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Extroversion leads the heroine to err with nearly disastrous
consequences in Emma. Emma is not to
occupy herself in solitary pursuits like reading. There are a few references to
her constantly writing up reading lists but never getting through the books on
them. She craves company and influence
over others. So when her governess leaves to marry, she feels compelled to find
a new companion in the person of Harriet Smith. Then she sets out to remake the
character and even history of her friend, giving her unrealistic
expectations. Mr. Knightly castigates Emma
for her attempt to redirect Harriet’s life, and Emma concedes at the end that he was right. Emma
likely sees the ugly side of extroversion for herself in the patronizing way
Mrs. Elton directs Jane Fairfax.
In Pride and Prejudice,
the exchange in which Miss Bingley attempts to label Elizabeth by claiming that
all that interest her is reading is very telling. While Elizabeth is a reader,
she doesn’t want to be thought of as a boring bluestocking, a role which may be
more readily embraced by an introverted character. Elizabeth
is nothing if not vivacious, though the person closest to her is her sister
Jane who is her opposite in some way. Jane is sweet and innocent, in the
sense that she fails to suspect others of any motives less pure than her own. In contrast,
Elizabeth is witty – sometimes bitingly so – and quick to judge others
in a negative light. Elizabeth is the
one who concedes her error. But her friend, Charlotte Lucas, who proves most
perceptive, suggests that Jane’s shyness was what made it possible for Mr.
Bingley to doubt her genuine affection for him.
Mansfield Park’s heroine,
Fanny Price, manages to win her heart’s desire though, even though she is
careful to keep her feelings for her cousin to herself. Her introversion is not
presented as a sign of weakness but of strength. She is certain of what is
correct and will not budge from her refusal to participate in the theatricals
even when everyone else gives up on any scruples of morals or modesty. Fanny is the only one of Austen’s heroines
who is presented as being perfect in the sense that she has nothing to improve
on in the course of the novel as the extroverted heroines do.
What happens when an introverted heroine lacks that kind of
confidence in her moral sense is presented in Persuasion. Like most introverts, Anne Elliot is a good listener,
who provides calming comfort to the more highly-strung members of her family.
But she comes to realize that too much listening to others is what caused her
own loss of happiness when she allowed her friend (a woman who cast herself in
the role of Emma) to persuade her to reject Frederick Wentworth. As the novel ends happily, she does get a
second chance, but she does first recognize the error of her former ways. While
she is more right about others than extroverted characters prove, she has to
learn to assert her own point of view. Ultimately she does, and gains the
perfection and perfect happiness allotted to Fanny Price.
Related:
Jane Austen at the Morgan
Three Janes, Two Governesses, and the Abolitionist Movement
Some observations on Jane Austen's Emma
Jane Austen and Autism
Three Janes, Two Governesses, and the Abolitionist Movement
Some observations on Jane Austen's Emma
Jane Austen and Autism
Pride, Prejudice and Persuasion: Obstacles to Happiness in Jane Austen's Novels
The Big Bow-wow & Bit of Ivory
The Big Bow-wow & Bit of Ivory
