mary Crawford was “remarkably pretty”, vivacious, outspoken, and a talented harpist.   While first born Tom Bertram was the initial target of her interest, his proclivity for sports and other entertainments took him away from home, allowing mutual attraction to percolate between the Edmund and Mary. 

 

Both siblings were entitled, vain, flirtatious, and used to having their own way, secure in their ability to attract and manipulate others.   Henry had no qualms about toying with the emotions of Maria, before and after her marriage, eventually leading to her downfall while barely affecting his social standing at all.  His newfound interest in Fanny was unwelcome and unrequited yet he pursued her relentlessly to gain his objective, despite her avowed feelings and mistrust of his character.  Upon her final rejection he turned to a dalliance with Maria that ruined her reputation and caused a divorce, yet both brother and sister blamed Fanny as the cause, convinced that if she had agreed to marry him, he never would have strayed.  The hubris of their reasoning confirmed Fanny’s good judgement of both their characters.  While neither was spiteful or completely lacking in empathy, their sense of superiority and desire to make others conform to their wishes is evidence of narcissism. 

 

Tom Bertram can be labeled a narcissist based on his utter disregard for the financial harm he caused his brother with his extravagant spending and distain for the concerns expressed by his father regarding his excesses.   Mrs. Norris is another character who always put herself first and enjoyed controlling the lives of others.  Her total lack of empathy for young Fanny at all stages of development had a spiteful quality to it that can’t be overlooked.  She was in a subservient role to her sister, Lady Bertram, and despised her other sister, Fanny’s mother.  Although she deserved censure, I pity poor Maria who was forced to live in exile with the critically opinionated Mrs. Norris while Fanny lived happily ever after with Edmund.  How that must have galled Mrs. Norris. 

 

Lady Susan

 

Was there ever a more despicable mother than Lady Susan?  She was featured in one of my earlier posts as the character most “guilty of duplicity” and the designation was well earned as   she was clearly guilty of unremitting subterfuge, deceit, and betrayal.  There can be no question that she was a classic malignant narcissist who used everyone she encountered for her own personal gain and her treatment of her innocent daughter by trying to force her into an unwanted marriage was unconscionable.  One would think she would win this contest hands down, but, no, there is one even worse than Lady Susan.

 

Northanger Abbey

 

This has always been my least favorite of the Austen canon, but in a recent re-reading of it I came to recognize something that I’d overlooked before, the malevolent nature of General Tilney.  I haven’t read this as often as the other novels and I think my focus on the intrigues of immature and innocent Catherine Moreland, caused me to overlook the malignant narcissist who was General Tilney, and the oppressive environment in which his children were raised.  His behavior jumped out at me in ways they never had before; his early, overtly solicitous manners towards Catherine that we learn was based on misinformation from the braggart, John Thorpe, another classic narcissist along with his sister, Isabella.

 

General Tilney recognized the natural affection of his children for their new friend and having mistaken her for an heiress, sought to foster the relationship by inviting Catherine to visit Northanger Abbey with plans of securing an engagement to Henry.  He was like a spider weaving a web by exhorting his children to become intimate acquaintances so he could flaunt his affluence in a plot to advance his own wealth and consequence.  It was clear his children had been intimidated by him from an early age, compelled to do his bidding, live by his standards, and measure up to his perfectionist expectations.  Displays of his controlling temperament included demanding a timely arrival for the dinner hour which caused his daughter to quake at the prospect of arriving late because her friend didn’t understand the urgency.  It was clear they shrank at the prospect of verbal abuse and criticism. 

 

When he discovered Catherine’s humble background, once again from a rejected John Thorpe, he dismissed her from Northanger Abbey in the middle of the night and sent her packing unescorted via post to her home.  For some reason, on this reading my blood ran cold as this malignant narcissist was revealed in ways both subtle and overt.  I pitied his children, all save his narcissistic first-born son, Captain Tilney, and rejoiced when they escaped his reach through marriage, in the end making Catherine Moreland’s fondest dream come true.  Don’t you love a happy ending?

 

Clever Jane.  She provides foils to her heroines, threats to their future happiness, and adds complexity to her stories as we are reviled and appalled by the bad behavior of the narcissists she portrays.  Some are a mere irritant, others a comedic obstacle, and the worst of them are pathologically compelled by their own natures to serve themselves above all others and cast off anyone who doesn’t fulfill their unquenchable need for admiration and control.  I long to know who the narcissists were in Jane’s life.  I have one major suspect, her brother Edward Knight, who was adopted by wealthy relatives at an early age and inherited Godmersham Park and an estate in Chawton.  Why?  In Jane Austen at Home, Lucy Worsley describes “Edward’s ‘beauty’ and ‘fun and liveliness’, which led to the Knights selecting him.”  He proudly rode his pony all the way to Kent and was thought to have worn a green velvet suit as a teenage boy.  He sounds like a dandy even in his youth and he strikes me as selfish for not providing more financial support to his mother and sisters despite his wealth, and for taking so long to establish a stable home for them at the cottage in Chawton.  Once his mother was widowed with two unmarried daughters, was their plight so beneath his notice that he couldn’t be bothered to arrange suitable accommodations far sooner?  He certainly appears arrogant, superior, and lacking in empathy.  Don’t you wonder what Jane thought of her wealthy, entitled brother?

The Enigma of Jane Austen’s Clergy

There is, perhaps, nothing more enigmatic than Jane Austen’s view of the clergy if we consider how the characters are presented in her novels. Her portrayals and opinions are often less than flattering and, in many cases, beg the question of what her true feelings about the life of a clergyman may have been.

David Bamber as Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice 1995

Her family was deeply entrenched in “the living”; her father was a fellow at Oxford College when he met her mother, Cassandra Leigh, who was the daughter of a clergyman employed by one of the colleges, as well as the niece of the Master of Balliol College. The living when George Austen took over Steventon Rectory in 1768 was purchased for him by a relative and was supplemented with tithes paid by parishioners and income from “glebe lands” that were farmed. He opened an informal boarding school for boys at the rectory for additional income. Later it was settled on her brother, who inherited the living when Jane’s father retired.

We have every reason to believe that Jane had a close relationship with her father as evidenced by this support of her creative pursuits from a young age. He provided her with the three expensive notebooks for her writing efforts in her early years, had a propensity for reading novels himself, and delighted in his family’s creative pursuits. However, it is fair to wonder if she felt a sense of betrayal when he chose to retire and move the family to Bath. Jane lost prized possessions including access to an extensive library when she was uprooted to live in an environment that she found less than agreeable when compared to the idyllic country life to which she was accustomed. She did maintain a close relationship with her brothers and visited Steventon often, but one must ponder whether this disruption colored her opinion of the life of a clergyman. After her father’s death, Jane, her mother, and sister led a nomadic existence passing from one residence to another and relying on the generosity of her brothers for financial support before finally settling at the cottage in Chawton.

Were Jane’s true feelings about the life of the clergy expressed in Mansfield Park by Mary Crawford whose growing affection for Edmund Bertram was obviated by the prospect of becoming the wife of a clergyman? After insinuating that Edmund chose to take orders because of entitlement, he responded with a question as to how the church would attract men to take orders without one. To this she replies “take orders without a living! No, that is madness, indeed, absolute madness.”

She continues her diatribe against the clergy saying, “Oh! No doubt he is very sincere in preferring an income ready made to the trouble of working for one,” and adding another scathing comment: “A clergyman has nothing to do but to be slovenly and selfish – read the newspaper, watch the weather, and quarrel with his wife. His curate does all the work, and the business of his own life is to dine.” Edmund was forced to admit her opinion was a “common-place censure”. In his defense, Fanny remarks that “A sensible man like Dr. Grant, cannot be in the habit of teaching others their duty every week, cannot go to church twice every Sunday and preach such very good sermons in so good a manner as he does, without being the better for it himself.” To this Mary replies, “I wish you a better fate Miss Price, than to be the wife of a man whose amiableness depends upon his own sermons…” The exchange raises the question whether these comments represent Jane’s actual opinion or was she showcasing her wit and teasing her relations by surfacing a popular misapprehension?

Jane Austen is more kindly disposed to Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility and Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey. In Edward’s case, his resolute commitment to be steadfast to his youthful indiscretion of getting secretly engaged to Lucy Steele, caused his mother to disinherit him. This forced him to consider his options as described by Anne Steele to Elinore. “If he was to go into orders, as he had some thoughts, he could get nothing but a curacy, and how was they to live on that?” The income of a curate was fifty pounds a year. Banished by his family, he was saved by the offer of “a living” at Delafort by Colonel Brandon, who had taken pity on his plight. The preferment included a small house and two hundred pounds a year and taking orders was just the kind of role that suited Edward’s personality and inclinations, despite his mother’s early ambitions for his career and marriage. When opportunistic Lucy broke the engagement with him to marry his brother, Robert, he was finally free to marry his beloved Elinor and had the means to support her.

We learn early on in Northanger Abby that Catherine Moreland is the daughter of a clergyman “with considerable independence besides two good livings” who was raising ten children. When he sent her off to Bath with wealthy neighbors, she met Henry Tilney, who was “a clergyman and of a very respectable family in Gloucestershire.” Although his father, General Tilney, was an insidious character, Mr. Tilney is considered one of Jane Austen’s most attractive heroes. When we’re first introduced to him, he is not only is an expert in “true Indian muslin” he is also good natured, sweet tempered, amusing, and patient. He later goes on to defy his father and seek out Catherine Moreland after she had been unceremoniously dismissed from Northanger Abbey in the middle of the night and forced to return home unescorted via post. He followed her and proposed marriage despite not having his father’s permission and was eventually allowed to marry our heroine. One can only presume he was an excellent and much beloved clergyman and perhaps delivered amusing sermons.

Persuasion features another rather benign view of clergyman, Charles Hayter. He was the love interest of Henrietta Musgrove until Captain Wentworth appeared on scene and became the object of attraction to sisters Henrietta and Louisa. Despite the fact he was to inherit the property of Winthrop, Mary Musgrove looked down on him as “nothing but a country curate” and was certain Wentworth would choose Henrietta as a wife. When Charles meets his competitor and observes this apparent change of heart, he withdrew for a few days until Henrietta and her brother, Charles Musgrove, called on the Hayter estate during a long family excursion. This olive branch appeared to settle the matter and later in the novel, Henrietta discussed her hopes that the rector of Uppercross would retire, and Charles could take over the living.

Jane was less than generous in the portrayals of clergy in two of her novels. Was it Jane’s intention to ridicule Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice or generate distain for Mr. Elton in Emma? Was she maligning these characters purposefully or were they merely a plot device? Was she poking fun at her relations or their contemporaries whom she observed as the family moved through various echelons of society? We can never know for sure, but we can enjoy these foils to the potential happiness of our heroines for their humor and conceit.

The unctuous, obsequious, vain Mr. Collins provided comic relief when he presented himself as a prospective husband for one of the five Bennet sisters. Some of the most humorous lines in any of the novels are uttered by him and teased by his audience including Mr. Bennet. As the heir apparent to the Bennet family estate and grateful recipient of the approbations of his benefactress, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Mr. Collins was convinced he could have his pick of the five daughters. His cloying manners and small conceits were most offensive to the object of his advances, Elizabeth, whose rejection of his proposal came as a shock since he was persuaded that “my proposals will not fail of being acceptable”, reminding her there was no assurance she would ever receive another proposal. Who could not enjoy this bumbling yet determined suitor, eager to please his patron, and ready to condemn anyone who strays from the path of propriety, such as Lydia Bennet. He was ever so lucky to find a patient wife.

How could Emma have been so wrong? She is so caught up in her elevated position in society that she does not recognize the vaunting ambition of Mr. Elton and instead determines to promote him as the love interest to her friend, Harriet. Not only does she misread his intentions she also interferes in the courtship of Harriet and Mr. Martin to the great consternation of Mr. Knightly. Mr. Elton does all he can to insinuate himself into the good graces of Emma, mistaking her attention on Harriet’s behalf as growing affection for him. When he finally revealed his distain of Harriet as a social nobody and his hopes for an attachment to Emma, she dismissed him with shock and revulsion. Supremely slighted, rejected, and mortified, he removed himself to Bath and had the great satisfaction of returning with an equally vain wife of good social standing and independent fortune. He and his wife became the vexation of Emma’s existence in Highbury until she finally reconciled with her failure at matchmaking and instead made a match for herself with Mr. Knightly.

How are we to evaluate these various portrayals of the clergy and what it represents of Jane Austen’s feelings towards the career chosen by beloved members of her family? There appears to be no attachment to religion itself, the focus is on financial rewards and placement in society whether it’s the comical Mr. Collins or the hopeful Charles Hayter. It’s a living, a secure role in society at a time when pastoral care involved Sunday sermons and performing the weddings, baptisms, and funerals required by the community. Taking orders didn’t require years of attendance at a school of divinity or proof of piety. The living, whether a preferment such as Colonel Brandon provided to Edward Ferrars, or an inheritance such as Edmund Bertram received meant income, housing, and a respectable way of life in the community.

Then what are we to make of the diatribe by Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park? It’s anybody’s guess but my own is that there is a little bit of truth in all of it. Jane circulated in gentry circles even though her own family didn’t qualify as gentry. One of her brothers had been adopted by wealthy relatives and inherited extensive properties which were often visited by Jane and her family. She had an opportunity to meet many types of people who were enamored with their own status or preferment within wealthy echelons of society and as an outsider looking in, she had an opportunity to observe and be amused by the foibles and vanities of that society. Perhaps she overheard the type of diatribe espoused by Mary Crawford amongst those social elite and rather than be offended by it, she chose parody to lampoon it. I believe she had high regard and respect for her father, brothers, extended family, and friends who were all clergymen, but she wrote for her own amusement.

Jane Austen’s Best Frenemies

Jane Austen was a master of social commentary and observer of human foibles. Her stories are made even more absorbing by the introduction of “frenemies” that frustrate or undermine her heroines by creating angst, conflict, or jealousy, thereby adding challenges to be overcome and resolved. The word frenemy refers to a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry. In each of the novels we are introduced to frenemies, characters pressed into action to disrupt her heroines and potentially thwart a happy ending. Frenemies are the ones we love to hate because of Jane Austen’s witty and wicked presentation of them that showcases her undeniable insightfulness into the quirks and shortcomings of human nature. That discernment is part of her genius so let’s take a moment to examine the frenemies within.

Imogen Stubbs as Lucy Steele, Sense and Sensibility, 1995

Pride and Prejudice

Who doesn’t bristle when Caroline Bingley enters the picture with her haughty manners and distain for all she sees of country manners and fashions when she came to stay at Netherfield Park, where her brother had taken up residency and sent the neighborhood into raptures because he was a single man of good fortune who “must be in want of a wife.” She matched the personality traits of Mr. Bingley’s friend, Mr. Darcy, for aloofness and arrogance and was eager to please him by demonstrating their shared discernment of the shortcomings of those whom they considered beneath them. Their equally matched pride was on full display to Elizabeth Bennet who immediately recognized the condescension of their behavior and despised them for it. Although Caroline and her sister, Mrs. Hurst expressed delight in Jane Bennet whom they pronounced to be “a sweet girl, and one whom they should not object know more of”, they had no such admiration for Lizzy. When Jane fell ill on a visit to Netherfield and her sister came to care for her, Caroline made it her objective to fawn over Mr. Darcy’s every move, feign indignation when Lizzy expressed surprise that Mr. Darcy knew any “accomplished women” based on the high standards he outlined, and paraded her around the room to get Darcy’s attention. It was clear that she held little regard for Lizzy and the highest regard for Darcy. Caroline Bingley was a perfect foil for Elizabeth Bennet who was amused by the overt efforts exhibited to captivate Darcy’s attention. There was so much mistrust built up that later, at the Netherfield ball, when Caroline attempted to warn Lizzy of Mr. Wickham’s past indiscretions, she was rejected immediately, and her efforts were perceived as a manipulative attempt to discredit the man Lizzy admired at the time. Later in the story Caroline needles her about Wickham in front of Georgianna causing discomfort to all, especially Darcy.

Mansfield Park

Fanny Price found herself struggling with discontent and envy when Mary Crawford entered the picture in Mansfield Park. Initially an admirer of her outspoken opinions, pretty face, and talent at the harp, Fanny began to harbor concerns about the improprieties in Mary’s outspoken comments which she felt reflected the values on which Mary had been raised. As Fanny bore witness to the growing admiration between Edmund and Mary, she struggled to suppress her own feelings about the propriety of such a match between two such different characters. Once she became the object of Henry Crawford’s unwanted attentions, a man she neither trusted nor admired, she was further pressured by his sister to accept his offer of marriage. Later, when the affair between Maria Bertram, now Mrs. Rushworth, and Mr. Crawford became public knowledge, Mary exhorted Fanny to ignore any gossip and marry Henry and later blamed Fanny for the affair because she had rejected her brother. With those actions, Mary Crawford finds her rightful place on the frenemies list. Some might ask whether Mrs. Norris should be considered a frenemy, but she never hid her feelings towards Fanny nor pretended friendship of any kind; she was an abuser.

Persuasion

Frenemies can present themselves to an entire family but often go undetected by some of them, as is the case with Mrs. Clay in Persuasion. Anne Elliot recognized her as a social climber from the start, overly eager to ingratiate herself with Sir Walter and his favorite daughter, Elizabeth, through flattery and obsequious behavior to achieve her own ends. After she was invited to join the family in Bath while Anne was left behind to manage the transition, Anne suspected she meant to seduce Sir Walter into marriage by insinuating herself into their lives and winning his affection. When she confronted Elizabeth with the notion, she was summarily dismissed by her sister on the pretext that Mrs. Clay knew her place in society and could not be considered attractive by Sir Walter because of her freckles and a “clumsy wrist”. William Elliot, heir to the baronetcy, arrived in Bath after a friend advised him of the presence of Mrs. Clay in the household because he also suspected her of ulterior motives which he later discussed with Anne. In the end, Mrs. Clay did succeed with Mr. Elliot who took her “under his protection” in London when Anne rejected him to marry Captain Wentworth. No doubt his purpose was to interfere with any prospect of competition for his inheritance should Mrs. Clay secure the affection of Sir Walter and bear a child.

Northanger Abbey

For Catherine Moreland, finding a friend in Bath in the form of Isabelle Thornton was a beacon of hope. She was isolated and knew no one until they were thrown together when old friends, Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Thornton discovered each other and became reacquainted. Catherine was eager for a companion and Isabelle, a few years older and already acquainted with her brother, James, was the perfect solution. Unfortunately for Catherine, Isabelle was always led by her own self-interests and perfectly happy to use her inexperienced friend towards her own ends. She revealed herself to be a determined flirt at every opportunity and connived to place Catherine in the path of her boorish, egotistical brother, John, so she could claim the unrestricted attention of James Moreland. She continued the practice even though she knew her young friend had formed an attachment to another young man, Mr. Tilney, and had no qualms about importuning her young friend, or blithely justifying her own behavior to get what she wanted, an engagement to James. Catherine was desperate for a friend and eagerly embraced the relationship initially, so Isabelle was certainly not the worst frenemy in the canon, but she rightfully makes the list. If we consider that men can also be frenemies, we recognize John Thorpe as an offender for committing Catherine to the first dance at the ball and then condemning her to sit amongst young ladies that had not been asked while he callously chatted with friends. Worse yet, she was forced to decline an invitation from Mr. Tilney while she waited for her dance partner to show up which was an unforgiveable offense leaving poor Catherine mortified. The misinformation he later relayed to General Tilney about Catherine and its future implications, adds to the evidence that he was a frenemy.

Emma

There is real duality in the character of Emma in that she both has a frenemy and is a frenemy. Despite her well-intentioned motives she came close to ruining the prospect of marriage for poor Harriet, her new protégé, by convincing Harriet to decline a proposal of marriage from Robert Martin, a prosperous farmer, and instead promoted an attachment to Mr. Elton in an effort at matchmaking that went badly awry when Mr. Elton declared his love for Emma herself. Her failure at matchmaking was worsened when Mr. Elton removed himself to Bath, determined to find a suitable wife and returned with Mrs. Elton, a superbly conceived frenemy; brash, impertinent, egotistical, and eager to claim a role as a leader in local society at Emma’s expense. Emma could hardly contain her contempt for Mrs. Elton who took it upon herself to befriend newly arrived Jane Fairfax and demand that Emma assist her in promoting Jane socially. Not only did Emma resent the impudence of the partnership proposed by Mrs. Elton she was in fact, jealous of Jane Fairfax for her beauty and accomplishments. When Mr. Knightly scolded Emma for being unwelcoming to Miss Fairfax, Emma fretted that Mrs. Weston may be right in claiming that Mr. Knightly was forming an attachment to Jane, because none were aware of the secret engagement between her and Mr. Churchill. Emma crossed boundaries again by slighting an old family friend, Miss Bates, at a picnic. Emma’s view of herself and her place in the world thrust her into the position of frenemy through miscalculations and misinterpretations despite her good intentions and forced her to confront the limitations of her own discernment, including her failure to recognize that she was in love with Mr. Knightly.

Sense and Sensibility

In Sense and Sensibility, Lucy Steele presents us with a classic frenemy as Elinor Dashwood’s worst nightmare, the singular person to dash all her hopes for happiness when shortly after becoming acquainted, Lucy revealed she was secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars. Lucy represents all those traits that can never be admired: ingratiating, vulgar, artless, uninformed, impertinent, but cunning enough to have identified Elinor as a rival for Edward’s affections and determined to undermine the attachment they felt for each other. Jane paints a vivid picture of just how calculating Lucy was in describing her behavior after she hinted at a future connection with Mrs. Ferrars, Edward’s mother: “She looked down as she said this, amiably bashful, with only one side glance to her companion to observe its effect on her.” Lucy was a shrewd observer, always on the lookout for the impact of her behavior on those around her. Forcing Elinor to commit to keeping the information confidential became a silent burden of repressed feelings and longings that weighed heavily on our heroine.

If it weren’t for the angst and aggravation that come in to play when frenemies are introduced, we would miss out on insights into the characters of our heroines from Elinor’s stalwart shouldering of the burden of silence to Emma’s misguided efforts at matchmaking forcing her to come to grips with her own limitations. Who among us would not be aggravated by supercilious Mrs. Elton or pompous and self-satisfied Caroline Bingley? Catherine Moreland’s frustrations become our own as we watch this amiable young lady grow and mature despite how she is treated by her “friends”. We can only conclude that Mrs. Clay and Mr. Elliot deserved each other while Anne achieves her heart’s desire. We embrace these characters that add color to the novels and magnify the courage and strength of our beloved heroines so, whether it’s an intentional offender like Lucy Steel or an unintentional one like Emma, let us salute the frenemies within.

Jane Austen and Her Soul Sister

How unique was Jane Austen’s relationship with her beloved sister? I have a sister with whom I shared a room throughout childhood but unlike Jane and Cassandra, our relationship was more adversarial than close until we both went away to college. We were more like Elinor and Marianne; she was older and more conservative while I was three years younger, outgoing, and demonstrative. We both married early and lived far apart so we didn’t share confidences over the years and unlike the Austen sisters, we never experienced concerns about being a burden to our family; education made careers and independence possible. When I read Jane Austen biographies, I often think about her deep, lifelong attachment to her older sister and feel a wisp of envy. When Mr. Austen announced the birth of Jane, he commented that she would be Cassandra’s “plaything”. I’m quite certain my sister never viewed me as her plaything, rather a subject to her authority as the oldest of six, alongside four brothers also under her sway.

The relationship between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice seems almost autobiographical it is so very like the bond Jane experienced with Cassandra. They were confidants to one another, their loyalty unquestioned, their support unswerving. They had emotional intelligence that their younger sisters lacked. There are similarities between their mother and Mrs. Bennet as well, including self-centeredness, questionable health issues, and extreme concern over finding suitable husbands for her daughters so they would not be a burden to their family.

The Dashwood sisters in Sense and Sensibility exhibited a strong bond reinforced by the loss of their father and banishment from their family estate by their half-brother, John Dashwood, to live in economic hardship much like the Austen sisters. However, there were major differences in the personalities of the two older sisters, much as there were between my sister and me. Marianne was the demonstrative member of the family wearing her emotions on her sleeve very like their mother. Every response registered on a high note, passionate, emotive, sensitive. Elinor was the opposite, composed, reserved, and ill at ease with the emotional highs displayed by her mother and sister.

Once they relocated to Barton Cottage, they were introduced to another pair of sisters whom they held in great distain, Lucy Steele and her sister, Anne. These artful young ladies were masters of flattery, ingratiating themselves in whatever company they found themselves. The Dashwood sisters found them impertinent, vulgar, manipulative. There is no reason to believe Lucy and Anne were close. Anne was dominated by Lucy who “generally made amendments to all her sister’s assertions.” Lucy’s social ambition left no room for concern about her older sister.

When a parent demonstrates preferential treatment towards one of his children, it automatically impedes the possibility of closeness between siblings. In Persuasion, Sir Walter Elliot openly demonstrates his preference for his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who equally matches her father’s vanity and self-centered view of the world. Both perceive middle daughter, Anne, with distain. The third sister, Mary, was also ignored having married into a prosperous family and in no need of their attention. Elizabeth makes the imprudent choice of inviting Mrs. Clay, the daughter of Sir Walter’s lawyer, Mr. Shepherd, to accompany them to Bath rather than her own sister, Anne. Mrs. Clay’s artful ability to please and flatter both father and daughter was highly valued by them despite her unequal rank or perhaps, because of it. How mortifying to be importuned by Mrs. Clay when she ran off to London under “the protection” of William Elliot, the heir to Sir Walter’s estate after the marriage of Captain Wentworth and Anne. Once married, we can presume Anne associated as little as possible with her older sister who was no doubt peevish about being the only one of them who remained unmarried.

The Musgrove sisters in Persuasion, Henrietta and Louisa, appear to have an amicable relationship even when both take an active interest and initially vie for the attentions of Captain Wentworth, newly arrived in the area and a daily visitor to Uppercross. Since Henrietta already had a suitor, Louisa appeared very close to succeeding with Captain Wentworth until an unfortunate accident during a visit to Lyme Regis leads to an unexpected attachment with Captain Benwick during her recovery. While they were ‘very good humored, unaffected girls’ from a respectable family, Anne considered them to be entirely unworthy of such an estimable man as Captain Wentworth and perceived that his sister, Mrs. Croft, shared her feelings. Anne’s fondest dreams were finally realized when he pursued her to Bath and their relationship was rekindled.

Mansfield Park introduces us to self-centered and spoiled Maria and Julia Bertram, who appear to have enjoyed slighting and shaming Fanny Price when she first arrived at the family estate. Like many sisters, they are somewhat competitive, but the older sister always held sway over the younger and made sure to get her way. Both daughters were indulged by Sir Thomas Bertram and his wife which did not serve them well in the end. Maria carried on a flirtation with Henry Crawford when he arrived on the scene, then married and betrayed Mr. Rushworth by having an open affair with Mr. Crawford; while Julia, to her father’s dismay, eloped with a friend of her brother. Only their cousin, Fanny, demonstrated a commitment to self-determination and moral integrity by refusing Mr. Crawford’s attentions and eventually winning the love of her cousin, Edmund.

There is one sign of hope in Mansfield Park for sisters Fanny and Susan. To fill the void of attending to Lady Bertram after Fanny marries Edmund, her younger sister is selected to be ‘the stationery niece’ due to her ‘readiness of mind and inclination for usefulness.’ Like her sister, she had strong feelings of gratitude along with sweetness of temperament so their proximity to each other would allow them to form the kind of lifelong bond that Jane and Cassandra enjoyed.

The relationship between Emma Woodhouse and her sister, Isabella Knightly, seems cordial but they live in two very different worlds with Emma overseeing the care of her father at Highbury while Isabella oversees the care of her family in London. Emma appears to be fond of Isabella’s children which is an overall indication of her loving nature, but there are few insights into the relationship with her sister in the novel, Emma. The same can be said of Northanger Abby. While Catherine Moreland comes from large family of ten children, the focus of the novel is on her exploits in Bath and Northanger Abby, so we have no real view of her relationship with her siblings.

I’m left to wonder, how unique are the bonds between Jane and Cassandra? Throughout their lives they remained each other’s confidants, demonstrating true affection, loyalty, support, and love. Cassandra wrote of her late sister, “I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed, - she was the sun in my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow, I had not a thought concealed from her, & it is as if I had lost a part of myself.”

I am also reminded of how very different relationships between sisters can be. I was acquainted with a very wealthy family that included three sisters, two of whom were twins. One of their daughters became my sister-in-law and often spoke of them. I don’t know when or how the animosity developed but as adults, none of the sisters were on speaking terms with each other. What kind of family dynamics resulted in this level of alienation was a mystery to me. Was it caused by intense sibling rivalry from childhood or were there specific offenses that occurred to cause this breech? Poor little rich girls, they may have lived in the lap of luxury, but were the poorer for missing out on the family ties that enrich the lives of those of us lucky enough to have siblings whom we appreciate and love. Whether any of them ever reconciled I do not know, but over the years I was always mystified by their extreme disaffection for one another throughout their lives.

Sibling rivalry can be an impediment to creating lifelong bonds although often those feelings work themselves out over time as happened with my sister and me. There are other toxic personalities that are guaranteed to build up grievances and interfere with development of close relationships. Problems such as addiction, dishonesty, or unbridled narcissism can break down ties between family members. There are so many variables to family dynamics and every family is unique.

What made the relationship between Jane and Cassandra so special and so enduring? I believe it is a unique and special gift and I’ve been privileged to witness such a gift in my own family. I have two daughters born nine years apart, with a brother in between. Despite the age difference, they have always been close, with the bond becoming even stronger as adults. At one point they even shared an apartment for a couple of years while one was at university and the other working. They’ve supported and consoled each other through bad boyfriends, breakups, careers, marriage, child-rearing. They live on opposite coasts now but talk to each other all the time. They share an emotional bond and trust each other with their most intimate secrets. They both are blessed with great emotional intelligence. I find it remarkable, and I can’t explain it any other way than to say they are soul sisters. I think it is very special and unique in the same way I view Jane and Cassandra’s relationship two centuries ago; they too were soul sisters. Bearing witness to such a relationship is a treasure and a gift whether we read about it in a novel or see it in practice in our own lives.