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5. The Façade: Marianne and Willoughby

4. Toxic Love: Bridget and Daniel

3. Haters to Lovers: Elizabeth and Darcy

2. The Development of Unrequited Love: Edmund and Fanny

1. Equally Reciprocated Love: Jane and Bingley

Longbourn by Jo Baker gives a different perspective on the original story of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen by telling the servants’ stories who live and work for the Bennets and Bingleys. Sarah is an orphan who is taken in by the Bennet housekeeper, Mrs. Hill, and is a lady’s maid for Elizabeth Bennet. Sarah has a filtration with Mr. Bingley’s footman, Ptolemy, and the two share a drunk kiss during the Netherfield Ball (Baker 130). Sarah is at first attracted to Ptolmey because he represents an escape from life in Longbourn, saying that he is “how you get from one world to the next” (131). When, Ptolmey informs Sarah that he is going with the Bingleys to London, Sarah decides to run away from Longbourn and join him. However, she does not anticipate, James, the Bennet footman, following her and he begs her not to leave Longbourn. Sarah then kisses James and is overwhelmed by how deeply she fells for him because he represents “pleasant things to her” (150). I like Sarah, but this was a rollercoaster of emotions because this love triangle drama occurs in the span of 20 pages where Sarah changes the entire direction of her life for James. I agree with Sarah, that Ptolemy might not have been her true love, but this turn of events felt quick.

I created this TikTok video because I felt it represented my reaction to Sarah’s sudden change in emotions. I used the Doja Cat song, “You Right”, as the audio because it discusses the conflicting feelings of being in a relationship, but desiring someone else; which I think fits Sarah’s situation with Ptolemy and James well. I captioned the video with Sarah first daydreaming of running away with Ptolemy because he is her key to escape life at Longbourn, and then how her feelings change when she sees how much James cares for her. Sarah impulsively kisses James which changes her whole point of view on her decision, which is why I captioned it *wow*. The last lines of the song, “I’ve got a man, but I want you”, I lip sing as if I was speaking for Sarah because she bases the rest of her life on this single kiss with James. Sarah takes a major risk with James, and decides to return to Longbourn as a result. I think this video is funny because it captures the rollercoaster of 20 essential pages of the novel where Sarah’s life drastically changes and the audience’s reactions.

#longbourn janeausten

The ending to Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park was anything but a typical “happy ending”. Even though I compared Fanny to a Jane Austen version of Cinderella earlier in the book, I do not remember the part where Cinderella marries her cousin. In the end, Fanny does end up with Edmund, who she has been pining for her all throughout the book. However, as a reader, I feel unsatisfied with this union because there was not a logical nor romantic buildup to their engagement. In fact, Edmund spends the majority of the book trying to convince Fanny to marry Henry Crawford, even explaining in one of his letters how Henry’s affections for Fanny are unwavering and he possess an “inestimable quality” (Austen 287). Edmund eventually realizes that he cannot Mary Crawford because of her questionable character, and views Fanny’s friendship as his “only comfort now” (302). Edmund and Fanny only get together because Edmund is too depressed to find anyone else, making Fanny his consolation prize. The last 20 pages of the book are chaotic with Maria running away with Henry, only to be ditched later on and have to retreat to live in continental Europe with Mrs. Norris. Then, Julia elopes with Mr. Yates and is almost exiled from the family. Fanny’s role as the “cousin to be improved” is filled by her sister, Susan, who comes to live at Mansfield Park. Lastly, the Grants and Crawfords are forced to leave due to the severity of Henry’s scandal. I guess the only character that is in a better position at the end than the start of the book is Fanny, but this is a twisted “happily ever after”.

I found this meme on Pinterest and I felt that is accurately described my emotions at the end of the novel. Unlike the ending of Pride and Prejudice, I walked away feeling confused instead of comforted. This image was taken from the 1999 movie version fo Mansfield Park, after Edmund professes his love for Fanny. However, the actress who plays Fanny, seems anything but happy by Edmund’s confessions. Fanny looks as if she has been locked into a scenario that she now regrets ever wanting. The picture is captioned, “Happy Ending. It could have turned out differently. I suppose. But it didn’t”, and I think this emphasizes the frustration that many Jane Austen fans have with this book. Austen could have ended the book in so many different and better ways, to point that fans have rewritten the ending of Mansfield Park several times as fan fiction. The new endings often involve Fanny marrying Henry instead of Edmund, and this could have been an option if Austen developed their relationship more. Instead, Henry falls back into old habits of sneaking around with Maria, ruining his chances with Fanny. I would have also preferred if Fanny ended up alone, instead of with Edmund, because it would show character growth for Fanny from being passive to having some agency. I think this meme is funny because it depicts the universal feeling of bewilderment that I and many fans have experienced after reading Mansfield Park.

#mansfield park #fanny price #edmund bertram

Throughout the course of the novel, Mansfield Park, Fanny Price has been harboring feelings for Edmund Bertram and has hidden these feelings from everyone. When Maria and Julia Bertram leave Mansfield Park, Fanny finds herself the center of Henry Crawford’s pursuits in his effort to “make Fanny Price in love with me” (Austen 157). Henry does not believe he will be satisfied until her he makes “a small hole in Fanny Price’s heart” (157). However, Fanny is not not interested in Henry at all romantically. In fact, Henry Crawford invokes strong feelings of hate in Fanny that we have never seen before because she typically passively hides her emotions. Fanny is annoyed by Henry Crawford’s arrogance and lack of regard for her cousins, Julia and Maria, to the extent that she says in her inner monologue how his smile made her “quite hate him” (154). Fanny also challenges Henry’s comments about how the theatricals were a time when he “never was happier”, saying that the play was a time where he “was behaving so dishonorably and unfeelingly” (154-155). Henry is interested in Fanny because her daring opinions surprised him, and he finds that intriguing. Henry Crawford exemplifies the idea of a man who simply like the chase of romance, but does not truly care for the subject of his pursuits. For instance, Henry’s main reason for pursuing Fanny is boredom and she appears as an entertaining challenge for him. Henry’s motives for trying to court Fanny are dishonorable, but other men in the book, such as Edmund and Sir Thomas are encouraging their union. Therefore, Fanny is on her own in fending off the romantic pursuits of Henry Crawford.

The TikTok I found by @misseleizabeth1813, illustrates the shock that at least I had while reading this storyline in Mansfield Park. As we discussed in class, Austen creates several love triangles throughout the novel to provide insight into different characters and their reasoning for choosing one suitor over the other. With the addition of Henry Crawford’s attraction to Fanny, Austen creates a love triangle between Edmund, Fanny, and Henry. In the video, the creator is playing the role of Fanny who is “minding her own business”, until Henry Crawford comes in behind her and says “Surprise, shawty!”. The audio originally came from a video a dad, William Elston, who was surprising his daughter with presents and says “Surprise, shawty!” as she sees the presents (Hamilton). The audio is supposed to depict a happy surprise, but the author of the TikTok is using it ironically to convey how Henry Crawford claiming his love for Fanny was not a welcomed surprise for her. I thought this TikTok was funny because it conveys the one-sided nature of Henry and Fanny’s relationship, where Henry is convinced of his love for Fanny, whereas she is just confused and surprised by it.

#mansfield park #fanny price #henry crawford

In Jane Austen’s novel, Mansfield Park, Fanny Price is a character that has a difficult life. Fanny is sent to live with the Betrams at a young age because her mother was not able to take care of her. Then, from the moment Fanny arrives she is treated as a second class citizen by her cousins, Julia and Maria, for not being properly educated. Fanny is also forced to live in the “spare-rooms at the parsonage” that have “never been wanted” near the servants as a way to enforce her proper place in the family structure since Lady Betram never truly accepts her as family (Austen 22). Additionally, Mrs. Norris and Lady Betram give Fanny daily tasks to complete such as picking flowers, leaving her exhausted all the time. As a result of the labor, Fanny is often in poor health and requires a horse to help maintain her strength. Unfortunately, Fanny does not have many friends in the Betram household, besides Edmund, and her horse becomes her main companion.

While reading, I found many similarities between Fanny’s character and Cinderella. For instance, they are both sent to live with family who treat them as unwanted additions to their household. Julia and Maria Betram act as Fanny’s evil stepsisters because they are too caught up in their competition for Henry Crawford’s affections that they either ignore Fanny or make fun of her whenever they interact. Then, Mrs. Norris and Lady Betram treat Fanny like a servant similar to Cinderella because she is expected to clean and pick flowers for them to the point of exhaustion. Cinderella’s main companions are the animals that live on the estate who she has the ability to talk to, similarly Fanny’s main companion is her horse. Lastly, Fanny and Cinderella are alike in personality because they both have an agreeable nature and never stand up for themselves for fear of being turned out of the house. I created this meme using img.flip and images from the 1950 movie, Cinderella. I thought that it would be funny to take some of the main traits and characteristics of Cinderella’s character and compare them to Fanny. The more I thought about it, I realized that Fanny and Cinderella have a lot of similarities to the point where I think that Fanny might be the Jane Austen version of Cinderella. Fanny lives in an attic, is treated as a servant, has mean and unaccepting family relations, and has a strong attachment to animals. Also, Fanny’s passive nature in the novel thus far further enforces her personification of Cinderella.

#mansfield park #fanny price #cinderella

Pride and Prejudice is one of Jane Austen’s most famous works in part due to the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth. Their romance is one that builds over the course of the novel, particularly when Elizabeth stays at Netherfield while Jane recovers from her illness. The fandom surrounding Pride and Prejudice has only grown in popularity in recent years as the movie adaptations have stolen the hearts of a new generation with Austen’s romantic writing of courtship. However, one of the most beloved scenes from the story in one that is only present in the 2005 movie adaptation of the novel where we see Mr. Darcy flex his hand after he and Elizabeth touch for the first time. In the novel, Austen describes the Bennet sisters’ departure as “the separation, so agreeable to almost all, took place...Elizabeth took leave of the whole party in the liveliest spirits” (41). Austen does not create any form of intimacy in Elizabeth’s departure, but the director of the movie used the carriage scene as an opportunity to reveal Darcy’s conflicting emotions about his attraction to Elizabeth. In the movie, Darcy assists Elizabeth into the carriage and flexes his hand after touching her for the first time. The hand flex to the fandom represents the electricity of their attraction and also Darcy’s confusion over the act. Mr. Darcy flexes his hand as if alluding to the idea that he did not have control over his own body and felt a visceral desire to touch Elizabeth by helping her into the carriage.

This moment in the movie has been replayed and reposted on multiple platforms and is considered by some to be one of the “hottest” scenes in a movie because there is so much intimacy conveyed in this single touch. The TikTok by @alemonleafeon in this post received 233,100 views and 52,300 likes where we see a fan of Pride and Prejudice create two stickers from popular fan art surrounding the hand touch and later the hand flex. This scene is so well know that there is a whole search result on TikTok dedicated to “Pride and Prejudice hand flex” or “Mr. Darcy hand flex”. This simple exchange from the movie has become the impossibly high standard for girls who dream of having a passionate love like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Usually people create stickers to represent activities and clubs they are involved in which they love, but what this TikTok tells me that people love Pride and Prejudice enough to make it a part of their personality and identity. We discussed in class this week how strong fan attachments are to Jane Austen stories, particularly the character of Mr. Darcy. I love Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy, but I am not sure I would buy one of those stickers. I thought this video was funny because it illustrated how deeply invested the fandom is to the love story of Pride and Prejudice as well as how some girls desire for their future love to perform a hand flex for them.

#jane austen #pride and predujice #hand flex

Pride and Prejudice centers around the evolving romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Their relationship has a rocky start because when the two first meet at the local ball, Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth referring to her as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 9). Overtime, Darcy and Elizabeth spend more time together and Darcy’s attraction to Elizabeth grows. When Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth, she rejects him on account of ruining Jane and Bingley’s union and denying Wickham his inheritance. Then, when Lydia and Wickham run away together, Darcy pays Wickham to marry Lydia in order to save the Bennet family reputation. Even though Darcy hates Wickham, he helps Lydia because he cares for Lizzie. Darcy is trying to address one of Lizzie’s grievances with him by paying off Wickham. However, Lydia and Wickham are probably the most untrustworthy and reckless characters in the novel, so Darcy is taking a chance by placing his future happiness with Lizzie in their hands. For example, Lydia is unable to maintain her oath of secrecy to Darcy and Wickham about the secret wedding when she was visiting her sisters saying, how “the wedding need not be put off, for Mr. Darcy might have done as well” (Austen 207). In addition, Wickham is not trustworthy either because he seduced Darcy’s sister, Georgiana, in order to gain access to her dowry. Then, when it was clear he would not get any money, Wickham deserted Georgiana. Lydia’s inability to keep a secret does inform Lizzie’s of Darcy good deeds which overall progresses their love story, but Lydia and Wickham are both seriously flawed individuals who Darcy trusted with an important task.

I created this meme using img.flip.com. I believe that the man experiencing mixed emotions in an online conference call represents Darcy’s mixed emotions in aiding Lydia and Wickham. The top image of the happy man depicts Darcy’s outwards appearance where he feels that he has done a good thing and showed Lizzie how much he truly loves her. Then, the bottom image showcases Darcy’s inner turmoil and anxiety of trusting his enemy and a reckless teenager with the fate of his love life. Luckily, the effects of Lydia and Wickham’s marriage worked in Darcy’s favor with Lizzie, but he must have known the risk he was taking with them. I think that this meme is funny because it combines current emotions of being on a zoom call with the emotions of characters in Pride and Prejudice. We all have experienced during the pandemic, being on a Zoom call and suddenly your whole mood changes when you remember something stressful or upsetting. Similarly, Darcy was probably experiencing those emotions when he thought about how Wickham and Lydia might determine the course of the rest of his life.

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Are the Main Characters and No One Else Matters

Julia Hall

One-Pager on Pride and Prejudice, ENGL 2502

Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, is described as a romance, specifically the romance of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Darcy and Elizabeth have to overcome their respective pride and prejudice in order to understand each other enough to love one another. There are several other characters and marriages in the novel, but ultimately their stories serve the purpose as being plot devices to progress Darcy and Elizabeth’s romance.

The first major event in the novel in when Mr. Bingley rents Netherfield Park and becomes the prime suitor for one of the five Bennet daughters to marry. At the ball, Bingley becomes infatuated with Jane; whereas, Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth, referring to her as “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me” (Austen 9). Jane is later invited to visit Netherfield Park and falls ill after riding on horseback during a thunderstorm. Elizabeth walks to Netherfield Park to check on Jane, prompting another meeting with Mr. Darcy. After this encounter, Darcy finds himself having “never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by” Elizabeth and “were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger” (Austen 35). Then, Elizabeth’s cousin, Mr. Collins, proposes to Lizzie upon learning that Jane is unavailable. After Lizzie rejects Mr. Collins proposal, he marries her best friend, Charlotte, and Lizzie travels to their estate to see Charlotte. While staying with the Collins, Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and spends more time with Darcy while he visits his aunt as well. At Hunsford, Mr. Darcy proclaims his love for Lizzie, but she rejects him on account of preventing Jane and Bingley’s union and denying Mr. Wickham his inheritance. The latter two marriages in the novel give Darcy a chance to rectify Elizabeth’s grievances with him. For instance, while at Pemberley, Elizabeth receives a letter informing her that Lydia and Wickham have run away together, and Wickham will only marry Lydia if he is paid a sizeable amount of money. Lydia and Wickham as soon married, but Lizzie discovers that Darcy was at her wedding because he paid Wickham to marry Lydia. Lastly, Mr. Bingley returns to the Bennett home and proposes to Jane solely due to encouragement from Mr. Darcy. Darcy explains to Elizabeth that he does not desire any thanks from her family for his actions because the two unions were “only for you” (Austen 239). Elizabeth recognizes how much Darcy loves her because of all he did to earn her good opinion, and they also become engaged.

All of the other marriages in Pride and Prejudice, essentially are unimportant because the marriages of Jane and Bingley as well as Lydia and Wickham would not have occurred if it was not for Mr. Darcy’s assistance. In addition, Mr. Collins and Charlotte’s marriage only provides opportunities for Lizzie to see Mr. Darcy again and for Darcy to express his true feelings to her. All of the balls and trips to Netherfield were disguised as ways for Jane to see Bingley, but became opportunities for Darcy and Elizabeth to spend more time together and resulted in Darcy’s attraction for Elizabeth to grow. Lydia and Wickham’s affair provides evidence for Elizabeth to trust Mr. Darcy since he was right in his ill judgment of Wickham. Additionally, Lydia and Wickham’s marriage allows Darcy to show how much he cares for Elizabeth because he paid his enemy in order to save her sister and family’s reputation. Lastly, Jane and Bingley’s marriage was merely Darcy’s fulfillment Elizabeth’s other request from his first proposal and a way to prove his love for her. Therefore, all of the other marriages in the novel do not matter because they all serve as opportunities to progress the romance of Elizabeth and Darcy.

@janejumpsshark

Jane Austen presents the story of Pride and Prejudice as a romance where social status and wealth play vital role in marriage prospects. The main character in the story is Elizabeth Bennet who is given the expectation of not only marrying, but marrying a wealthy man since none of her sisters can inherit the family estate. However, finding a man interested in getting married is not an easy task. Marriage was often an economic proposition for many women as a way to advance their social or economic standing in society. Therefore, when Mr. Bingley moves into town, Mrs. Bennet takes it upon herself to introduce all five of her daughters to him in hopes that he will want of marry one of them. Mr. Bingley quickly becomes infatuated with the oldest daughter, Jane. Then, when Mr. Collins also expresses interest in Jane, Mrs. Bennet encourages him to pursue Lizzie instead since he is set to inherit the Bennet estate and is receiving a patronage from Lady Catherine. Lizzie refuses Mr. Collins because despite his wealth, she finds him intolerable and would never choose to marry him. Mr. Collins and Elizabeth Bennet’s best friend, Charlotte, later become engaged. Charlotte only chooses to accept Mr. Collin’s offer because of her “pure and disinterested desire of an establishment” and to her “marriage had always been her object...however uncertain of giving happiness...at the age of twenty-seven without having ever been handsome, she felt all the good luck of it” (Austen 83-84). Charlotte views Mr. Collins proposal as security as she is becoming too old to be considered of desirable marrying age, whereas Lizzie is young enough to have the flexibility of finding a loving and suitable match.

This TikTok was created by @emmaspacelynn who combines a clip from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film adaptation with the Taylor Swift song, “22″. The video is ironic because the song, “22″, is suppose to be celebrating the idea of getting older and living in the youth of being free in your twenties. However, the song is spliced at the lyric “I’m feeling” to the clip from Pride and Prejudice where Charlotte is explaining to Lizzie her choice to marry Mr. Collins. She explains how dangerous it is at twenty-seven years old to not have any marriage prospects because marriage provides her with the comforts of a home and financial security. After the movie clip, the video goes back to the song audio which counteracts the negative outlook on the world with a upbeat and happy melody almost as a metaphor for masking one’s insecurities. Charlotte’s predicament is one that many people can relate to as people are often getting married older now and the pitfalls of dating can make one think that they have no prospects. I think this TikTok is funny because it merges a popular song with an equally popular sentiment in a way that is brutally honest about finding love as a young person.

#jane austen #pride and predujice

@janejumpsshark

Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are two sisters that are essentially opposites in the way they think and act. Marianne often lets her passion and emotions drive her actions, whereas Elinor exercises self-command of her emotions. Elinor is the older and often more level-headed sister compared to Marianne; as a result, Elinor often assumes more of a motherly role to Marianne than sisterly. In addition, Elinor feels protective of Marianne because she is young, naïve, and sensitive. For example, we discussed in class this week how Elinor often acts a screen to shield Marianne from pain and the devastating effects of her strong emotions. For instance when Elinor knows that Marianne mistakenly sees Willoughby riding on horseback, Elinor acts “to screen Marianne from particularity, as she felt almost certain of its not being Willoughby” (Austen 64). Elinor does everything she can to shield Marianne from heartbreak because she often overreacts and puts herself in danger by doing so. For example, Marianne goes walking in the rain when she is heart broken about Willoughby, where she becomes ill with putrid fever and almost dies. Elinor tries her best throughout the novel to protect Marianne and maintain the family’s proper appearance when Marianne acts out.

The TikTok was from the account, megbarrett.edu, and it overlays images from the Sense and Sensibility 1995 movie adaptation along with audio from the television show, Schitt’s Creek. The audio is when David is talking to his sister Alexis as she is going through a meltdown. Similar to Marianne, David explains to Alexis that he is the unstable and emotional sibling, instructing her to pull herself together. Alexis is Elinor in this situation because Elinor is also the sibling that holds the Dashwood family together. The TikTok shows scenes from the movie that display Marianne’s impulsive and emotional side. We see her walking in the rain, falling down the hill, and crying as David’s dialogue plays. Then, at the very end we see Elinor cry in the movie as David is telling Alexis to pull herself together. I think that this TikTok is funny because it features two sets of problematic siblings, the Dashwoods and Roses, showing that unbalanced sibling dynamics is a timeless and relatable issue.

#jane austen #sense and sensibility

In class this week, we had an in depth discussion about character in Jane Austen’s novel, Sense and Sensibility. The story focuses on the lives of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, who view the world in very different ways. Elinor is described as the more sensible sister, whose “feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them” (Austen 8). Marianne on the other hand, lets her emotions drive her actions throughout the book. Elinor is the most animated in her emotions when it comes to her love interest, Edward Ferrars. Elinor slowly starts to fall in love with Ferrars, but is shocked when she meets his fiancé of fours years, Lucy Steele. Elinor struggles to keep her emotions in check when Lucy reveals her secret engagement to Edward. Elinor responds after hearing the news, saying, “Engaged to Mr. Edward Ferrars!--I confess myself so totally surprised at what you tell me, that really--I beg your pardon; but surely there must be some mistake of person or name” (Austen 95). Elinor is devastated by this discovery because she is not one to easily fall in love with anyone and that is exemplified in the book where we see her lose her senes.

The meme was found on a blog account, JaneAustenRunsMyLife.wordpress.com, where the creator spliced together an image from the movie version of Sense and Sensibility and quotes from the movie, Mean Girls. Lucy Steele is a conniving young woman who notices that Edward has formed an attachment to Elinor, and means to expose the truth in order to secure her relationship to Edwards. Lucy takes on the lines of Regina George from Mean Girls, who is the Queen Bee and ultimate master manipulator. Whereas, Elinor embodies the role of Cady Heron, who is a naïve transfer student from Africa that has seemed to capture the attention of many people in school, including Regina’s ex-boyfriend. Similar to the manipulative style of Regina George, Lucy reveals her engagement after first gauging how Elinor views her relationship to Edward. Lucy is threatened by Elinor due to her good looks and Edward’s attachment to her. However, Elinor does not not want to pursue an improper relationship, despite her love for Edward; similar to how Cady is told not to date Aaron Samuels, Regina’s ex-boyfriend, in order to not isolate the popular crowd. I think that the meme is funny because it combines the emotions of Elinor and jealousy of Lucy into a modern example that exemplifies the intentions of the two characters.

#jane austen #sense and sensibility #disney

One of the main conflicts of many Jane Austen novels is the difference in social class between the main love interests of the novel. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine is not as wealthy as Mr. Tilney, but one of the major conflicts in their relationship is the misunderstanding of Catherine’s wealth due to Mr. Thorpe’s meddling in her affairs. Even though Catherine and Mr. Tilney care for each other, Mr. Tilney's father throws Catherine out of their house when he believes her family to be poor. General Tilney only agrees to allow Henry and Catherine to get married after learning that she possesses a decent sum of wealth, but mostly on account that his daughter marries a wealthy man (Austen 174). Then, the theme of money returns in Sense and Sensibility where we see how John Dashwood chooses to not support his half-sisters financially, affecting their social standing as they pursue marriage with other suitors. Finally, when John and Franny visit the sisters, Franny notices how her brother, Edward, is attracted to Elinor and implies that Elinor is only interested in him for his money.

The theme of marriage being an economic proposition in Jane Austen novels is reoccurring because often one of the main characters is not in the same socioeconomic bracket as their partner which is one of the central issues of the storyline. However, this meme which was used in an article in The Atlantic comments on this theme, but by presenting an opposing example. The image is taken from Austen’s book, Emma, where she ends up marrying a man of similar socioeconomic status and has little obstacles to their union as a result. This is not the case for Catherine and Elinor however, since they both face difficulties in forming union due to their lower socioeconomic positions. The meme shows Emma being happy and in love, but also the relief of knowing that money will not be a barrier in her romance which I think makes it funny.

#money jane austen

John Thorpe is one of the manipulative characters in Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey. His actions characterize his massive ego because he believe that he is the ultimate catch. Throughout the novel, he is constantly boasting about his horses and the size of his carriage to Catherine as he attempts to gain her affections. For instance, one of the first interactions Thorpe has with Catherine is when he and James arrive in his carriage. Thorpe asks Catherine, “ Miss Morland; do but look at my horses; did you ever see an animal so made for speed in your life?...look at the creature, and suppose it possible if you can” (Austen 29). Catherine goes on to explain how John Thorpe never misses an opportunity to proclaim how he is the best at everything. Thorpe is most likely a man who has never experienced rejection from someone, and as a result assumes Catherine would be interested in him. At the dance, Thorpe is upset that Catherine had not danced with him yet, and asks “what is the meaning of this?--I thought you and I were to dance together” (Austen 50). Catherine responds explaining, “I wonder you should think so, for you never asked me” (Austen 50). Thorpe’s assumption of Catherine’s emotions exemplifies his lack of self-awareness because he does not even offer her the option of rejecting him.

Thorpe personifies the “nice guy” persona that the TikToker is mimicking in her video. There is a theory that the guys who proclaim to be the “nice guys” are often the most toxic because they have a misguided view of reality. “Nice guys” often believe the reason why they do not have a significant other is because girls do not find them attractive due to society’s high expectations for physical appearance. When in reality, “nice guys” do not have a significant other as a result of their manipulative personality. I found this video on TikTok where the TikToker, samsingsongs, uses the audio from Dimension 20: Fantasy High, a Dungeons and Dragons series, and captions it as a hypothetical conversation between John Thorpe and Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey (Mell-Taylor). John Thorpe’s audio is taken from Biz Glitterdew who is described as an incel, which is an misogynistic man who believes that their lack of romantic connections to others is society’s fault (Well-Taylor). In the audio, we hear Glitterdew being rejected by a woman after he proclaims that girls never go for the “nice guys”. The woman further explains how he has a false sense of his own attractiveness because Glitterdew has nothing to offer in terms of personality similar to how John Thorpe has nothing to offer Catherine. Therefore, I think this video accurately depicts both Thorpe’s and Catherine’s emotions and includes what we as the audience wish Catherine would say to Thorpe in the book.

article source: https://alexhasopinions.medium.com/how-dropouttvs-fantasy-high-became-this-year-s-best-critique-of-incel-culture-264c585209a4

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#john thorpe #northanger abbey #jane austen

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