"You must change,
you will catch a cold." "What care I for colds
when there is such a man?" Are you a clever Lizzie Bennet,
a passionate Marianne Dashwood, or a slightly spoiled
but generous Emma Woodhouse? In her six published novels, Jane Austen created some of the most
iconic female characters of all time. "I believe, ma'am, I may safely promise
you never to dance with Mr. Darcy." Each complex heroine represents
distinct strengths, motivations and obstacles to overcome â some of which are laid out
in the very titles of the books.
 "But you'll never forgive me. Just
like Elizabeth. She was too proud." "I thought you hated
Pride and Prejudice." "Or was she too prejudiced?" Thus identifying which Austen character
youâre most like can help you see both what youâre best at, and which
defining lesson you need to learn â whether thatâs to rethink
your snap judgments "From the first moment I met you,
your arrogance and conceit to your selfish disdain for
the feelings of others made me realize that you were the
last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry." reign in your emotional nature, "I think that may be taking your
romantic sensibilities a little far." not be so open to influence "I do not blame you, nor do I blame
myself for having been guided by you.â or check your privilege "I have none of the usual inducements
of women to marry. Fortune I do not want; employment I do
not want; consequence I do not want." So, which Jane Austen
heroine would you be? If you're new here, be sure to
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to pay $14.99 for the whole year. Pride and Prejudiceâs Elizabeth Bennet
is many an audienceâs favorite, and with her infectious humor and
honest integrity, itâs easy to see why. "So, what do you recommend?
To encourage affection." "Dancing. Even if one's
partner is barely tolerable." You might be a Lizzie if youâre smart,
and you know it. Your confidence in your mind gives you a lot of
self-assurance and makes you brave. But it can also make you a little too
trusting of your first impressions. "I wouldnât dance with him
for all of Derbyshire." This is where the âprejudiceâ in
Pride and Prejudice comes in: if youâre a Lizzie, you need
to work on your snap judgments. "Mr. Darcy looks at you
a great deal, Lizzie." "I cannot think why! Unless he means
to frighten me with his contempt. I wish he would not come into society,
he only makes people uneasy." Youâre a somewhat impulsive person,
and those "instinctsâ you pride yourself on might often be wrong. You might have a helping of your love
Mr. Darcyâs trademark pride as well, "Mr. Darcy? I could more easily forgive
his vanity had he not wounded mine." which makes you slow to accept
evidence that youâre mistaken. "He fears that Mr. Wickham is by
no means a respectable young man." "Does he know Mr. Wickham himself?" "No, not at all." "Then he has had his
account from Mr. Darcy!" So you need to learn a little more
humility and open-mindedness. You also need to work on your empathy.
Youâre sort of an intellectual elitist, viewing only a select few who have
the highest character or insight as worthy of your attention. "Your good opinion is rarely bestowed." When someone is accepted
into your inner circle, you exhibit exceptional loyalty. "I know that Jane would
wish me to be with her." "Walk three miles in all that dirt?
Youâll not be fit to be seen." "I shall be fit to see Jane,
which is all I want." But you may find it difficult to
be patient with people who don't have your strong sense of self
or exceptional mind. "Lizzie, you do not make allowances for
differences of situation and temper." When Lizzie rejects Mr. Collinsâ
proposal, despite the fact that it could secure her familyâs future,
this is gutsy and true to herself. "You could not make me happy, and I
am convinced I am the last woman who could make you so." But she then finds it impossible to
understand why Charlotte accepts him. "Engaged to Mr. Collins? Impossible." Even though Charlotteâs more pragmatic
approach to marriage is completely valid, too, in this era when securing
a decent match was a career-like pursuit for most women. "Iâm not romantic you know,
I never was. I ask only a comfortable home.â If youâre a Lizzie, your ideal partner
is someone who challenges you. They might be private, and like you,
hold themselves to very high standards. You may not get off to a smooth start
because they're not the easiest person to read. "May I ask to which
these questions tend?" "Merely to the illustration of your
character. I am trying to make it out." Though wanting to fall in love can
make you impatient and susceptible to superficial charms, time will tell
when it comes to true love for you. Despite her jokes, "How long have you loved him?" "I must date it from my first seeing
his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." a Lizzie isnât motivated by money.
If youâre like her, the most important trait in your perfect match is
someone who is very, very kind. "Heâs perfectly amiable. If you
only knew his generous nature." Ultimately, youâre like Lizzie if â
as logical as you consider yourself â youâre invested in the idea of true
romantic love and you wonât settle. "I am determined that nothing but
the very deepest love will induce me into matrimony." Emma is rich, beautiful,
smart and entitled. "Not that one. The next." In fact, Austen herself called her "a heroine whom no one but
myself will much like.â "I'm not prejudiced!" "Yes, but I am. Very much, and
without at all being ashamed of it." But once Emma works through the
issues that her privilege present, there is a lot to love about her. "He makes galoshes. He comes to Highbury
next week on purpose to meet with me." "Then I hope you will
bring him to Hartfield." If youâre an Emma, youâre
admirably self-sufficient. When we first meet her, Emmaâs mother
is dead and her older sister is married, meaning that sheâs already the
mistress of the house she grew up in, taking care of her father. "Never could I be so important in
a man's eyes as I am in my father's." So she feels a lot of pressure to be a
grown-up, maternal figure to others. If youâre a modern-day Emma, you might
be in a position of management, and you might have the impulse to set
yourself apart from other people or often feel like you
donât need anyone else. "I believe few married women are
half as much mistress of their husband's house as I am of Hartfield." If youâre an Emma, you love love â
especially for other people. You enjoy nothing more than
fixing up your friends. "The most beautiful thing in
the world is a match well made." This is evidence that youâre both
a romantic and an altruist, but it can also serve your ego
and give you a power trip. And you should tread carefully
because your matchmaking often ends disastrously! "I would never have thought of
Mr. Knightley, you know, if you had not encouraged me." "Oh God, that I never met her." If youâre an Emma, youâll do well
if you focus more on yourself, instead of others. But sometimes your preoccupation with
improving or matching other people is a way of denying or distracting
from your own feelings and needs, which you hide even from yourself. "I did not know it until poor Harriet
said that she had the hope of him returning her feelings
and then I felt ill, and I knew that no-one must
marry Mr. Knightley but me!" Even though you can recognize how much
everyone else needs love, you seem to assume youâre above this â but you
have to learn that, in the most fundamental ways, youâre
just like everybody else. Meanwhile, the need for love isnât the
only blind spot you have about yourself. If youâre an Emma, what you need to
work on most is checking your privilege! "If they were very poor, I might hope
to be useful to them in some way, but a farmer can need none of my help
and is therefore as much above my notice as he is below it." You might be mischievous and impulsive,
making quick decisions that arenât necessarily grounded
in anything concrete.
 "I am ready to die if you refuse me." "You take me for my friend." "A message for Miss Smith? I never
thought of Miss Smith in the whole course of my existence." This is a tendency rooted in privilege:
you get away with being insular, assuming you know best, not always
taking the consideration to think deeply about how your actions
really affect other people. "My blindness to what was going on
led me to act in a way that I must always be ashamed of but I
have no other regret." The truth is â while youâre obviously
very smart â youâre not yet quite as mature or wise as you think. After all,
one modern update to your story is titled Clueless. "I was wrong about Elton, I was wrong
about Christian⌠now Josh hated me. It all boiled down to
one inevitable conclusion: I was just totally clueless." You need to take care and learn more
about the world around you before you assume you know everything. Over the course of the story, Emma
becomes more self-aware, and she proves that you can overcome being
out-of-touch or spoiled. "I have given them charity, but not
kindness, a virtue which some friends may doubt I still have." If youâre an Emma, one of your defining
strengths is being able to say sorry, and own it when youâre wrong. "I have caused you great suffering, as I have also caused the
suffering of my friend." As Austen knew, people might be put off
by an Emma at first, but once they get to know her, theyâre likely to
fall in love with this multi-talented, exceptionally generous person. Your ideal partner is honest,
deeply moral, and maybe likes to give you a hard time. "You must never flatter me in
front of Mr. Knighley, Harriet, he thinks me vain enough already.â You can be intimidating! So you need to
be with someone who isnât afraid of you â who will tell you when youâve
done something wrong. "Better to be without sense altogether
than to misapply it as you do." You like someone who can joke
with you â sometimes at your expense, "Mr. Knightley loves to find
fault with me, you know." "Oh dear!" "In a joke, it is all a joke!" And you may find that youâve been
friends with your perfect match for some time before you
realize theyâre the one. "As a friend. Emma, that, I fear,
is a word... My dearest Emma, for dearest you will always be." Sense and Sensibilityâs Marianne
Dashwood embodies the "sensibilityâ in her storyâs title â a quality
defined as "refined or excessive sensitiveness in emotion and taste.â "To love is to burn, to be on fire.
To die for love? How can you say so? What could be more glorious?" If youâre like Marianne, youâre
highly intuitive and passionate. Marianne is a lot like Lizzie or Emma
in her intelligence and romanticism. "Who is reading Shakespeare's sonnets?" "I am." But whereas Lizzieâs self-identity
is based foremost on her sharp mind, Marianne embodies the heroine who
lives by her feeling heart. Sheâs full of youth and vitality. "Is there any felicity in the
world superior to this?" "I told you it would rain!" "Thereâs some blue sky,
let us chase it!"
 Marianne is obsessed with her own
concept of what love is â one she derived from books and poetry. "Love is not love which alters when it
alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove," [together]
"'it is an ever-fixed mark.'" She finds it difficult to understand
her older sister Elinorâs less overtly passionate displays of love. "If I had more shallow feelings I could
perhaps conceal them, as you do." If youâre a Marianne, youâre
defined by your openness. You arenât interested in hiding
your feelings â if youâre drawn to something or someone, you throw
yourself in with your whole heart and donât care who knows it. "Mr. Willoughby can be in no doubt
of your enthusiasm for him." "Why should he doubt it?
Why should I hide my regard?"
 If youâre a Marianne, you do what you
want to do, too, acting as you see fit, with little care of how
other people perceive you. "But as it has already exposed you
to some very impertinent remarks." "If the impertinent remarks of such as
Mrs. Jennings are proof of impropriety, then we are all offending
every moment of our lives." But you need to work on
your infectious nature. Certainly, your openness makes people
like you a lot; youâre lovable, and when youâre happy, it makes
those around you happy. Unfortunately, though, your
sadness is infectious, too. And thereâs no in between
for your emotions. "Willoughby, Willoughby, Willoughby." Youâll do well if you are willing to
check your impulses and listen more to your very intelligent mind. Youâre governed by your emotions,
but that doesnât mean youâre unable to self-reflect. "If his present regrets are half as
painful as mine, he will suffer enough." Youâre often attracted to people who
arenât good for you â perhaps people who share your intense nature, or who
make or imply promises they canât keep.
 "Did he tell you that he loved you?" "Yes. No. Never absolutely, it was
everyday implied, but never declared." But your ideal partner counters
your impulsive passionate tendencies. What you really need is someone calm,
generous and rational, who will weather storms with you and take things slowly. Though the right person may not
directly share your interests, they will make an effort
to enjoy them with you, and derive joy from seeing you happy. "At last I have found a small enough
instrument to fit the parlor." "He must like you very much."
 Lizzie, Marianne and (to a degree)
Emma all follow a certain mold: the smart romantic idealist who
admirably demands the most out of life, but who still might have a little
growing up to do when it comes to maturely understanding the
nuances of the world as it is. "I have been so blind." This broader character type may have
something in common with Austen herself, while thereâs another strand of
heroine who may have been inspired by Austenâs older sister Cassandra â
a character whoâs understated and self-sacrificing, defined more by her
sense of responsibility and tendency to hold back emotion. "Always resignation and acceptance.
Always prudence and honor and duty. Elinor, where is your heart?" This second type of Austen heroine is
embodied by eldest sisters Jane Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, and
Persuasion's Anne Elliot who is a middle daughter but with
a vain, selfish older sister whoâs not offering her much guidance. They have reserved, calm and kind
personalities, but beneath their stoic exteriors, they may be hiding
forceful, pure feeling and deep love. "Believe me, Marianne, had I not been
bound to silence, I could have produced proof enough of a broken
heart even for you." If youâre an Elinor or a Jane,
youâre known for being prudent and not putting all
your cards on the table. "But Elinor your heart must tell youâ" "In such a situation it is perhaps
better to use one's head." At first glance, Elinor Dashwood is
the sense to her younger sister Marianneâs sensibility; but as
the story progresses, we learn that doesnât mean she
doesnât feel just as much. "What do you know of my heart?
For weeks, Marianne, l've had this pressing on me... without being
at liberty to speak of it to a single creature." Meanwhile, Lizzie is ready to happily
shirk her responsibility to marry for money because she assumes her
older sister Jane is up to the task. "One of us at least will have
to marry very well. And since you are quite five times as pretty as
the rest of us, and have the sweetest disposition, I fear the task
will fall on you to raise our fortunes." But she fails to consider what
a weight this must be for her sister. "You think I am to follow in your
footsteps, sister? Can there be a more dreadful fate?" "You do know that I am setting
the standard for your future matches, yes? You should be grateful." If youâre an Elinor or a Jane,
one of your defining strengths is your kindness. Both characters are
beloved and idolized by their sisters for their goodness. "I could never be as happy as you.
Till I have your goodness, I never can have your happiness." If youâre this type, you behave
carefully, not wanting to harm anyone through reckless actions, which gains
peopleâs respect and makes more impulsive people wish to emulate you. "Do you compare your conduct with his?" "I compare it with what it ought to
have been. I compare it with yours." You need to work on openness. "We neither of us have anything to
tell; I because I conceal nothing and you because you communicate nothing." Both Elinor and Jane are calm
under pressure, and find it easy to disguise their emotions, which
can make them seem cold or unfeeling. "I did not detect any symptoms of
peculiar regard. The serenity of her countenance convinced me that her heart
was not likely to be easily touched." But if youâre an Elinor or a Jane,
you should remember that daring to share your feelings could be the
difference between getting to be with the person you want
and letting them slip away. "Your friendship has been the most
important of my life." "You will always have it." "He thought me indifferent." We first meet Austenâs oldest heroine,
Persuasionâs Anne Elliot, when she is 27 years old â almost a spinster
in the eyes of her society. She has a tragic backstory, having
broken off an engagement with the love of her life as a youth, based
on an older friendâs bad advice. "You have an extraordinary ability to
influence her, ma'am, for which I find it hard to forgive you." If youâre an Anne, perhaps more than
any other Austen character, you know what it is to really love... and to
keep loving even when you think thereâs no chance of it being returned. "All the privilege I claim for my
own sex is that of loving longest, when all hope is gone." This talent for love applies not just
to romance but also to how you treat everyone in your life: with instinctive
care, kindness and going out of your way to make their lives better. "Never have I met her equal in good
sense or sweetness of character." If youâre an Anne, one of your
defining strengths is actually bravery â of a quiet, decidedly
unflashy sort. You are stoic and take some time to find
yourself, but once you do, you can be extremely courageous. "I am determined, and
nothing, you may be sure, will ever persuade me otherwise." If youâre an Anne, you need to
work on trusting yourself. Youâve learned the hard way that (as the title of your novel,
Persuasion, emphasizes) itâs not good to be too
easily influenced by others. "To become engaged to a young naval
officer who had no fortune and no expectations. You would indeed
have been throwing yourself away." When it comes to the most important
decisions, only you know whatâs best for you. People might take
you for granted and overlook your exceptional strength behind your shy
and self-sacrificing exterior. "Youâre to marry Anne? Whatever for?" But you are a good judge of character,
and if you ever feel pushed by friends or family into doing something youâre
not sure about, itâs a good idea to step back and reflect. Your ideal partner is someone whoâs
perceptive enough to see what a catch you are and not swayed by more
superficial attractions. Theyâre willing to wait, not
too proud to try again, "I offer myself to you again with a
heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years ago." and they know their own mind, just as
they push you to be the self-assured person you are deep down. "What I desire above all in a wife
is firmness of character. A woman who knows her own mind." Catherine Morland is obsessed with
reading, so if youâre an Austen fan or a writer yourself, thereâs probably
a lot of Catherine in you. If youâre a Catherine, youâre creative
and have an excitable imagination. "If I understand you rightly,
you have been suspecting my father of a crime so dreadful..." "You said yourself the house
was full of secrets!" Austenâs youngest heroine is a little
naive and if youâre a Catherine, you need to work on thinking things
through before you act on your impulses. But youâre incredibly
clever and perceptive. "Your imagination may be overactive,
but your instinct was true." Your ideal partner is someone who can
help you grow and learn, but also someone you can help to grow and learn. "I always hoped Iâd be lucky, that the
girl I fell in love with would come with a fortune attached." "If she should not?" "Then that would be a very stern
test of my character." Exceedingly timid and shy, and
shrinking from notice, Fanny Price is a heroine that confuses a
lot of modern audiences. But she's also the heroine who
experiences the most real financial hardship, and if youâre
a Fanny, your defining strength is resilience. Youâve endured a lot, and you know what
it's like to be treated as less than. "I was the poor relation and I
was often made to feel it." But because youâve had to rely so
much on yourself, you understand how important it is to be true to yourself,
and youâll never do something just because itâs what others
think you should do. "You are in a wild fit of folly
throwing away from you such an opportunity to be settled in life." Youâre not interested in being
pursued or complimented, "Youâre infinitely my superior in merit,
you have touches of the angel in you." And you can see through fickle people. "It is your very changefulness that
frightens me, Mr. Crawford." Your ideal partner is someone who
proves their worth by supporting you and taking care of you for a long time. "Iâve loved you all my life,
as a man loves a woman, as a hero loves a heroine." "Looks as though theyâre
finally getting somewhere." One of the most wonderful things
about Austenâs writing is that she makes heroines of ordinary women,
showing us that thereâs something special at the heart of everyone. Whether youâre a Lizzie, an Emma,
a Marianne, an Elinor, a Jane, an Anne, a Catherine or a Fanny, your strengths
are what define you, and when you open yourself up to change,
amazing things can happen. "My characters will have, after a little
bit of trouble, all that they desire.â This is The Take. What do you
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What did Elizabeth Bennet learn from Mr. Darcy?
Elizabeth Bennet: Mr. Darcy Taught Me It's Okay To Be a Silent, Taciturn Asshole.
Romola Garai IS Emma