Both Jane Austen herself and the female protagonists in her books were far ahead of their time. While Victorian England was still a man’s world, Austen’s women sought independence, true love, and to be valued for their own person and talents, and not as pawns in the game of family alliances.
But what makes each of Jane Austen’s literary heroines unique? And what is it about Austen’s characters that make them relatable to modern women, and admirable in their character and behaviour?
1. Emma Woodhouse – Emma
Popularised by the modern retelling in Clueless before being brought to the big screen in its classic form with Gwenyth Paltrow, Emma is probably the least likable of Jane Austen’s heroines, at least at the start of her story. Emma is confident in herself and her value, largely thanks to her high station in life. She wants to help others and is a fierce and loyal friend, but has an air of superiority about both her station and her superior knowledge of the world that makes her seem like a bit of a snob.
Fortunately, Emma gains a clearer view of the world as her story progresses and learns that there is more than one way to be a superior human being. She learns her weaknesses and humility, but without losing her confidence and spark for life.
2. Elinor Dashwood – Sense and Sensibility
In this novel Austen compares the temperaments of sense, logic and thoughtfulness, and sensibility, emotion and passion. Elinor is sense in the equation to Marianne’s sensibility. While Elinor is described as just as passionate as her sister, she keeps her emotions in check and never lets them overflow. She makes decisions based on reason rather than the heart. Although the reader can see Elinor’s softer side, the other characters in the novel can see her as quite cold and aloof, and it can sometimes be difficult to make a connection. Elinor is praised for putting the needs of others before her own feelings, but she clearly loses out in life by being so reserved and never putting her own needs first. She eventually gets her man and the life that she wants, but more out of luck than will.
3. Catherine Moreland – Northanger Abbey
Catherine is a naïve and impressionable youth just out of school who is struggling to learn how things work in the real world. The youngest of 10 children, only the first two of which needed to be accomplished, Catherine must build herself up from nothing. Catherine is probably the least exceptional of Austen’s heroines, having no particular intellect or gravity, but she has an open heart and does not let her idealism and passion for life be trampled by her misfortunes. She is a prime example of holding your head high while weathering the storm.
4. Fanny Price – Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park was a ground-breaking novel as it was probably the first to feature the inner world of a female child, Fanny. At the age of 10 Fanny was sent by her impoverished parents to live with her wealthy uncle. The book covers her life until the age of 18. Fanny is plucked from her existence and forced to find a place for herself in a world where she is viewed as an inferior. The young Fanny overcomes low self esteem to flourish into a beautiful young woman, who is then forced to stick to what she knows is right under difficult circumstances. Fanny is an excellent example of learning ones self and values, and then honouring them.
5. Marianne Dashwood – Sense and Sensibility
The emotional half of the Sense and Sensibility dichotomy, unlike her older sister, Marianne followers her heart in everything that she does. This leads to heartbreak, but she is not afraid to put herself out there to be hurt, or to be mended. At just 16 years of age, Marianne falls in love quickly, and can show a lack of manners to those which hold no interest for her; not uncommon traits for a 16-year-old. While she feels her losses and heartbreaks deeply, she does not let life’s upsets trample her spirit.
6. Anne Elliot – Persuasion
Anne Elliot starts out in Jane Austen’s posthumously published novel as a woman of little will, a 19 year old girl convinced to break off an engagement with a young man because of his lack of fortune. She then passes eight years alone until the young man returns, having earned his fortune in the navy, but still bitter at Anne for her betrayal. Persuasion is the story of a young woman who has picked herself up after falling and has fought for her independence despite the stifling suppression of her family. While the book focusses on Anne’s prince charming learning that she has changed, the book is really about a woman who has undergone a personal transformation and no longer needs a man to make her happy. Only once she has learned that lesson can she get her man.
7. Elizabeth Bennet – Pride and Prejudice
Simply the number of film and television versions of Pride and Prejudice that have been made show that it is Austen’s most popular novel, largely down to its protagonist Elizabeth Bennett. Elizabeth is a thoroughly modern woman. Elizabeth sees herself as the intellectual equal of all around her and is not afraid to speak her mind. She knows what she wants in life and will not settle for less. However, Elizabeth is also a realist, she sees her family circumstances and understands the limits that this places on her life. She accepts that these limitations exist without decreasing or limiting her as a person. Her main problem is being too credulous, and sometimes lets her opinion of others be guided by the stories she has heard, rather than forming her own opinion based on what she sees. Though she learns the error of her ways. She is also sometimes too quick to judge those who make life decisions that conflict with her own view of the world, such as her best friend Charlotte.