bethanydelleman:

Yes. As far as I can tell, everyone wants to be her.

There is this thing people say “I couldn’t find any character I identified with”, especially for Mansfield Park. And I can kind of understand not identifying with a child abuse victim, I haven’t experienced that, but then I began to realize, people aren’t “identifying” they are “aspiring”.

I mean you do a poll, “What Austen heroine are you most like?” and everyone clicks on Elizabeth Bennet. I’m sorry, Elizabeth Bennet is 1 in a million. Spontaneously witty people are so freaking rare! And she is also funny without being mean, that is so hard! Just look at Emma, she tires to be funny and lands on mean. It’s a common failing. You tell me that you can form a comeback on the spot instead of when you are lying in bed at night wishing you’d said something smarter and I will give you Elizabeth Bennet.

Also, I’m in my thirties, so I really don’t “identify” that strongly with any of them anymore, except maybe Anne Elliot, because I’m no longer in their stage of life. If you act like Elinor Dashwood at 30, it’s not weird or as impressive. She is strangely responsible and self-controlled for a 19 year old, but less so for someone in their 30s.

It seems to me that when people say “identify” what they actually mean is that they want to live vicariously through the main character. And that’s fine, but that isn’t what the word/concept means! It seems most people want to be Elizabeth, not Catherine Morland or Marianne Dashwood, or Emma Woodhouse.

However, aside from this theory of mine, Elizabeth would be very fun. She’s amusing, kind, and intelligent. She has a strong sense of right. She messes up but you feel like it was justified. What’s not to like?