The Power of Austen's Heroines

If you're a keen reader it can be easy to feel a bit inadequate when you're looking at all of literature's great heroes. You most likely are not as noble as Atticus Finch, perhaps less confident and bold than Jo March and almost definitely a bit weaker than Achilles. But have no fear. There is a species of hero, or should I say heroine, that is incredibly tangible, relatable and cringe inducing. I present to you; an Austen Heroine. 

Have you ever had an embarrassing social interaction? The type that makes you want to go into hiding and never rear your face in respectable society ever again. Have you ever gotten carried away and implied that your crush’s father might have murdered his wife? Hopefully you said no to the last one but either way you are joining the ranks of the many heroines written by Jane Austen.

Austen’s heroine’s are almost always characterised by their failures. Judgemental, prejudiced, over imaginative, meddling or a reserved personality. They fail and embarasses themselves over and over again and this is why I, and so many of us, love them so much. Perhaps they are socially inept, either too confident or shy but they work their way through these personal barriers. They can feel shame and guilt for their mistakes and grow as characters. A lot of people like to claim that romantic heroines are one dimensional but I couldn’t disagree more. They have complex personal issues and a lot of the time this is their obstacle to their wants rather than some kind of superficial romantic fault.

They aren’t picture perfect women with unrealistic qualities that make men swoon at their feet. Moreover, whilst it’s easy to see their romantic objectives in modern society as reductive to women, it's worthwhile to remember that during Austen's lifetime marriage was a social and economic tool. I may be sounding a bit like Mrs Bennet here but she wasn’t too far wrong. Elizabeth Bennet stands up for what she wants, won't be pushed into uncomfortable situations and is able to realise when she has been wrong. 

One of my favourite characters is Catherine from Northanger Abbey. She is young, naive and obsessed with gothic fiction. We see her character grow and develop as she’s thrust into Bath society. She has to work out who her real friends are, learn when to keep her imagination to herself (regarding dead mothers) and navigate her romantic wants all at the same time. She is not a simple character but she is relatable. I feel she comes of age across the pages and her experiences of the superficiality of Bath society really echo into modern society and what it feels like to grow up as a teenage girl. 

What I’m trying to say is that Austen’s protagonists are rich, complex and just so incredibly relatable. The humour of their experiences has stood the test of time. So if you ever feel a bit down on your luck and like a bit of a loser; read some Jane Austen and you’ll soon realise that the losers are the real heroes anyway.