April Fool!
Thank you, Maria Grazia, for allowing me to be a
guest today on your lovely blog. In
honor of April Fool’s or All Fool’s Day, I’ve been looking at Jane Austen’s
inclusion of foolish people in her works.
I’m sure we can agree that our esteemed author has a penchant for
creating some delightfully silly characters.
I love Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse! His eccentricities define him. I thought I was a worry-wart of a mother, but
Mr. Woodhouse puts me in the shade. Emma
has been confined to Highbury since childhood because of her father’s fear of
traveling. He refuses to serve cake because of its ill effects. And let’s not get started on the danger of
drafts! We laugh at him, but we find him
loveable anyway.
Anne Elliot’s father, Sir Walter, is a
foolish snob if there ever was one. His
preoccupation with his looks and social status is downright comical. When not contemplating his family history in
the Baronetage, he finds fault with the appearance of everyone except himself. All the while, he neglects the economy of his
family until he is forced to rent out his estate. I can’t laugh at Sir Walter’s
foolishness. He seems to be too much of a poster child for poor parenting.
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And then, there is Mr. Collins, whose
bumbling attempts at flattery, social climbing, and overall clumsiness make him
the king of fools. He is, in my opinion, one of Jane Austen’s best
characters. She has captured his lunacy
in all its glory, and he makes me laugh while I shake my head in dismay!
Jane, however, doesn’t limit foolishness to
her secondary characters. At times, even her beloved heroes and heroines do
some very foolish things.
Mr. Darcy says Elizabeth Bennet is not
handsome enough to tempt him, and then we soon see that the poor man’s so
tempted he blurts out a marriage proposal.
Elizabeth declares he’s the last man in the world whom she could ever
marry, but a short while later she can’t wait for him to renew his affections. First
impressions are dangerous when you speak before you think.
Emma spends her time running around
Highbury making ill-chosen matches and finding Frank Churchill fascinating,
oblivious to the fact that the love of her life, Mr. Knightly, has been right
under her nose ever since she was born. This proves once again that the best matches
often begin with friendship.
In Sense
and Sensibility, Marianne thoughtlessly dismisses Colonel Brandon’s
outstanding qualities for the sweet nothings that cad Willoughby whispers in
her ear until he dumps her in a most ungentlemanly manner. Ouch! Why do we always
find bad boys so charming at first?
Like many men, Edmund Bertram falls for
Mary Crawford’s arts and allurements in Mansfield
Park while overlooking the steadfast love of faithful Fanny Price. As Lady Cat says, beware of those arts and
allurements. If my sons had read this book before they began dating, what
heartbreak they could have avoided!
And poor Anne Elliot foolishly allows the
persuasion of others to make her reject handsome Captain Wentworth. Talk about blunders―by the time he returns
years later, he’s earned a fortune whereas she’s lost her bloom! Take it from
me―when you’ve lost your bloom, it’s almost impossible to find.
Even though
I’ve poked fun at Jane’s characters in this post, I truly cannot blame them,
for when in love (as the song says), don’t we all sometimes play the fool? Or as Puck says, what fools we mortals be!
Have I overlooked some of your favorite foolish
characters? Tell me who I missed.
Jan Hahn
About the Book
Will a mysterious note from the past doom the love of Jane Austen’s most beloved couple?
A Peculiar Connection begins near the close of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Bent on preventing
the engagement of her nephew to Elizabeth Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh declares
that any union between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth would be “a sin against
Heaven itself!” Her shocking revelation,
along with a cryptic message written over twenty years earlier, thrusts the
couple into a whirlwind of heartbreak and disbelief.
Could a
deserted mansion in Derbyshire or a small church hidden in the wood hold the key
to solving the puzzle? And why is
Elizabeth inexplicably drawn to the portrait of three young boys in Pemberley’s
gallery?
Determined
to confirm or refute Lady Catherine’s accusation, Darcy and Elizabeth are
forced to embark upon a twisted trail into bygone days and family secrets. All the while, they must endure the exquisite
torture of denying the indisputable desire that still hovers between them.
Author Bio
Jan Hahn is fascinated by Jane Austen, 19th Century England, and true
love. A storyteller since childhood, she's written skits and plays for local
organizations and owned a business recording, writing and publishing oral
histories. Jan is a member of JASNA and began writing novels based on Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice in 2002.
Jan's first novel, An Arranged Marriage, won the award for Best
Indie book of 2011 from Austen Prose. The Journey, published in 2012,
was selected by Austenprose as one of the Top Five Austen Inspired Historical
Novels of 2012, and it won the Favorite Pride and Prejudice Variation/Alternate
Path of 2012 award from Austenesque. Her latest book, The Secret Betrothal, was
published in 2014. Jan is currently working on Stolen Past.
Jan has five children, seven grandchildren, and is a native Texan. In
her dream world, she lives in England in a place called Pemberley.
Author Links
Blog Tour Dates
3/30: Review at Savvy Verse and Wit
3/31: Excerpt at Songs and Stories
4/1: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club
4:2: Review at Babblings of a Bookworm
4/3: Author Interview at The Little Munchkin Reader
4/4: Review at Margie's Must Reads
4/5: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Love for Jane Austen
4/6: Review at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice
4/7: Guest Post & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged
4/8: Excerpt at Laughing with Lizzie
4/9: Excerpt & Giveaway at So Little Time…
4/10: Review at Diary of an Eccentric
4/12: Review at The Delighted Reader
4/13: Excerpt & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews
4/14: Guest Post & Giveaway at Babblings of a Bookworm
4/15: Review at Warmisunqu's Austen
18 comments:
The foolish character to me is Bingley. After all, he leaves Jane, whom he loves, at the behest of Darcy. Bingley lost nearly a year of happiness for not having more backbone.
I agree, Deborah Ann, that Bingley made a foolish choice to listen to Darcy rather than his own heart. I've always thought he was simply immature and needed time to grow up and become a man.
Yes, Bingley for not having faith in his own heart.
Jan, thanks for the pretty picture of Colin Firth! It's a nice one. Sorry that I'm not able to comment on fools, 'cause I'm too busy drooling!
BIngley should of had more faith.
This is going to be one of those books that you have to read in one setting. So can I blame you for my sleepless night? ;-)
Danielle C
Having enjoyed Jan's other books I can't wait - to me Darcy is the fool, thankfully he grows up
Thanks for all the comments! I'm drooling with you, G, over that picture of Colin Firth. He's just flat beautiful! I see there are several of us who think Bingley acted foolishly. It's a good thing Jane was patient. Sorry if you have a sleepless night, Danielle. I know lots of writers who cause those. And Wendy, you're right. Austen's creations reflect the foolishness she saw in all of us. That's just one reason she was such a great writer.
I would say Mrs. Bennett is a fool. She is loud and obnoxious always acting out her nerves while being too blunt; therefore, not realizing that she is hurting the chances of gaining any favorable light from any gentleman she wishes to marry off her daughter's too.
I can't argue with that, Dung Vu!
I would also add Sir John Middleton and his mother-in-law, Mrs.Jennings, from Sense and Sensibility to the list of foolish characters. They are funny gossipy pair:)
Sir John and Mrs. Jennings definitely make me laugh!
thank you for this giveaway....
I cannot wait to read it....
I could imagine some of these characters in a modern-day sitcom....wouldn't that be a hoot?!?!?
A modern-day sitcom with these characters would be funny! Thanks for your comments.
The only fool I don't see is the character(s) from Northanger Abbey. Would you think that John Thorpe or his sister, Isabella a fool?
John Thorpe definitely acted foolishly, and shallow Isabella as well. Both were motivated by greed in my view.
Mr. Dashwood was a fool for trusting in his son and daughter-in-law to care for his daughters. Mr. Bennet was a fool for selfishly pursuing his own interests and not putting his foot down in his family. Emma Woodhouse was foolish in not seeing what was right under her eyes, and Elinor Dashwood was a fool for marrying a milksop like Edward Ferrers. I believe Jane Austen found humor in the foibles of others. She sure wrote enough about them.
So, so true, Dawn, but aren't we glad Jane did!
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