Jane Austen was a master of social commentary and observer of human foibles. Her stories are made even more absorbing by the introduction of “frenemies” that frustrate or undermine her heroines by creating angst, conflict, or jealousy, thereby adding challenges to be overcome and resolved. The word frenemy refers to a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry. In each of the novels we are introduced to frenemies, characters pressed into action to disrupt her heroines and potentially thwart a happy ending. Frenemies are the ones we love to hate because of Jane Austen’s witty and wicked presentation of them that showcases her undeniable insightfulness into the quirks and shortcomings of human nature. That discernment is part of her genius so let’s take a moment to examine the frenemies within.
Imogen Stubbs as Lucy Steele, Sense and Sensibility, 1995
Pride and Prejudice
Who doesn’t bristle when Caroline Bingley enters the picture with her haughty manners and distain for all she sees of country manners and fashions when she came to stay at Netherfield Park, where her brother had taken up residency and sent the neighborhood into raptures because he was a single man of good fortune who “must be in want of a wife.” She matched the personality traits of Mr. Bingley’s friend, Mr. Darcy, for aloofness and arrogance and was eager to please him by demonstrating their shared discernment of the shortcomings of those whom they considered beneath them. Their equally matched pride was on full display to Elizabeth Bennet who immediately recognized the condescension of their behavior and despised them for it. Although Caroline and her sister, Mrs. Hurst expressed delight in Jane Bennet whom they pronounced to be “a sweet girl, and one whom they should not object know more of”, they had no such admiration for Lizzy. When Jane fell ill on a visit to Netherfield and her sister came to care for her, Caroline made it her objective to fawn over Mr. Darcy’s every move, feign indignation when Lizzy expressed surprise that Mr. Darcy knew any “accomplished women” based on the high standards he outlined, and paraded her around the room to get Darcy’s attention. It was clear that she held little regard for Lizzy and the highest regard for Darcy. Caroline Bingley was a perfect foil for Elizabeth Bennet who was amused by the overt efforts exhibited to captivate Darcy’s attention. There was so much mistrust built up that later, at the Netherfield ball, when Caroline attempted to warn Lizzy of Mr. Wickham’s past indiscretions, she was rejected immediately, and her efforts were perceived as a manipulative attempt to discredit the man Lizzy admired at the time. Later in the story Caroline needles her about Wickham in front of Georgianna causing discomfort to all, especially Darcy.
Mansfield Park
Fanny Price found herself struggling with discontent and envy when Mary Crawford entered the picture in Mansfield Park. Initially an admirer of her outspoken opinions, pretty face, and talent at the harp, Fanny began to harbor concerns about the improprieties in Mary’s outspoken comments which she felt reflected the values on which Mary had been raised. As Fanny bore witness to the growing admiration between Edmund and Mary, she struggled to suppress her own feelings about the propriety of such a match between two such different characters. Once she became the object of Henry Crawford’s unwanted attentions, a man she neither trusted nor admired, she was further pressured by his sister to accept his offer of marriage. Later, when the affair between Maria Bertram, now Mrs. Rushworth, and Mr. Crawford became public knowledge, Mary exhorted Fanny to ignore any gossip and marry Henry and later blamed Fanny for the affair because she had rejected her brother. With those actions, Mary Crawford finds her rightful place on the frenemies list. Some might ask whether Mrs. Norris should be considered a frenemy, but she never hid her feelings towards Fanny nor pretended friendship of any kind; she was an abuser.
Persuasion
Frenemies can present themselves to an entire family but often go undetected by some of them, as is the case with Mrs. Clay in Persuasion. Anne Elliot recognized her as a social climber from the start, overly eager to ingratiate herself with Sir Walter and his favorite daughter, Elizabeth, through flattery and obsequious behavior to achieve her own ends. After she was invited to join the family in Bath while Anne was left behind to manage the transition, Anne suspected she meant to seduce Sir Walter into marriage by insinuating herself into their lives and winning his affection. When she confronted Elizabeth with the notion, she was summarily dismissed by her sister on the pretext that Mrs. Clay knew her place in society and could not be considered attractive by Sir Walter because of her freckles and a “clumsy wrist”. William Elliot, heir to the baronetcy, arrived in Bath after a friend advised him of the presence of Mrs. Clay in the household because he also suspected her of ulterior motives which he later discussed with Anne. In the end, Mrs. Clay did succeed with Mr. Elliot who took her “under his protection” in London when Anne rejected him to marry Captain Wentworth. No doubt his purpose was to interfere with any prospect of competition for his inheritance should Mrs. Clay secure the affection of Sir Walter and bear a child.
Northanger Abbey
For Catherine Moreland, finding a friend in Bath in the form of Isabelle Thornton was a beacon of hope. She was isolated and knew no one until they were thrown together when old friends, Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Thornton discovered each other and became reacquainted. Catherine was eager for a companion and Isabelle, a few years older and already acquainted with her brother, James, was the perfect solution. Unfortunately for Catherine, Isabelle was always led by her own self-interests and perfectly happy to use her inexperienced friend towards her own ends. She revealed herself to be a determined flirt at every opportunity and connived to place Catherine in the path of her boorish, egotistical brother, John, so she could claim the unrestricted attention of James Moreland. She continued the practice even though she knew her young friend had formed an attachment to another young man, Mr. Tilney, and had no qualms about importuning her young friend, or blithely justifying her own behavior to get what she wanted, an engagement to James. Catherine was desperate for a friend and eagerly embraced the relationship initially, so Isabelle was certainly not the worst frenemy in the canon, but she rightfully makes the list. If we consider that men can also be frenemies, we recognize John Thorpe as an offender for committing Catherine to the first dance at the ball and then condemning her to sit amongst young ladies that had not been asked while he callously chatted with friends. Worse yet, she was forced to decline an invitation from Mr. Tilney while she waited for her dance partner to show up which was an unforgiveable offense leaving poor Catherine mortified. The misinformation he later relayed to General Tilney about Catherine and its future implications, adds to the evidence that he was a frenemy.
Emma
There is real duality in the character of Emma in that she both has a frenemy and is a frenemy. Despite her well-intentioned motives she came close to ruining the prospect of marriage for poor Harriet, her new protégé, by convincing Harriet to decline a proposal of marriage from Robert Martin, a prosperous farmer, and instead promoted an attachment to Mr. Elton in an effort at matchmaking that went badly awry when Mr. Elton declared his love for Emma herself. Her failure at matchmaking was worsened when Mr. Elton removed himself to Bath, determined to find a suitable wife and returned with Mrs. Elton, a superbly conceived frenemy; brash, impertinent, egotistical, and eager to claim a role as a leader in local society at Emma’s expense. Emma could hardly contain her contempt for Mrs. Elton who took it upon herself to befriend newly arrived Jane Fairfax and demand that Emma assist her in promoting Jane socially. Not only did Emma resent the impudence of the partnership proposed by Mrs. Elton she was in fact, jealous of Jane Fairfax for her beauty and accomplishments. When Mr. Knightly scolded Emma for being unwelcoming to Miss Fairfax, Emma fretted that Mrs. Weston may be right in claiming that Mr. Knightly was forming an attachment to Jane, because none were aware of the secret engagement between her and Mr. Churchill. Emma crossed boundaries again by slighting an old family friend, Miss Bates, at a picnic. Emma’s view of herself and her place in the world thrust her into the position of frenemy through miscalculations and misinterpretations despite her good intentions and forced her to confront the limitations of her own discernment, including her failure to recognize that she was in love with Mr. Knightly.
Sense and Sensibility
In Sense and Sensibility, Lucy Steele presents us with a classic frenemy as Elinor Dashwood’s worst nightmare, the singular person to dash all her hopes for happiness when shortly after becoming acquainted, Lucy revealed she was secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars. Lucy represents all those traits that can never be admired: ingratiating, vulgar, artless, uninformed, impertinent, but cunning enough to have identified Elinor as a rival for Edward’s affections and determined to undermine the attachment they felt for each other. Jane paints a vivid picture of just how calculating Lucy was in describing her behavior after she hinted at a future connection with Mrs. Ferrars, Edward’s mother: “She looked down as she said this, amiably bashful, with only one side glance to her companion to observe its effect on her.” Lucy was a shrewd observer, always on the lookout for the impact of her behavior on those around her. Forcing Elinor to commit to keeping the information confidential became a silent burden of repressed feelings and longings that weighed heavily on our heroine.
If it weren’t for the angst and aggravation that come in to play when frenemies are introduced, we would miss out on insights into the characters of our heroines from Elinor’s stalwart shouldering of the burden of silence to Emma’s misguided efforts at matchmaking forcing her to come to grips with her own limitations. Who among us would not be aggravated by supercilious Mrs. Elton or pompous and self-satisfied Caroline Bingley? Catherine Moreland’s frustrations become our own as we watch this amiable young lady grow and mature despite how she is treated by her “friends”. We can only conclude that Mrs. Clay and Mr. Elliot deserved each other while Anne achieves her heart’s desire. We embrace these characters that add color to the novels and magnify the courage and strength of our beloved heroines so, whether it’s an intentional offender like Lucy Steel or an unintentional one like Emma, let us salute the frenemies within.
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