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Heroines.
The scenes were generally
small country towns. The characters were middle and upper class men and
women. The events were typical of nineteenth century life. Jane Austen
uses this background to poke fun at the exaggerated behaviour and affectations
of the wealthy. She recognized the flaws of middle and upper class society
and scolded them for their opinions and pretensions.
She spoke through her heroines
who were noble and kind with a strong sense of honest values and principles.
Miss Austen herself probably possessed these same virtues and, like her
heroines, also enjoyed a close attachment to her family. This describes
Catherine Morland, Elinor Dashwood and Elizabeth Bennet from the beginning.
Miss Austen herself said about Emma, "I am going to take a heroine whom
no one but myself will much like". Emma´s personality at the start
of the novel is that of a snob and typical of the society in which she
was raised. As the story progresses, Emma sees the errors of her judgment
and the superficiality of her thinking. At the end she becomes another
wise, sensitive heroine.
Catherine Morland is the
heroine of Northanger Abbey. She is young, enthusiastic, innocent, full
of romance, but eventually, she finds out that life is very different from
Mrs. Radcliffe´s novels, Mysteries of Udolpho, the tasteless romances
of the day. Catherine is timid mainly because, for her, Bath is an introduction
to society, a society to which she was not exposed in the small town where
she grew up. As a result, she doesn not appear to be as strong as Emma
or Elinor or Elizabeth. Although she does not express her convictions verbally,
her lack of agreement with something or someone offensive shows the reader
that she is indeed a strong character.
Emma Woodhouse has more
faults than the other young ladies. Initially she is not a sympathetic
character, but as the story progresses, so does her personality evolve
and she gains the affection of the reader. Emma is a snob; she is well-acquainted
with the privileges of her social rank and she expects everyone else to
recognize them as well. Her hobby is match-making, but she fails at this
because of her lack of understanding of other people´s feelings.
She bases her matches on what society considers the necessary requirements
for a good marriage. She is only successful at the end when she realizes
that one´s heart must be the judge and not society. Even though Emma
has many faults, the reader sympathizes with her because she is real. Her
intentions are good, but her opinions have been formed by the society she
lives in.
Our third heroine is Elizabeth
Bennet. She is intelligent and witty. She has self-respect, but is not
vain. She has abundant common sense, enough to offer her own father advice
as to the welfare of another daughter. Her mind functions quickly and she
is usually right. She seems to be an almost perfect person uninfected by
the affectations of society. Although stung by an insult from Darcy in
the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, she is capable of overcoming her
prejudice and his pride in order to form a loving union with him by the
end of the novel.
Elinor Dashwood represents
Sense in Miss Austen´s Sense and Sensibility, whereas her sister,
Marianne, represents Sensibility. Elinor is kind and loving toward her
sisters and her mother. She does not put her wishes before those of her
family. She is vigilant in family affairs. When a decision must be made,
she, with her common sense, tactfully advises her capricious mother. She
is reminiscent of Emma in that she does not promote her own love affair
until that of her sister is straightened out. Elinor always put the feelings
of others before her own.
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