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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Frustrating Austen Characters


Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic for most people is the top ten books people have been telling you that you must read, but of course, since it's Austen in August, I just had to disregard that. (Though of course, I have plenty of those.)
Instead, we're taking a look at some of my favorite love-to-hate, frustrating characters in all of Austen. Because if there's one thing Austen does well, beyond swoon-worthy romances, it's writing the most believably, recognizably frustrating characters you've ever come across in the pages of a book and said, "Gah! That's just like so-and-so, grrr!!"

So, in no particular order, my Top Ten are...


Fanny Price. Yep. A main character, a heroine of the novel, is one of my most frustrating characters. I try so hard to like her, and I do see why she is the way she is, but... she's just so hard to love sometimes! I think I could forgive her lack of spirit if she weren't also so judgmental and holier than thou sometimes... (I try, Jane, I really do. I try to like Fanny, but you test me with her.)

Mr Collins. Of course. Of course. He's on everyone's list, as any obtuse, obnoxious sycophant would be. He doesn't top my list, though, because at the very least, he makes for good amusement (at his expense — but don't worry...he's too oblivious to even notice.)

Miss Bates. I just... Miss Bates just makes me shake my head. Poor Miss Bates... she's well-meaning and lonely, and I really do pity her, and she's certainly not the most obnoxious person on the list — sometimes I think she might even be pleasant, and she seems very caring.  But people who never stop talking make me feel like I'm in a cage, and it's even worse when the chatter is not to any real point. Let's just say, I understand why the temptation was there for Emma to be very cutting.

Mrs. Elton. Just...Mrs. Elton. Does anything else need to be said? UGH.

Sir Elliot. This man... This self-important, useless fop of a man, I just want to knock the smugness right out of him. I am literally gritting my teeth while I write about him, trying to put into words what bothers me so much about him, and all that will come out is GRRRRRRAAARRRRRRGHHHH! #jackass.


Fanny Dashwood. I feel like Fanny shouldn't be on a frustrating characters list, so much as a Characters I want to exact sweet, sweet karmic comeuppance on. Fanny's in need of a good dose of that, and when I talked about "Defending Austen's Bitches" last year, and how they really are mostly sympathetic and understandable, I pointedly left Fanny off of the list of 'redeemable.'  My exact words...
UGH FANNY.  There is absolutely no defense for her. Horrid woman.
And she's followed closely by John Dashwood, who should know better. [SMH at you, John. SMDH.]

Mrs. Norris, who actually did get a defense in the Austen Bitches vlog, so I do see why she is the way she is (somewhat). But still. Lady has issues.

Jane Fairfax. I try to like her. I try to see her place in things, and how she came to be the person that she is, but, much like Emma, she just gets under my skin. There's nothing to be done for it, it just is.

And lastly, Mary Musgrove. This pick maybe in 'particular order,' because frankly, Mary is my number one. She's not the most malicious or ill-intentioned of Austen's characters; she's a very everyday kind of person, and one you'll meet many times throughout your life, and I CANNOT STAND HER. I've said before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but she is exactly calculated to make me want to shake her until her teeth rattle. The type of person that it would not do to leave me alone with for any length of time, because one of us would not fare well, and I fear it would be me (because I'd lose my motherJaneing mind!)


And there you have it! There are of course many more perfectly frustrating characters in Austen, many of whom I love to love to hate (or be mildly irritated by). I've grown used to Mrs. Bennet's nerves (they've been my constant companion these 13 years), and Lady Catherine is ridiculous, of course, but it's just so fantastic to watch her be put in her place that it makes all of her obnoxious officiousness seem worth it. I very much wanted to put Lucy Steele on this list (Little weasel.), but alas, I've only got ten spots!

Of course, there are those who say Darcy is one of the most frustrating, and some people are put off by Emma, but I so thoroughly understand them (and see bits of myself in them) that they've never bothered me much. Caroline and Lydia I defended in the video, and many more I've talked about in twitter chats and the like.

But what I'm saying is, Austen writes an EXCELLENT irritating character — one we all recognize so well that all of those little innocuous things that you can't even put words to make you just see red, because you KNOW that person! You want to shake that person! She taps right into that, and it's brilliant.

So who are some of your most frustrating Austen characters, and what is it that sets you off? 


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23 comments:

  1. I can agree with a lot of your choices. Though, I have to say that Anne Elliot and Fanny Price could be friends. Friends with a lot in common. What saves Anne is she finally becomes active in the last part of Persuasion. I can see her going off for her standard half-hour of quiet reflection and having a little SQUEE moment. "Yes! Frederick loves me!!" It redeems her for me. As for Mary, she was eight when Lady Elliot died, Anne likely tried to be a mom but was depressed herself, and Sir Walter. Enough said there.

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    1. Anne is long-suffering a bit of a doormat like Fanny, but she's not so judgy and Miss Perfect. Where Anne's a little downtrodden and just needing some encouragement to wake up, Fanny's a bit of a wet blanket.

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  2. Pretty sure Lucy Steele would make my list...she's just so underhanded and purposefully hurtful to Elinor, and yet she pretends to be nice. I also thoroughly despise Mary Crawford — it's been a long time since I read Mansfield Park (and no plans to re-read anytime soon, lol), but in most film adaptations she comes off as arrogant, selfish, and manipulative. Not to mention it's pretty ridiculous that she blames Fanny for Henry's philandering...

    Also, this may be a bit unorthodox, but Marianne Dashwood bugs me. Probably not enough to make my top ten list, given the wealth of frustrating Austen characters, but all the same, I found her immature, self-absorbed, and overly dramatic to the point of being somewhat irritating. She serves as an excellent foil for Elinor, of course, but these traits did not endear her to me!

    Totally agree with Mrs. Elton, but I would add Mr. Elton as well. Ugh. He's just so...stuck-up and shallow and full of himself. *shudders*

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    1. I wanted so badly to put Lucy on that I thought about bumping someone, or just doing a top 11. Really dislike her, but then, there are other characters I really dislike that didn't make the list either (looking at you, Frank Churchill); when it comes down to purely frustrating, Lucy just couldn't make the cut.

      I love Mary Crawford (well, except for the end bit), and am generally disappointed with Austen's treatment of her.
      Marianne is ridiculous and yes, frustrating, and her callous treatment of Elinor, and insistence that no one feels the way she feels, unless they show it as she shows it, drives me mental. I can definitely see how she'd end up on someone's list.

      Hate all Eltons. HATE ALL ELTONS.

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    2. Hah, yeah, not a fan of Frank Churchill either. Interesting, though, that you dislike Jane Fairfax more than him! Any reason in particular? I didn't really actively dislike Jane, although I thought her choice/taste in men was...lacking.

      Would love to hear more about why you were not happy with how Austen treated Mary Crawford's character. Did you think her behaviour at the end was out of character in comparison to the rest of the book? I don't think I ever really bought that she was truly in love with Edmund (she sure kept harping about the whole clergyman issue) but perhaps if I read it again now I'd have a different opinion. Although, not sure I could put myself through that again...Mansfield Park is one of my least favourite Austen reads (as it is for many others, I'm sure :D).

      And thanks for the validation about my feelings towards Marianne! The film adaptations of S&S always portray both Elinor and Marianne to be equally important heroines, but in my opinion that's not actually the case for the book — Elinor is the central heroine and it's her story far more than Marianne's. The reader is undoubtedly intended to admire Elinor, whereas Marianne I suspect is meant to be quite flawed and in need of some serious growing up (which in turn highlights Elinor's more mature attitude and behaviour).

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    3. Oh, don't get me wrong - if the list were people I HATED, Frank Churchill is definitely above Jane Fairfax. But if we're talking about characters that just FRUSTRATE me, pure and simple, Jane is so on that list. I find myself feeling like Emma towards her - like I just want her shell to crack. Show SOMETHING.

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  3. How about Isabella Thorpe and General Tilney from Northanger Abby? Isabella is just horrible (oh and her brother too...)and General Tilney isn't much better.

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    1. Isabella doesn't bother me too much, because I think she's just young and vain, and once she wakes up a bit, she should (in theory) grow up a bit, too. Hopefully.
      Gen Tilney is an ass and I don't like him, but he doesn't stand out enough for me to feel frustrated by him. I dislike him and move on, but these characters...they have stuck with me.

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  4. Misty, I am 100% with you in my dislike of Mary Musgrove. When Mary complains that she has to care for little George after dislocating his shoulder instead of going to dinner with the Crofts, it just makes my skin crawl. Someone call Protective Services! So frustrating.

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    1. GRRRR. Mostly I find her just irritating but not downright horrible, but that whole situation showed her true colors, and they definitely lean more toward the horrible.

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  5. I find Mrs. Elton to be by far the most annoying (so much interference! such a lack of self-awareness! so many back-door compliments!), but I do have to admit that we don't know very much about her upbringing or her life before marrying Mr. Elton, so that does make it pretty impossible to defend her (while we know enough about Mary Musgrove, Fanny Price, and Miss Bates to think of reasons their behavior is excusable).

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    1. I don't think I excuse her, even with her upbringing, whatever it may be. You can be fooled into thinking you're of more consequence than you are when you're young, but once you become an adult and start taking in the world around you, it's up to YOU to cut the self-important BS and be better.
      Also, I hate a simperer.

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  6. Henry Crawford. I just...I can't...I mean...FLAMES...on the sides of my face...heaving...flaming....

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    1. Erm...you're not going to like one of my choices in my Kiss Marry Kill video, then... ;D

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    2. Did you just do a Clue reference Celilia? Love it!

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  7. Really like your choices! I would have to put General Tinley and Isabelle Thorpe on my list since I just finished Northanger. Seriously General Mood Swings is really frustrating and I'm convinced Isabelle just used Catherine then abandoned her. No redemption for her!

    Also any Elliot whose first name isn't Anne is on top of my frustrating list. All of them just get under my skin. Mary Musgrove, Mr. Elliot, Sir Walter and Elizabeth are all just terrible. I just cannot blame Anne the way she was because she had to spend all her time with these people. More people I cannot find redeeming qualities in.

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    1. ALL THE ELLIOTS. I do sometimes feel a little sorry for Elizabeth sometimes, but mostly, yes, do not like.

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  8. I've tried to figure out why I like Emma but really can't stand Fanny, given they're both preachy know-it-alls. I'm really hoping it's not just because Knightley likes her, and I like Knightley. Or maybe because Emma tries to force love and friendship, whereas Fanny just pulls the martyr card.

    But the Norris and pretty much everyone else in Mansfield Park drives me crazy. And Caroline Bingley. I...uh....I think my list is much longer than yours.

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    1. Oh, my list is plenty long, believe me. I could have easily go on (and on and on...). Jane does irritating characters well. But limited to ten, and these are the ones that pop into my head most frequently.

      Emma doesn't bother me at all. AT ALL. In fact, for the longest time, I didn't even realize there were people who didn't like her. I don't even really find her preachy, because she just strikes me as someone who is trying so hard to make people happy, in the best way she knows how. She's not judging them or looking down on them (even when she totally is), because that's not at all what's intended - she really does think that she's helping. So I generally just find her hilariously misguided, but it doesn't get under my skin.

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  9. Emma gets under my skin. I don't care for her. Lydia with her whining (spelling) to get her way and getting it. Mr. Collins....creepy psychophant. Mr. Bennet who ignores everything around him, and due to this, could've caused the ruin of his family. The 3 Elliotts who are do vain and/or full of themselves and take Anne for granted as well as looking down on anyone beneath them. Caroline Bingley and her, not so subtle, pursuit of a wealthy man. General Tilney who's moodiness rivals any woman's. Mrs. Norris.

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  10. Well, for me, there are quite a few characters in Emma who would be frustrating to spend time with... basically all of them with the exception of Mr Knightley, I can see why Emma struggled to be polite to them!

    I find Fanny Price frustrating too. I struggled to like her for a long time in that novel - I sincerely pitied her but she is so harshly judgemental that I found her very frustrating. It wasn't until she went to Portsmouth that she grew a bit. I don't think she'd have made a good clergyman's wife at the beginning, with being that judgemental.

    Crawfords are also very frustrating, because they could be so much more, they have such potential.

    Marianne is so self absorbed too. And all of Anne Elliot's family, bless her.

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  11. At first I would have thought to struggle making this list thinking that I didn't feel such irritation with that many of Jane's characters beyond the obvious villains category. Wow! Actually, I do find a good many of them irritating. I find Lizzy irritating for most of her story and the same of Marianne and Emma. Guess I have more tolerance for the minor characters. :)

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