Jane Austen's Heroines

[richardfinegold]

I've been reading (in some cases, rereading) Jane Austin this past year. I am about two thirds through the last (for me) of her novels, Mansfield Park.
I am having a hard time with this one, because, frankly, I don't find myself identifying with the main hero, Fanny Price. The last book that I had read was Emma, and the contrast between vivacious Emma Woodhouse and introverted, prudish Fanny Price is doing no favors to Miss Price. While all of the J.A. heroines were restricted by the limited freedom that women had in Georgian times, Fanny seems particularly passive and a killjoy.
Perhaps F.P. will do something more assertive to create some interest and sympathy (right now that cad Henry Crawford is about to unleash his most unwanted marriage proposal, and of course she would much rather end up with her cousin Edmund). However, I feel like I am missing something here. Can someone set me straight?

[french frank]

However, I feel like I am missing something here. Can someone set me straight?

Keep at it! I must admit, though, that Emma is my favourite JA heroine. Very aware of her own shortcomings. Haven't read Mansfied Park for a long time, so can't recall the detail atm. In general, though, the question of whether you prefer introverted heroines or extrovert/vivacious might be as much to do with you as JA, might it?

[salymap]

Keep at it! I must admit, though, that Emma is my favourite JA heroine. Very aware of her own shortcomings. Haven't read Mansfied Park for a long time, so can't recall the detail atm. In general, though, the question of whether you prefer introverted heroines or extrovert/vivacious might be as much to do with you as JA, might it?

Quite agree ff, I've read them all in the past and Emma is the gal I remember most often.

[vinteuil]

Yes, few of Jane Austen's admirers have as much affection for Fanny Price as they do for the heroines in the other novels. But in Mrs Norris we do get one of her finest bad eggs. And Lady Bertram's pug is a joy.

Emma is of course delightful as a heroine - but my own favourite would be Anne Elliot in Persuasion. A sadder and wiser woman than Emma, and all the more interesting as a result.

[JFLL]

... my own favourite would be Anne Elliot in Persuasion. A sadder and wiser woman than Emma, and all the more interesting as a result.

Mine too! (I always think of Persuasion as JA's K..595 and Emma as K..503.)

[aeolium]

Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility is also a very interesting heroine.

[Didn't the philosopher J L Austin perversely call one of his books Sense and Sensibilia?]

[Flay]

...I am having a hard time with this one, because, frankly, I don't find myself identifying with the main hero, Fanny Price. The last book that I had read was Emma, and the contrast between vivacious Emma Woodhouse and introverted, prudish Fanny Price is doing no favors to Miss Price. While all of the J.A. heroines were restricted by the limited freedom that women had in Georgian times, Fanny seems particularly passive and a killjoy...

By coincidence I have been listening to the Radio 4 adaptation of this series during the last week. I had recorded it a few years ago but never got round to listening to it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hkbrw/episodes/guide

I do agree that she was prudish and rather too pure. I don't think was made clear why she was so physically frail. I persisted but I thought it wasn't a very powerful story. Should I try reading the book?

[vinteuil]

Should I try reading the book?

... o I think you should. It's a trickier work than, say, Pride and Prejudice - but still has a lot of good stuff in it (even if the virtues of the prim Fanny Price can become tiresome), marvellous writing (of course) and some finely realised characters.

If I had to list Jane Austen in some sort of priority order - my choices wd I think be

1.) Persuasion
2.) Emma
3.) Sense and Sensibility
4.) Pride and Prejudice
5.) Mansfield Park
6.) Northanger Abbey
7.) Sanditon

[ ... haven't got round to reading Lady Susan, The Watsons, Love and Freindship, Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third, etc... ]

[richardfinegold]

... o I think you should. It's a trickier work than, say, Pride and Prejudice - but still has a lot of good stuff in it (even if the virtues of the prim Fanny Price can become tiresome), marvellous writing (of course) and some finely realised characters.

If I had to list Jane Austen in some sort of priority order - my choices wd I think be

1.) Persuasion
2.) Emma
3.) Sense and Sensibility
4.) Pride and Prejudice
5.) Mansfield Park
6.) Northanger Abbey
7.) Sanditon

[ ... haven't got round to reading Lady Susan, The Watsons, Love and Freindship, Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third, etc... ]

I agree with that ranking, except I would put Persuasion at #3, after Emma and Pride and Prejudice. I often recommend Persuasion to someone who has never read J.A., if for no other reason than the fact that it is half the length of her novels, and a good way to dip one's toe in. Anne Eliot's hypochondriacal sister is as memorable a nasty character as Fanny's Aunt Norris, and Ann'es Cousin and frustrated beau Mr. Elliot may be her most memorable villain

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If I had to list Jane Austen in some sort of priority order - my choices wd I think be

1.) Persuasion
2.) Emma
3.) Sense and Sensibility
4.) Pride and Prejudice
5.) Mansfield Park
6.) Northanger Abbey
7.) Sanditon

[ ... haven't got round to reading Lady Susan, The Watsons, Love and Freindship, Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third, etc... ]

Yes; but I'd put Northanger Abbey above Mansfield Park (the latter the only Austen I've never yet managed to finish). Haven't read Sanditon .

[french frank]

[ ... haven't got round to reading Lady Susan, The Watsons, Love and Freindship, Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third, etc... ]

Then there's also:

Catharine
Lesley Castle
Evelyn
Frederic and Elfrida
Jack and Alice
Edgar and Emma
Henry and Eliza
The Three Sisters

[vinteuil]

[ ... haven't got round to reading Lady Susan, The Watsons, Love and Freindship, Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third, etc... ]

Then there's also:

Catharine
Lesley Castle
Evelyn
Frederic and Elfrida
Jack and Alice
Edgar and Emma
Henry and Eliza
The Three Sisters

... yes - these are contained in Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third

Her "History of England from the Reign of Henry the 4th to the Death of Charles the 1st" is a hoot - a worthy antecedent to "1066 and All That".
She notes "N.B. There will be very few Dates in this History"

Sample entries -

"Henry the 5th
This Prince after he succeeded to the throne grew quite reformed & Amiable, forsaking all his dissipated Companions, & never thrashing Sir William again. During his reign, Lord Cobham was burnt alive, but I forget what for. His Majesty then turned his thoughts to France, where he went & fought the famous Battle of Agincourt. He afterwards married the King's daughter Catherine, a very agreeable Woman by Shakespear's account. In spite of all this however he died, and was succeeded by his son Henry."

...

"Edward the 4th
This Monarch was famous only for his Beauty & his Courage, of which the Picture we have here given of him, & his undaunted Behaviour in marrying one Woman while he was engaged to another, are sufficient proofs. His wife was Elizabeth Woodville, a Widow, who, poor Woman!, was afterwards confined in a Convent by that Monster of Iniquity & Avarice Henry the 7th. One of Edward's Mistresses was Jane Shore, who has had a play written about her, but it is a tragedy & therefore not worth reading. Having performed all these noble actions, his Majesty died, & was succeeded by his Son.

Edward the 5th
This unfortunate Prince lived so little a while that nobody had time to draw his picture. He was murdered by his Uncle's Contrivance, whose name was Richard the 3d.

Richard the 3rd
The Character of this Prince has been in general very severely treated by Historians, but as he was York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a very respectable Man. It has indeed been confidently asserted that he killed his two Nephews & his Wife, but it has also been declared that he did not kill his two Nephews, which I am inclined to beleive true; & if this is the case, it may also be affirmed that he did not kill his Wife, for if Perkin Warbeck was really the Duke of York, why might not Lambert Simnel be the Widow of Richard. Whether innocent or guilty, he did not reign long in peace, for Henry Tudor E. of Richmond as great a Villain as ever lived, made a great fuss about getting the Crown & having killed the King at the battle of Bosworth, he succeeded to it."

[aeolium]

Sounds like an early member of the Richard III Society....

[french frank]

... yes - these are contained in Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third

Ah, I wondered what 1st, 2nd & 3rd vols you were alluding to. Love and Freindship seems to have been in vol 2 of the 'Juvenilia'. I see the 1st vol contains (apparently) several more 'novels' not in the volume of shorter 'minor works' which I have.

The (Incomplete) History of England is all of nine pages long!

[french frank]

Sounds like an early member of the Richard III Society....

Yes, she confidently asserts that Ed 5 was murdered by his uncle but under Richard 3rd she appears to disbelieve her own 'confident assertion'. I wonder if she had read Walpole's Historic Doubts?