Not everyone is an extrovert in this world; self-confident, genial, at ease with new acquaintances or in new settings. Some of us are beset with angst, apprehensive and fretful in new situations, fearful of being judged or making an embarrassing mistake. Jane Austen introduces us to many characters with social anxiety who set the stage for interactions that drive the narrative. In some cases, opposites attract while in other cases, one misguided character can wreak havoc in the life of another. This is why we embrace the world of Jane Austen; she provides contrast with real examples of the follies and foibles of human nature that can both attract and sometimes repel but are always relatable. Whether a product of nature based on intrinsic personality traits such as extreme shyness, or nurture, learned behavior based on life experiences, social anxiety plays an important role in the lives of these characters. Nature, nurture, or both, the outcome is still the same, social anxiety in the company of others.
Mansfield Park
Fanny Price is a prime example of the effects of both nature and nurture in the development of her personality. The oldest daughter of large but impoverished family, she is whisked away by wealthy relatives to live in a society where she is taken care of but looked down upon, barely more than a servant in the eyes of the Bertram family. Shy and timid by nature, she became more so in an environment that dismissed her value and treated her as an outsider beholding to them for her good fortune. No wonder as she came of age and grew more attractive, she remained self-conscious and experienced anxiety even in ordinary social situations. She saw herself as others saw her, on the periphery, the outside looking in. Were it not for her extraordinary forbearance and highly attuned moral compass, she would have been easily overcome by those around her with more power and bent to their will. Some readers feel that she was always secretly in love with Edmund, but I don’t think she would have ever been so bold as to admit it, even to herself; she wouldn’t have seen herself as a candidate worthy of such an extraordinary outcome until Edmund finally acknowledge her true value and proposed.
Edmund Bertram is an introvert by nature, eclipsed by his older brother’s self-centered behavior and content to take on the role of a clergyman as planned by his father. He didn’t even appear to be disturbed by the loss of income and inheritance to pay off his brother’s debts. He seems compliant and easily led by others; his participation in the play despite his early protests and his attraction to a woman so wholly unsuited to him and his career as Mary Crawford are good examples. He was the most empathetic person in Fanny’s life, and she was devoted to him, but still he overlooked her until scandal befell the family when his recently married sister, Maria, ran off with Henry Crawford. Underneath it all he was a man of principle, but his acknowledgement of Fanny and declaration of love was late in coming. Was low self-esteem an issue, perhaps an outcome of growing up with a high-spirited, egotistical, overly indulged older brother? If so, perhaps nurture may have played a part as well.
Emma
Whether Harriet Smith’s timid personality was a product of nature or nurture can be debated, but she was a perfect vessel for Emma to fill with her own ideas and aspirations as Harriet had so little self-confidence that she was eager for attention, advice, and acceptance. As a person of unknown parentage living in a boarding school, Harriet was a clean slate for Emma to imprint her own values. Harriet was concerned about being judged negatively, eager to please, and worshiped her mentor. Instead of following her own heart, Harriet was easily misled by Emma whose goal was to improve her friend’s circumstances through misguided matchmaking.
Jane Fairfax comes across as an introvert which could be attributed to her status as an orphan and the circumstance of being raised by a wealthy family while facing an uncertain future. This combined with her secret engagement to Frank Churchill added to her insecurity which she covered with aloofness and reserve. Even Mr. Knightly remarked that she lacked an “open temper which a man would wish for in a wife.” He went on to comment that she appeared more reserved than she used to be which was likely due to hiding the relationship with Frank Churchill. Her emotional fragility was highlighted by her early departure from a gathering at Donwell Abbey when she begged Emma to let the party know that she had departed early to walk home. She was agitated and fatigued but insistent on leaving, even commenting on “the comfort of being sometimes alone.” The strain of her secret engagement was an exhausting burden to carry while she wondered what the future held if the marriage was prevented, and she was forced to accept work as a governess. Who would not suffer social anxiety under the circumstances.
Sense and Sensibility
Men can also be subject to the disorder. Edward Ferrars seems a likely candidate having been raised by a controlling mother whose expectations for his future as the heir to her estate far exceeded his own natural inclinations and personal values. “He was neither fitted by abilities nor disposition to answer the wishes of his mother and sister, who longed to see him distinguished” (perhaps in Parliament), while all Edward’s “wishes centered in domestic comfort and the quiet of a private life.” One could easily imagine his anxiety about the prospect of performing in public or making speeches. That he was easily manipulated at a tender age by Lucy Steele to enter a secret engagement always struck me as more her doing than his, especially if he was timid, shy, eager to please, and easily dominated. Edward, though faced with disinheritance and few career prospects, held true to his moral principles; finally released from the expectations of others, he was free to pursue true happiness with Elinor. One wonders how easily he adapted to giving Sunday sermons after Colonel Brandon bestowed the living on him. I still imagine actor Hugh Grant stumbling and stammering through a sermon, while nervously brushing his hair out of his eyes and realize how perfectly cast he was in the role of Edward in Sense and Sensibility ’95.
Persuasion
Anne Elliot had the misfortune of being a middle child born to a vain, narcissistic father and caught between two demanding sisters. After losing her mother at the tender age of 14, she was sent off to school and taken under wing by an older classmate who took pity on her loneliness and shyness. That her upbringing influenced her self-esteem seems certain and her father’s critical behavior toward her would have led to her being very self-conscious. These factors can easily be cause for developing social anxiety which typically emerges in the early to mid-teens. She fell in love at the age of 19 and we can see why Anne was so drawn to Captain Wentworth because “she had hardly anybody to love”. She broke off the engagement under pressure from her father and close family friend, Lady Russell, because Wentworth was considered a “degrading alliance” with an “uncertain profession.” We can also understand how she could be so easily influenced by those she was supposed to be able to trust even though she was left brokenhearted. Her social anxiety comes into full bloom when Wentworth re-enters her life eight years later and it is her own perseverance and strength of character that allows her to gain confidence and reclaim his love.
Northanger Abbey
Catherine Moreland suffered from teenage angst as much as she did social anxiety. Lifted out of her sheltered family circle to enter society in Bath as a guest of wealthy neighbors was a life changing experience that expanded her perspective and challenged her personal ethics. Her social inexperience combined with her strong sense of values and a vivid imagination makes her an endearing character. We watch her struggle to assert herself and navigate her way through new social settings, while new acquaintances misguide and mislead her and others. Her naivete is balanced by her strong sense of right and wrong behavior. Her frustration with the Thorpe siblings’ manipulations to interfere with her plans was equaled by her astonishment at their behavior, and righteous need to set the record straight with Eleanor Tilney and her brother, Henry. Later she was wracked with guilt and embarrassment by her own behavior thanks to an over-active imagination that led her to snoop about Northanger Abbey where she was discovered by Henry. She demonstrated her resilience by managing to find her way home after being summarily dismissed in the middle of the night by General Tilney, angry that he had been misled by John Thorpe about her wealth and status. No wonder the poor girl was anxious, self-conscious, and confused. Fortunately, she found love at first sight and prevailed despite all.
Eleanor Tilney’s social anxiety can be directly attributed to her domineering father, an oppressive individual who used intimidation to control his children and was a force of nature entirely focused on his own wealth and prestige. “General Tilney, though so charming a man, seemed always a check upon his children’s spirits and scarcely anything was said but by himself.” Eleanor, whose mother had died, was the only daughter and trapped at home with her demanding father while her older brother, Captain Tilney, was away in the military and Henry had a vicarage in a nearby community; both were able to put distance between themselves and their father. The scene of General Tilney scolding Eleanor for rushing their guest to dinner even though she was extremely stressed at the prospect at arriving late and displeasing him, stands out as she would have been criticized either way, late or not. Thankfully she was able marry well and escape the rule of her tyrannical father.
Pride and Prejudice
Was ever there a man capable of more missteps in pursuit of love than Mr. Darcy? After insulting Elizabeth during their first meeting, he later finds himself attracted to her when she visits Netherfield but decides to ignore her for fear of raising her expectations. “He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.” Meanwhile, she is under the misapprehension that he is scornful of everything about her. Then comes the most disastrous proposal of marriage imaginable when he insults and impugns her while asking for her hand. All evidence points to the fact that Mr. Darcy suffered from social anxiety masked by pride and aloofness. We can imagine his discomfort arriving at a dance in a room full of strangers for the first time. He can’t feel comfortable dancing with women he does not know as he later acknowledges to Elizabeth when they meet at Rosings. “I certainly have not talent which some people possess,’ said Darcy, ‘of conversing easily with those I have never seen before, I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”
Here is an example of social phobia leading to avoidance by projecting arrogance. Self-consciousness and a fear of being scrutinized is covered by aloof behavior as he tells Elizabeth “We neither of us perform to strangers.” Who can blame her for failing to recognize his growing attraction and misjudging his character and intentions? He comes to grips with his own pride and overt distain for others after she refuses him and accuses him of behaving in an ungentlemanlike manner. She must face her own mistaken assumptions when she discovers she willingly embraced the easy charm and lies of Mr. Wickham. Here is an example of opposites that attract; he suffers from social anxiety and will benefit from a woman who moves easily within social settings using her charm, wit, and good humor. They were perfect for each other.
Anne de Bourg, the daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is another character domineered by an overbearing and controlling parent. Lady Catherine is so enamored with her own opinions and sense of self-importance, there can be no doubt that the self-esteem of her daughter suffered. If ever she was allowed to form and opinion let alone express it, her mother would impose her own as the only opinion of consequence. What her health issues were are unknown but it’s clear expectations of her were set very low. While professing that Anne had superb taste in music in comparison to Elizabeth, Lady Catherine follows with the comment, “Anne would have been a delightful performer, had her health allowed her to learn.” One can only hope she discovers some level of independence that allows her to emerge from the crushing control of her mother, a favorite topic of many JAFF writers.
All things considered, were it not for Jane Austen’s cast of characters that suffer from social anxiety, her beloved novels might not have stood the test of time for two hundred years and still speak to us today of sensibilities and insecurities as common in our times as in hers.
Comments