Jane Austen’s Legacy of Charmers +1

(Note to readers: This post has been amended to include Henry Crawford.)

Enter Henry Tilney when ingenue Catherine Moreland attends her first ball in Bath but lacks proper introductions and is relegated to the role of observer when she longs to dance.  We all fall a bit in love right along with her when Prince Charming arrives to invite her to dance and later teases her about what her diary entry will be the next day.  He’s even an expert on the finer points of Indian muslin.  A chain of events brings them together at Northanger Abbey where Catherine is at first welcomed and then rudely dismissed by General Tilney to travel home on her own, but Henry comes through in the end to win her hand as any Prince Charming would be expected to do.  Of course, not all the charmers Jane Austen introduces are as open, honest, and good natured as Henry Tilney.  Some are dishonest, self-serving, and not at all to be admired as we come to find out.   Just for fun, let’s examine the natural charmers we love and the charming rogues we come to loath for taking advantage of our young heroines.

Natural Charmers

Mr. Bingley immediately strikes us as genuinely open, affable, and affectionate.  When Netherfield Park is let at last, the neighborhood is overjoyed to have a single man of good fortune in their midst, and he does not disappoint.  He sincerely enjoys engaging with local society at large and Jane Bennet in particular, so what’s not to love?  Well, perhaps a bit of a weak spine since he is easily persuaded to move back to London because his friend, Mr. Darcy, and his sisters are fearful that he'll make an imprudent match with an attractive young lady who lacks fortune and rank and is saddled with an unruly family.  Still, we never doubt his goodwill or open temperament and he comes through with a proposal in the end.  Well done, Mr. Bingley.

Colonel Fitzwilliam is another natural charmer who was “very much admired” when he called at the Parsonage while visiting Lady Catherine at Rosings Park with his cousin, especially in comparison to the introverted Mr. Darcy.  He is an eager conversationalist on all manner of topics and Lizzy is quite taken with him.  She even has thoughts of marrying Fitzwilliam considering “he was beyond comparison the pleasantest man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life was most eligible.” In her more rational moments, she understands that his position as a second son of an earl prevents him from pursuing her since he is expected to make an advantageous marriage to a wealthy bride, but she is most definitely charmed by him.  Had he been a first son rather than a second, Darcy would have had real competition on his hands.

Charming Rogues

How could clever, witty, and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet be so easily duped by a cad like Mr. Wickham?  Among other reasons it is because “Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself.”   She was easily charmed by his friendly manners, handsome bearing, and willingness to reveal slanderous stories about Mr. Darcy, a man whom she already despises for his arrogant behavior and for slighting her the first time they met.  Wickham ingratiates himself to the degree that Lizzy is quite enthralled and her aunt steps in to caution her about her “warm recommendation” of Wickham and to remind her of her family obligations.  It’s not until we learn of Wickham’s debt and debaucheries after leaving Meryton and running off with Lizzy’s youngest sister, Lydia, that we come to realize how willfully he uses his charm to get what he wants.  That he demands a payout from Darcy to marry Lydia is a good indication of his lack of character. 

We discover another willful charmer in Mr. Willoughby from the moment he whisks up Marianne and carries her home after she sprains her ankle and calls the next day to check on her.  They quickly compare notes to discover so many similar tastes and interests that it seems they’re made for each other.  Elinor admonishes Marianne “how is your acquaintance to be long supported, under such extraordinary dispatch of every subject of discourse?” to which Marianne protests, “Elinor, is this fair? Is this just? Are my ideas so scanty?” Willoughby proceeds to further ingratiate himself with the family such that everyone who sees them believes he and Marianne must surely be engaged or soon will be, until his aunt sends him away to London where he betrays Marianne and becomes engaged to a wealthy young woman.  Later we learn of an even worse indiscretion with the ward of Colonel Brandon whom he seduced and abandoned. 

When Frank Churchill finally makes his way to HIghbury he proves himself to be another charming rogue.  He readily leads everyone to believe he is interested in Emma, including Emma herself.  Emma presumes his attentions are genuine because she is, after all, clever, handsome, and rich, yet there is always something sly about Frank and his interactions, so when we finally learn about his secret engagement to Jane Fairfax, we realize how deceitful he is with his family and the inhabitants of Highbury.  Emma is charmed because she felt she ought to be charmed and she expected to be the object of his interest. Why would she not be?  Thankfully, she has Mr. Knightly, who despises Frank Churchill as artful and duplicitous, to make Emma realize there is only one man for her, Mr. Knightly himself.

William Elliot works quite hard at being charming as he tries to redeem himself with Sir Walter Elliot, whom he slighted when first introduced to him and favorite daughter, Elizabeth. He intends to ensure his inheritance is not threatened by the wily Mrs. Clay who has managed to ingratiate herself with Sir Walter.  If not for a crooked tooth and clumsy wrist, she might have succeeded in winning him.  To Anne his efforts always seem transparent and when she learns from Mrs. Smith of his true opinion of Sir Walter and Elizabeth, it comes as no surprise that he is not to be trusted even as he tries to court her.  Anne already questions his character based on her own observations, so he is never able to use his charms to win her hand despite pressure from her friend, Lady Russell, to accept his attentions and become the next Lady Elliot. 

Mansfield Park introduces us to Henry Crawford.  While not handsome, he has magnetic charm that attracts the attention of both the Bertram sisters, most especially Maria, who recently became engaged.  Henry has no qualms about toying with the emotions of Maria, before and after her marriage, eventually leading to her ruined reputation and divorce while barely affecting his social standing at all.  Roguish behavior indeed.

Almost Charming

We can imagine that Captain Wentworth was quite the natural charmer when he and Anne Elliot first fell in love.  Eight years later, he loses any claim to that in his resentful behavior towards Anne and thoughtless flirtation with the Musgrove sisters.  Towards them he exhibits boundless charm, but we never believe that he has serious intentions towards either sister.  When he finally realizes during a trip to Lyme Regis how easily he could be ensnared in an engagement to someone he doesn’t love, he quickly exits and later follows Anne to Bath.  Of course, we can forgive Captain Wentworth anything for writing the world’s greatest love letter.

Mr. Knightly doesn’t quite qualify as a natural charmer because of the role he plays trying to guide Emma to be her better self.  He can be a bit of a scold.  On the other hand, Mrs. Elton considers him to be quite charming and assures her husband that Knightly was one friend he needn’t be ashamed of.  However, since impertinent Mrs. Elton lacks any charm in her own right, her opinion carries no weight with us. 

Jane Austen’s Prince Charming

We know Jane had at least one affair of the heart with handsome young Irishman, Tom Lefroy.  There was no chance it would become anything more because he needed to acquire money through marriage, and she had none.  Despite that encumbrance they did appear to have a great deal of fun together as Jane writes in a letter to Cassandra: “He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you.”  Later she writes, “I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved.  Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together.  I can expose myself, however, only once more, because he leaves the country soon after next Friday.”  Later in life, after making a suitable marriage and eventually becoming Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, Tome Lefroy admitted to his nephew when asked about his acquaintance with Jane that he was in love with her but qualified it as a “boyish love”.  He must have been a real charmer in his youth.  Still, had he not been hampered by the lack of fortune, would he and Jane have married?  Had they married, would she have managed to write her six timeless novels?  As fate would have it, she never married and we, her devoted readers over two centuries, are able enjoy her gallery of charmers and rogues over and over again.