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Friday, May 20, 2016

A Literary Poll

Which Jane Austen's heroine is in your opinion the most irritating?

I vote for Emma:)

14 comments:

  1. She gets her comeuppance in the end in the person of Mrs Elton:)

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  2. Mr. Elton, Lucy Steele. Lydia, and several characters in Mansfield Park.

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  3. Aunt Norris surely comes close to being one of the most irritating females in the English literature:) Mr. Elton doesn't count 'cause he is a man, so not a heroine...But he was irritating all right, and his wife was even worse.

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  4. I don't remember her name, but the little sister in Sense and Sensibility.

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  5. O wait. She's not exactly a "Herione", so I don't really have one. I don't really know her books well enough - only through the movies, and I listened from a cd to Mansfield Park once.

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  6. You mean the one who wanted to play pirates in the movie? In the book she was always talking too much but otherwise a nice kid:) You should read the books, they are worth it!

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  7. Housewife from FinlandMay 23, 2016 at 5:19 AM

    I vote for Marianne Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility". I think she can be counted as a heroine, she is one of the key chracters of the novel. She is intelligent, but I find her lack of discipline, self control and common sense disturbing. :) If one is stupid, certain things can be forgiven, but if one is smart and chooses to be overtly emotional little hen...

    Emma is also very irritating. Cannot see why mr. Knightley wants to marry her.

    My favourite character is Elinor Dashwood. I think Edward Ferrars is not good enough for her. I would like to see Elinor Dashwood married to mr. Knightley. They would really match. :)

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  8. Marianne was only 17, we could cut her some slack. She was just overly emotional while Emma is an arrogant know-it-all with a superiority complex. Her father is quite irritating, too, but we could probably attribute it to his ill health. Am I alone to think that Mr. John Knightley is the real alpha male of the story?

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  9. Housewife from FinlandMay 23, 2016 at 8:32 AM

    Maybe I am too harsh with Marianne. And her behaviour is mostly mother's fault, who just feeds her lack of discipline. It is actually strange how Elinor has managed to build such a strong character with mother like that.

    I am quite sure there is nothing wrong with mr. Woodhouse's health; his is just a hypochondriac. And I hate it how Emma uses his father as a excuse not to marry; she is so arrogant she takes it granded that it is HER choice to stay spinster and look after that old whimp. At least I recall that in the book she has decided to stay with her father.

    You are right about Mr. John Knightley; I would propably be happier with him than with his brother, or with any other Austen hero.

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  10. Yes, both Emma and Mr. Knightley stayed at Hartfield after their marriage, something which Mr. John Knightley would never do.

    Mrs Dashwood was a basket case, for sure, but I don't find her really irritating, just a bit silly. Lucy Steele and her sister, on the other hand...And what do you think of Lady Middleton and her kids?

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  11. Housewife from FinlandMay 24, 2016 at 3:56 AM

    Lucy Steele lacks virtue and discipline. Though so does every other character in Austen's novels; only the heroine's have some, but even they have their weaknessess (except Elinor Dashwood). That is what make her novels so real, since most people are really quite weak and annoying. :)

    I really do not remember lady Middleton at all, so obviously she made no great impact. :)

    What about Fanny Price in Mansfield Park? She is very annoying in completely different way; so weak and mousy. Which, of course, is understandable concidering her circumstances, but still, she has absolutely no character whatsoever. She is not virtuous because she chooses to be, but because she is too weak and scared to be otherwise. So it is not a conscious choice, and therefore it does not count. :)

    I think you should have asked: "Which Jane Austen character you find less annoying?" ;)

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  12. The truth is that I don't find many of them that annoying, Emma just gets me by some reason. As for Fanny Price, I´m not sure she has no character at all. It´s true she is too mousy sometimes but she doesn´t lack principle and even stands up to her uncle when the circumstances require. I don´t think she stayed virtuous out of fear, it´s a question if she could keep her virtue if Edward was more like Mr. Crawford and tried to make a move at her:) She just didn´t love Henry and thus was not really tempted, that´s all.

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  13. Housewife from FinlandMay 24, 2016 at 9:08 AM

    Good points about Fanny. I am afraid I am very easily annoyed. :)

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