Iām not quite over my recent binge of Jane Austen novels, so I thought I would rank her leading men. I would rank her heroines, but it would be too similar to my ranking of her novels in general, so if you want to know how I would rank the heroines, check out their corresponding novelsā rank (although I would give more credit to Elinor Dashwood than ranking her so lowly as Sense and Sensibility).
Jane Austenās leading men vary as much as her heroines do. They canāt be called cookie-cutter characters, which is testimony to Austenās genius. Through her satirical and all-knowing narrator, all her characters are fleshed-out and identifiable. Iām only going to rank the men the heroines end up with, so spoilers up ahead.Ā
- Edward Ferrars of Sense and Sensibility
I love Elinor Dashwood, and I have the utmost faith in her judgment, but Edward Ferrars didnāt quite seem to be her equal. While he was upright and willing to sacrifice his own happiness to do the honorable thing, he seemed rather submissive and subject to youthful fancies. I did like how he gently but steadfastly responded to Marianneās ridiculousness, and I felt sympathy for his character, but I still didnāt feel like he had the strength of will deserving of Elinor. I also donāt think he was given enough page time for me to develop a strong opinion of him, which is why he belongs in the lowest ranking.Ā
- Edmund Bertram of Mansfield Park
Edmund has strong morals, and is extremely compassionate and considerate, especially considering the rest of his family. I can forgive him falling for Mary Crawford, the girl with questionable morals; I especially admire how he had the strength to leave her. But I donāt like him settling for Fanny. I mentioned this in my other ranking, but I donāt think Edmund loved Fanny as he should a wife. He practically raised her and taught her to be his idea of perfection, and she adopted his moral standards. It was almost like Fanny was his little project, and when he didnāt see any better options, he thought she was good enough to be his wife. I have no doubt of him as a loving spouse, but heās definitely not the most enchanting of Austen men.Ā
- Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility
Colonel Brandon is compassionate, giving, charitable, and mature. He never throws himself at Marianne, and he is certainly not petty. He doesnāt have a serious character flaw, but I have to question his judgment in pursuing Marianne. He sees something in her that reminds him of someone he used to know, but what else does he see in her? Itās not as if he admired her because of her improvement; Iām not even sure he noticed it. He seemed to have been blindly living in the past, and blindly loving the romanticism Marianne embodied. And since blindness isnāt a trait I would otherwise apply to Colonel Brandon, I feel disappointment rather than dislike.Ā
- Captain Wentworth of Persuasion
Captain Wentworth is hard working, confident, strong, and gentlemanly. He is the definition of a self-made man. However, he gives off a tinge of arrogance, which is part of why he turned resentful and proud towards Anne. Even so, he was always the most considerate of Anne, and understood her better than anyone. He is flawed, but willing to learn from his mistakes, and I think he is a perfect partner for Anne. He recognizes all of Anneās attributes, and his pride will benefit from Anneās self-denial, and vice versa. Oh, and that letter makes him positively swoon-worthy!Ā
- Mr. Knightley of Emma
Mr. Knightley possesses a lot of sense; heās compassionate, forgiving, polite, and friendly; and heās judicious rather than judgmental despite his criticsā claims. Moreover, he is considerably well-off, but he has little to no prejudice, evident by his treatment of Mr. Martin, and his conversations with Emma. Iām not sure if he is as strict about maintaining class decorum as Emma supposes him to be, but even if he is, he does not let that affect how he treats lower classes. He did have a tendency towards jealousy, which I found amusing and loved to read, but it did prejudice him against Frank Churchill ever so slightly. Iām sure weāll all forgive him, though.
- Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice
Who doesnāt love the handsome, rich, and brooding Mr. Darcyāthe professed gentleman of all women’s dreams? He begins the novel with a great deal of prejudice, but he is willing to learn from his mistakes and adjusts his viewpoint. He meets rejection with grace, which is hard for anyone to do, much less a man who grew up so privileged and spoiled. He is revealed to be charitable, compassionate, upstanding, and uncommonly graceful. I have such a soft spot for Mr. Darcy, which suggests that he is number one in my heart, even if he is not number one in this ranking.Ā
- Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey
Like I said, Mr. Darcy may be No. 1 in my heart, but Henry Tilney isācan I say objectively?āthe better man. He has humor, sense, compassion, and a forgiving nature. He doesnāt have the taint of prejudice as Mr. Darcy does. He is willing and wanting to marry poor Catherine Morland without his fatherās approval, and thus without his inheritance. Does he even have a flaw? He certainly has the largest sense of humor out of all Austenās leading men. He deserves so much better than Catherine. Out of all the leading men, I think I would most value a Henry Tilney as an addition to my lifeā¦ if only he were real!
