Ranking Jane Austen's Heroines

[@BookwormCalida]

Yes yes yes for Fanny! I grew up with 80's tv miniseries and fell in love with Fanny, her kindness and quiet conviction. I loved how she wouldn't let Mr Crawford 'save' her when she knew she would be happier without him.

[@katiejlumsden]

Exactly!

[@magpie_mel]

Yay for Fanny!! YES!! I literally clapped when you said her name! :D She is definitely under-rated and misunderstood.

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@BookishTexan]

Great discussion of Lady Susan the character. I would rank Anne Eliot number 1 for all the reasons you discussed.

[@novellenovels]

My favourite is lizzy bennet but I love Anne Elliot sooo much. I’m currently watching Emma on Netflix and hate Emma’s character but love the book.

[@MothGirl007]

Emma is super annoying but the book is wonderful - totally agree.

[@geraldinegranger9186]

I fell in love with the character of Fanny after seeing the vlog-style web series From Mansfield with Love. I think that’s the best modern interpretation of any novel from the Austen era. I’ve been watching your videos for over a year now and really enjoy them - especially during Jane Austen July!

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes, I love From Mansfield With Love! It's wonderful.

[@ludd7929]

So agree with you about Lady Susan, brilliant character, brilliant book 🥰

[@artbyandia]

Good to see the love for Lady Susan and Fanny!

[@НатальяАгапова-п5ж]

I think my favourite one is Anne, although Elizabeth is also great and more relatable for me, because Anne is too good).

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

I love your love for Fanny Price as I thought I was the only one who likes her so much. Anne Elliot is probably my favourite but Fanny is so much more interesting to me than the louder characters. I love that Fanny stands up for herself when pushed but also that she is a such a quiet unassuming character and I identified with her so much! Thank you so much for saying that. I haven’t read S&S or Lady Susan yet so I skipped those heroines so I can go in blind. I love Emma more than Lizzy, and I need to reread NA. Great video. 😊📚

[@CoynieReads]

Always here for the Fanny Price love! Though I think Emma Woodhouse might be my favourite heroine, personally! ❤️

[@marvingayefan1703]

Yay! Totally agree with Fanny! I love her combination of gentleness with people, but with a steely resolve to do right. I myself rank Elinor higher, only because we see in the narrator's voice that she sees all of the ridiculousness and awfulness of the people around her but she is polite anyway. The scenes in London with her brother tell us that she is brave, insightful and actually rather sarcastic! I love her.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm rereading S&S at the moment and am really enjoying her character.

[@bethieandbooks]

Yes Fanny! My favourite, so nice to see her appreciated

[@maramaothecat]

I read a couple of Jane Austen's books when I was very young (about 11 years old) and I'm looking forward to read those and the others again now! I'm Italian - but I found some good offers for the original English version, and now I've some books waiting for me on the bookshelf

[@FullyBookedMelissa]

I've only read p&p, s&s and Emma and my favourites are Marianne and Elinor. I have a hard time separating them when I talk about fave character. Because although they are both well drawn characters in their own rights, I feel like it's their connection as sisters with widely different personalities that endears them to me.

[@katiejlumsden]

That is so true. I'm rereading S&S at the moment and I have to say it is one of those ones that grows on me each time I read it.

[@meghanthestorygirl4581]

It makes me so happy that you love Fanny Price ❤️❤️❤️ Also, I love how polar opposite your top 2 are from each other 😆

[@katiejlumsden]

She is the best :)

[@GenWivern2]

Strange exercise really. :-) It rather depends on one's criteria, but if it's general relatability my favourite would be Catherine Morland; for sheer enjoyment, Emma Woodhouse, and for literary achievement, yes, it's Fanny Price. That said, the best of all is the narrator every time.

[@asdabir]

Catherine Moreland is one of my favorites as well. She’s adorable in her naïveté, is humble, relatable, always means to do well but ends up doing something silly. I thoroughly enjoy Northanger abbey for how funny it is and for Austen’s defense of novels in it. At the same time I admire Austen for sticking to a heroine like Fanny, who is so unlike all her others, but still manages to make us root for whether or not we see ourselves in her

[@davebonello1944]

(Melanie here) I love Fanny Price. I have listened to the audiobook so many times because I love her reflections and insights and how different of a character she is. Anne Elliot and Elinor Dashwood are other favorites. As far as interesting characters ... there are so many haha. I love to laugh at Anne's sister, Mary, who is so annoyingly pathetic and self-absorbed.

[@katiejlumsden]

Fanny Price is such a wonderful character.

[@beatrixscudeler]

What an interesting ranking! I think Elizabeth Bennet is still at the top of my list, but I completely agree that Fanny Price is a massively underrated character. If only Mansfield Park had a good adaptation...

[@katiejlumsden]

I do sometimes wonder if it's possible to adapt Mansfield Park directly and well - because her character is quiet and internal, it just works less well. But if you haven't seen the KZbin webseries From Mansfield With Love, it's well worth a watch.

[@beatrixscudeler]

@@katiejlumsden You're right, it's a tough one to adapt. I haven't seen that one yet! I'll have to watch it this month. About to go watch the new Persuasion and I'm scared 😂

[@jessica-fcm]

The one I like most, by far, is Elinor. She's the stronger one and most selfless one. Sense and Sensibility is the only Jane Austen book who made me emotional and actually want to cry (even though I love all Jane Austen books, they are not prone to making me emotional at all). Fanny Price...is not that I don't like her. She does nothing NOT to be liked. But it's more that I pity her from the way they treat her, more than actually LIKE her. I couldn't be endeared to her, I could only feel compassion for her. Maybe because I thought she was too judgemental and she thought she and Edmund were the only perfectly moral cookies in the whole jar and everyone else was beneath them morally, which was kinda off-putting, even though I understand the morals of the time. But the emotional abuse and humiliation she went through by the hand of Aunt Norris and the pressure (borderline emotional violence) she suffered while every single other character of the book was pressuring her at the same time to marry Mr. Crawford made my blood boil, that's the most anger any Jane Austen plot has ever made me feel. Still, the sentiment was mostly compassion and not admiration. Which is weird because Brontë's Jane Eyre is quite similar in her moral strictness as Fanny, but I admire her much more, and I can't really understand why. Maybe because she has a richer inner world, we dive deeper into her emotions (Brontë's books are usually more poignant in that aspect) and while she sticks to her morals just as much, she is less judgemental than Fanny. But I'm still trying to actually understand myself why I love Jane Eyre so much and I can't feel the same for Fanny

[@katiejlumsden]

I think you're right that Jane Eyre and Fanny Price have a lot in common - but we do get to see much more in Jane's head. I loved Jane Eyre hugely from the first time I read it, but Fanny Price it took me lots of rereads of Mansfield Park to really admire and love, I guess? She is a bit more unknown to an extent, I guess.

[@rachy5384]

@@katiejlumsden I agree with that... It took me some re-reads to love Fanny Price the way I do. But I do love her now a lot, she's such a brilliant character. I think my favourite is Elinor as well... Also Anne Elliot is high up there, I love the novel Persuasion!

[@obsessivefangirl5055]

Personally my favourite Auten heroine is Emma, just because I'm a sucker for flawed, imperfect female characters who do shitty things but because they are written so beautifully, with so much complexity, naunce and depth that they grow on you. To me, Emma Woodhouse is the exemplification of all those characteristics.

[@lolafisher3453]

I love these ranking videos!!

[@michaelgill3099]

I was so surprised by your number 1. It would be one of my lowest. And one of my least favourite J.A books. But it shows the strength of the books that two people could enjoy the books and have very different rankings. (Anne is the one I think of as underrated)

[@katiejlumsden]

Exactly! There's so much for so many people to love in her books.

[@a.g.2790]

Love your insight! GREAT video. 🥰

[@kayfountain6261]

I definitely agree with you regarding Marianne and Catherine but one thing we (or should that just be I) tend to forget that they are sheltered 16 year olds. We shouldn't be surprised when they behave like teenagers.

[@oscarsimon1998]

Fanny is my number 1 too! 💛💛💛

[@rachy5384]

I love this! I love Fanny Price aswell, she's such an underrated character and such a good person. She's quiet which is how I used to be... Now you can't shut me up though so I have changed since my quiet teenage days but still. I just love her ❤️ she is fabulous xx

[@katiejlumsden]

Agreed :)

[@Lu.G.]

I also *love* Fanny Price, she is the Austen character that I relate to the most. 😬 I _mostly_ agree with your list. From least to favorite mine are: 7) Catherine Morland, 6) Marianne Dashwood, 5) Emma Woodhouse, 4) Lady Susan, 3) Anne Elliot, 2) Lizzie Bennet and 1) Fanny Price. ❤️

[@katiejlumsden]

Excellent list order :)

[@colindailley5062]

Very interesting analysis

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

I really really enjoyed this video was amazing and fantastic please stay safe and enjoy your reading 📖 please keep up your amazing and fantastic work love your family friend and Australia friend John xxx

[@kathleencraine7335]

Yes to Fantastic Fanny!

[@rpaafourever7908]

Brilliant! Personally, my favourite keeps changing based on where I’m at! All of Jane Austen’s heroines..each one shows us, esp women, something that we can emulate. Elizabeth - Positivity, lightheartedness, strength of mind and spirit Elinor - Responsibility, fortitude and perseverance Marianne - Romance and ability to get in touch with your feelings Catherine - Innocence, imagination, curiosity and willingness to learn Emma - Ability to handle criticism, being affectionate and familial bonding Fanny - Being authentic, brave in the face of life’s disappointments and slighting, and staying true to one’s principles Anne - Kindness, being grounded, patience, constancy in love and loyalty

[@rpaafourever7908]

And from what little I’ve read and interpreted.. Charlotte - No nonsense, keeping things simple and straightforward

[@stevencarsley2446]

Another good video

[@bouquinsbooks]

Delightful! My order would be quite different, especially the top two… I intend to do a lot of Jane Austen ranking in July (to be posted next week if I manage to film this weekend),

[@katiejlumsden]

I look forward to it! I always enjoy a ranking video :)

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

I'm going to stand up for Emma. She's all the things you say of course, but she tries so hard and means well despite being a spoiled rich girl. Also losing her mother and living with an endearing but infuriating father have to be taken into account. She's only young and she learns and changes, but keeps her spark.

[@angelaluz405]

I love Fanny. The issue I have with Mansfield Park is that I can't stand Edmund. He is just the worst! My favorite female leads in Austen are Lizzy and Lady Susan. My least is Marianne Dashwood. I was so annoyed by her that I threw the book against a wall. Even Kate Winslet playing her in the adaptation couldn't improve her for me.

[@MothGirl007]

I agree - Edmund did not deserve Fanny, imho.

[@catgladwell5684]

Yes, Edmund is pompous, judgemental and selfish. The worst of the six "heroes".

[@launchedathousand]

I love Lady Susan, just a likeable, dislikable character! I do love Elizabeth and Anne Elliot as well and I feel like them I would get along with and like as real people but Lady Susan is just too much fun to read about.

[@theresas709]

I can't decide but I do like Fanny and Anne a lot.

[@archie6945]

Oops; started badly...I love Catherine & Emma

[@jessicarabbit1164]

My husband and I feel very differently in regards to which is out favorite Fanny Price, the one in the book and the one in the 1999 film adaptation. I prefer Fanny Price in the book. I think she is more interesting, and more accurate considering what her life has been. Where my husband likes the more spirited Fanny Price in the film. I honestly don't think I could separate the heroines from the story.

[@katiejlumsden]

I struggle with the Fanny Price in the 1999 film - she's too different from the character I love in the book! I'm wondering if the new Persuasion film is going to do the same to Anne Elliot . . .

[@aucourant9998]

I choose Mary Crawford, she is the most real.

[@lizlittle1641]

I don't like Maryanne and I think it's because I was like her when I was young. Of course she does mature throughout the story until she becomes more sensible. Again I can relate, but I don't like reading about me. I love Anne! For the same reasons you like her. I love Fanny! When I took a Facebook quiz, I am most like Fanny.

[@zuzanka1981]

My most favorite: Anne Elliot, My least favorite: Fanny Price and Marianne Dashwood.

[@leonwill4265]

I love your channel, but you need an autocue, it looks as if your reading from the side, a bit off for the viewer

[@katiejlumsden]

Oh, I'm not reading a script - all my videos are off the cuff - I'm looking at the camera display, where I can see myself. I know I should try and look directly at the camera instead, but it's hard to, and I need to keep an eye on the image to make sure my camera isn't going out of focus, which it does a surprising amount!