Are All Jane Austen's Works Created Equal?

Recently, a friend asked me whether I could rank the heroines, heroes, and novels of Austen.  After giving it some thought, I decided that the question merited a post of its own, so here are my approximate rankings of the aforementioned characters and books (from favorite to least-favorite).
Note that I'm only "counting" her six finished novels, to simplify things.  Also, I consider both Marianne and Elinor to be heroines and Colonel Brandon and Edward Ferrars to be heroes. 

Novels 

1. Emma

Emma was the first Austen novel that I read, and therefore automatically earns the top spot. ;P  But seriously, the fact that it was my introduction to the Regency world plays a large part in my liking of it, because otherwise I'd never be able to choose a favorite.  That's obviously not the only reason for it being #1, however; I personally think it's one of her best works and after seven readings I can still get extremely invested in it.

2. Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, of course, goes near the top.  It's so vivacious and witty, as well as being the book that completed my conversion to Janeite-ness.  I'll admit, part of the reason that it isn't my favorite is because everyone likes it and that can get a little annoying, but it completely merits its popularity.

3. Northanger Abbey

Ahhhh...this book is just such FUN.  It's a novel for any occasion, being by turns funny, deep, romantic, and perilous (yes, perilous.  General Tilney is scary. :P).  Despite being, well, exaggeratedly normal, it has a real-life feel and the characters are always enjoyable.

4. Sense and Sensibility

How to describe Sense and Sensibility?  It was the second book I read of Jane's, and it's definitely the most emotional. (Seriously, did Charlotte Brontë even read S&S?? :P)  I'll admit that sometimes it just gets a bit too much for me, what with all the misery everyone (every sympathetic person, anyway) goes through and the general dark tone, which is why it's not higher up on my list.  But I still enjoy it, and the Marianne/Colonel Brandon romance is actually one of my favorites.

5. Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park, I find, has grown on me with each successive reading.  The first time I read it, I came as near to hating an Austen novel as is possible for a Janeite book-lover.  I found it dull, the characters annoying, and the plot too convoluted.  But now, I really, really like it (keep in mind, I still love the ones at the bottom of my list.  Just...not as much.).

6. Persuasion 

Persuasion...this book has actually been lowered in my estimation in subsequent rereadings.  It used to be higher than Mansfield Park.  I do enjoy it; the romance is sweet, and Anne Elliot is an estimable heroine, but most of the other characters are just so...so...self-absorbed!  That's the point JA was trying to make, maybe, but I don't especially enjoy reading about such things. :P

Heroines

1. Elinor Dashwood

Elinor Dashwood is not up here because I would most enjoy her society, nor because I particularly
identify with her, but rather because she's a role model for me.  When I first read S&S, I really just thought she was a machine, but on subsequent read-throughs, I've really admired her self-control and love. 

2. Elizabeth Bennet

Ahhhh, Lizzy!  Who wouldn't love her?  I mean, she's witty, she's courageous, she's friendly, popular, sensible, responsible...the list goes on.  Of course, she has flaws as well, but she's willing to recognize them.  Eliza Bennet is always an enjoyable character to read about.

3. Anne Elliot
I generally get Anne on personality quizzes, which I suppose makes sense--she's quiet, loyal,
bookish, easily persuadable, and introverted.  This, combined with the fact that she's another role model of mine, puts her high up on my list.  Sometimes, though, she can be over-perfect, which is why she's not higher. ;)

4. Catherine Morland

Catherine is the other heroine I generally get on quizzes, which I certainly don't mind--Catherine is sweet, trusting, innocent, and tries to do what's right.  Unfortunately, I also identify with her in the matter of making everything in life novel-ish, but Catherine is altogether a worthy heroine.

5. Marianne Dashwood

Marianne is such an interesting character--"born to an extraordinary fate," and all that--that I can't
help but be intrigued by her.  I wouldn't say I particularly like her as much as some of the other heroines, and sometimes she can be extremely frustrating, but her reactions are just so interesting and she's so complex that I never tire of reading about her.

6. Fanny Price

I am DEFINITELY not of the group who would call Fanny a doormat.  Indeed, she's quite courageous, especially considering her circumstances and natural temperament.  But I'm not going to rant about that now.  Fanny, as with everything else in MP, improved upon re-reading and I think she's one of those heroines that you either "get" or you don't (in the paraphrased words of Melody).

7. Emma Woodhouse

I suppose that putting Emma at the bottom of my list sort of lives Jane Austen's description of her as
"a heroine whom no one but myself will much like".  Then again, I'm not everyone. :P
Anyways.  Emma is quite possibly the most lifelike heroine, but she can be so annoying that I don't like her quite as much as Fanny.  (Though I DO like all JA's heroines.)

Heroes 

1. Henry Tilney

THIS GUY IS AMAZING.  So few people actually like him, which I think is a huge shame.  I mean, he stands up to his father!  He was willing to talk about muslin and novels!  He provides witty quotes!  He's tactful!  He loves his sister!  He raises puppies!
...Need I go on?  I could, you know.  For hours.

2. George Knightley

Of course, Mr Knightley goes near the top of my list.  I mean, he's seriously SUCH a gentleman. 
He's so honorable and polite and he's willing to sacrifice Emma's love for him if it means her betterment.  I really, really admire him.

3. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Ah, Mr Darcy.  The epitome of a hero, the one that everyone likes.  Well, I do too!  I'll admit that part of the reason I don't like him as much as Knightley ("Never seen him before in her life and she calls him KNIGHTLEY!") or Tilney is because he's too mainstream (*adjusts hipster glasses*), but also, he truly is Proud and Prickly and I think he'd scare me if I ever actually met him.  Even if I met him after Lizzy married him.

4. Colonel Brandon

D'awwww, Colonel Brandon.  I always feel so sorry for the guy throughout S&S--I mean, he's
had a lot of grief in his life, and then he has to go and fall in love with a girl who not only disapproves of second attachments, also considers him Ancient and ends up nearly dying.  But he always acts gently and honorably, and I really love that about him.

5. Edmund Bertram

Do I like Edmund Bertram?...Well.  I guesssss I do.  I mean, aside from the whole marrying-the-cousin thing, he's actually a pretty nice guy.  But for all the popular opinion that Fanny is a doormat, I think the REAL doormat here is Edmund.  He falls in love with a girl because she plays a harp next to a window, and then goes about completely oblivious to everything but her until there are five pages left in the novel, at which he abruptly switches to Fanny.  Why?  Because...he needs solace for his tormented heart? :P
But after all that ranting, I really do like him through most of MP. 

6. Captain Wentworth

Meh. :P  That's the best way to describe him, I think.  I really don't like the way he acted--I mean,
he's almost worse than Edward Ferrars (ALMOST).  He gets offended because a girl is persuaded by the closest thing she has to a mother to refusing him and then refuses contact for years.  Then, when he's forced to come back, he makes sure to rub it in and courts another girl so vigorously that he considers himself nearly engaged, and dreads it.
...Howevah, I do like his letter.  And he DOES have some good points.

7. Edward Ferrars

Yeeeks, and now we come to Edward Ferrars, who irritates and angers me every time I open S&S.  Seriously.  He's cowardly, very oblivious (though really, I suppose I shouldn't criticize him for being blind to the world sometimes...), persists in speaking with Elinor even after she knows about the engagement, and then ends up with a happy ending simply because the girl he fell in love with has no finer feelings.
I will admit, though, that he can be honorable and the part where he refuses to break off the engagement partly redeems him for me.

What do you think of my rankings?  Which are your favorite of the books and hero/heroines?

The Heroes of Jane Austen

Well, I was rather puzzled as to what to post, until the lovely Melody gave me this idea.  I'm going to rank the heroes of Austen, from favorite to least-favorite.

1. Mr. Knightley

 Even back in the days when I thought Emma was the dullest, driest book in existence, I liked Mr. Knightley. He's a true gentleman, sensible, brave, honorable and compassionate.  When I became a complete JA fan, Mr. Knightley, of course, became my favorite JA hero and quite possibly my favorite literary hero ever.  He's the kind of guy I'd like to marry someday.

2. Mr. Tilney

 Mr. Tilney, another one of my favorite literary heroes ever.  He's honorable and brave like Mr. Knightley, with a unique sense of humor.  He'll do anything for the people he loves, and refuses to back down when he's standing up for what's right.
3. Mr. Darcy

I do like Mr. Darcy very much, notwithstanding his silly habit of getting wet.  He has many flaws, especially pride, but he tries to better himself for Elizabeth.  He loves his family and friends and always tries to do what's best for them.
4. Colonel Brandon

 Although he doesn't get nearly enough time to shine in S&S, I like this hero a lot.  He loves Marianne, but because she loves Willoughby at the time,  he doesn't say anything about Willoughby's character or try to court her himself.  He's compassionate (giving Delaford to Edward?), selfless, and wise.
5. Edmund Bertram 

Edmund Bertram...the first word that comes to mind is meh.  I don't especially like this Austen hero, honestly.  He doesn't have much discernment or force of character.  However, that being said, I do think he's an okay hero.

6. Captain Wentworth

I think Captain Wentworth is a somewhat unworthy guy.  When Anne is pressured into breaking their engagement, he goes off in a rage and tries to completely forget about her.  Meeting her again by chance eight years later, he flirts with two girls in front of her to spite her.  However, as he realizes what a treasure Anne's heart is, he becomes more likeable and I do sigh over his letter.
7. Edward Ferrars 

 Edward Ferrars.  My last post was about him and why I don't like him, which is why he's at the bottom of this list.  He's weak, selfish, and spoiled.  If you want my opinion of him in full, you can read my post on him here.

Who are your favorite Austen heroes?  How would you rank them?

So Maybe Boringness Is Better...

Or, Why I Don’t Like the S&S Heroes.

Every time I read or watch S&S, I’m struck with how little I like the heroes.  I like most of the other characters, but S&S is definitely not as high on my “favorites” list as it could be if it had better heroes.

I know many of you like Colonel Brandon or Edward Ferrars, and I’m not going to lose my temper and start bashing them.  I’m just going to state my reasons and arguments for disliking them.  Who knows, maybe I’ll convert someone.  ;)

I apologize for the total lack of pictures in this post.  J

I’ll start with Edward Ferrars.

When the story begins, Edward has been secretly engaged four years to a girl named Lucy Steele.  She’s pretty and clever, but she’s also uneducated and mean.  Edward is getting tired of her and wishing he could end the engagement. 

When he meets his half-sister-in-law (I’m not sure if that’s the correct usage of the half-sister of your sister’s husband, but whatever) Elinor Dashwood, he immediately falls in love.  There’s the first problem I have with him.  Why didn’t he leave?  No matter how much he dislikes Lucy, it was his choice to propose to her and he should keep the engagement.  Also, he IS engaged to Lucy.  He should know that he’s raising hopes in Elinor and her family that can never be fulfilled.

There are several reasons why he wouldn’t have left the house when he realized either that his behavior was raising hopes or when he realized that he was in love.  One is that he was just flirting with her because he was bored.  I honestly don’t think he’s that type of character.

Another possible reason is that he just doesn’t have the self-control to deny himself anything.  He IS the eldest son of a rich family, after all, and that usually means getting petted and spoiled.

Anyway, when the Dashwoods leave, he tries to keep away, but he can’t help himself.  He passes by their new house on his way to London to join his family, and he stays there for a day.  Why?  Why not just get himself out of their lives?

When he gets to London, he presumably praises Elinor to the skies.  This is a mistake- perhaps an honest one, perhaps not.  He’s exposing Elinor to the hatred of his family, and she doesn’t even get the (doubtful) happiness of actually being engaged to him.

When Elinor and her sister Marianne Dashwood come to London for a visit, Lucy Steele tells Elinor (she probably could tell that Edward was in love, and she definitely heard rumors of Edward’s love) that she was engaged to Edward Ferrars.  Elinor is deeply hurt, but she manages to forgive both and wish them happy.

(If you didn’t know before, Elinor is my favorite literary heroine.)

Edward knows, or should know (because if he doesn’t, he’s obviously even more of a day-dreamer than Anne in Anne of Green Gables)(no offense to Anne, it’s one of my favorite books) that there are rumors of his and Elinor’s engagement.  Instead of standing up for her and telling his family that he’s not engaged to her, he just lets them insult her at every turn.  Maybe he was thinking that Elinor was good cover for Lucy.  You know, like when Frank Churchill made love to Emma to hide that he was engaged to Jane Fairfax in Emma. 

But whatever his motive was, he was really wavering and inconstant.  He loves her so much he can’t tear himself away from her, but he won’t stand up for her to his family or try to save her any discomfort.

One scene that I found particularly annoying in terms of Edward was the one where Edward comes to call on Elinor and finds Lucy sitting there as well.

First of all, why is he calling on Elinor?  Maybe it’s a call of politeness, but I don’t think so.  I’m not really sure, I guess, but really.  You’d think that he could stop trying to gain Elinor’s love when it’s obviously not going to work out. 

Second of all, when Lucy tells him that Elinor knows about their engagement, he won’t pay any special attention to Lucy anyway to show Elinor that it won’t work out.  This would be sort of cruel, but at least it would end Elinor’s uncertainty.

Third, he doesn’t offer to walk home with Lucy.  Maybe that’s just from a wish to hide their engagement.  But whatever the reason, it was just common politeness, and he was rude.

Eventually, it slips out to the Ferrars family that Lucy is engaged to Edward.  Lucy and her sister are driven out of the Ferrars’s house, where they’ve been staying.  Edward just sits by and lets Lucy shift for herself.  Seriously?  I KNOW he doesn’t like her.  I KNOW that she’s mean and sorta evil and personally I don’t like Lucy at all.  But like I said before, it was his choice to begin the engagement and it’s his duty to act by it.  And to let your betrothed just get turned out of the house?  What could he hope to gain?  You’d think he could have at least tried to find a house for her, and he’d lose nothing by defying his family anymore.

Then comes the point that all Edward- defenders point to: his family orders and begs him by turns to break off his engagement with Lucy, and he doesn’t.  This is very admirable of him, but he also has some questionable motives.  For one thing, he won’t be able to marry Elinor even if he does break off the engagement with Lucy, because his family wants him to marry a Miss Morton.  Edward’s family then banishes him and gives Robert (Edward’s younger brother) Edward’s inheritance. 

A little while after that, Lucy breaks off the engagement with Edward herself and gets engaged to Robert Ferrars instead.  Lucy has a worse character than Edward’s, but I think they both treated each other badly.  Just because Lucy was somewhat evil doesn’t mean that Edward is blameless.

Once he finds out he’s free, Edward makes a beeline to Elinor and proposes.  She forgives him, which is yet another of the (many, many, many) reasons she’s my favorite heroine.  He’s actually treated her pretty badly, in my opinion- even if that didn’t lower him in hers.

Edward eventually gets accepted back into the Ferrars family and introduces Elinor as his betrothed.  Having already suffered one shock and wishing to have at least one son (Robert was banished for marrying Lucy), Mrs. Ferrars soon gives in and agrees to the marriage.  She still doesn’t give Edward’s fortune back, though.  Shame on her.

I think that’s enough to give my opinion on Edward.  On to Colonel Brandon.

Colonel Brandon is brave, honorable, and true.  He’s willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Marianne’s and he’s generous to those in need.

His character isn’t my problem.

My problem is that he doesn’t get enough “screen time.”  I know he’s sort of a secondary hero, but he shows up about a quarter of the way through the book, runs away as fast as he can, shows up in the third quarter of the book and shines, and then gets out of there and comes back married.

I know he’s very virtuous and whatnot, but I only know it.  I don’t see it.  I can’t admire him, because he’s just words on a page.  He doesn’t come alive for me, and he seems like a vague ghost, just floating in and out of the story as the plot dictates.

That’s pretty much the only reason I don’t like Colonel Brandon- because he doesn’t seem to exist in the way the other characters do.  The other characters come alive for me and I can see them, hear them, imagine what they eat for breakfast.

Colonel Brandon doesn’t even get a first name.

So those are the reasons why I don’t like Colonel Brandon and Edward Ferrars.

 Notes: As those of you who have been reading these “Notes” for the past week know, I’m watching TSP82 tonight and I’m.  SO.  EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I should have my Emma post done by the end of this year or next.  No, I’m serious.  ;)

Please let me know what you think and what topics you’re interested in in the comments below!

-Miss Jane Bennet