Top 10 Villains In Jane Austen Novels

Here are the top 10 villains in Jane Austen's novels. Which do you think should be number 1? We cover all six of Jane Austen's major novels, including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Emma.

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🕰Watching Guide
00:00 Top 10 Villains in Jane Austen's Novels [Intro]
00:57 Pride and Prejudices' Mr. Collins
01:35 Emma's Mr. Elton
02:12 Emma's Frank Churchill
02:49 Northanger Abbey's General Tilney
03:25 Northanger Abbey's John Thorpe
03:58 Northanger Abbey's Captain Tilney
04:49 Persuasion's Mr. Elliot
05:47 Mansfield Park's Henry Crawford
07:52 Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Wickham
08:48 Sense and Sensibility's Mr. Willoughby

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📚Books & Movies mentioned in this video:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility

Persuasion

Northanger Abbey

Emma

Mansfield Park

#janeausten #prideandprejudice #northangerabbey #senseandsensibility #mansfieldpark #janeaustenpersuasion #mrwickham #janeaustenemma #classicbooks #janeaustenbooks

[laurakirby]

I feel like Mr. Dashwood should also rank. He abandoned his step mom and three sisters after he promised his dad he’d take care of them. I think he at least out ranks mr. Collins.

[ccburro]

It was also reported that Wickham “messed” with many daughters of local tradesmen and had gaming debts, not just in Meryton, but other towns. And he tried to entangle Elizabeth, and he lied to everyone re Darcy, blaming Darcy for his predicament. As Mr. Bennet said, “I challenge Sir Lucas to produce a better son-on-law. He simpers and whimpers and makes love to us all…” (something like that). He was a dishonorable conman who left destruction in his wake.

[lesleybarklay]

I would argue that Marianne and Eleanor's half-brother, John Dashwood, should be up fairly high on that list. He was more than wealthy enough to help support his sisters, but he absolutely refuses to do anything for them.

[Youknowwhoyounopoo]

I think ghosting is just about the worst thing someone can do to another person. When you ghost someone, you make them examine themselves over and over, trying to find what they did wrong, and blaming themselves for something that had nothing to do with them. It spirals a person to depression, and I've known a few people irl who have contemplated suicide from being ghosted. Sometimes, when I read S&S, I imagine Marianne, still distressed with Willoughby's marriage, staying in the rain and allowing herself to be cold and wet and get sick, as a sort of suicide attempt. Ghosters do that to people. Willoughby was such a ghoster, and the fact that he did it twice earns him the top spot.

[nathanalbright]

Curveball choice: Mr. Bennet - blatantly fails in his responsibilities as a father, gives his daughters a terrible view of marriage through his contempt of their mother, puts Lydia in harm's way, jeopardizing the marriage potential of his daughters.

[jjac]

I think General Tilney should move up on the list even though his worst behavior was toward his wife who is already dead.
"Catherine, at any rate, heard enough to feel that in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty.
"

[neilbuckley]

Would not have put Collins in the villains list, sure he is a pompous twit, but that's not being a villain. Would have put General Tilney higher up, not only is he obsessed with money but from what his children say he was horrible to his wife [rather like Mrs Norris is horrible to Fanny ] on a daily basis, making her life a misery.

[aliiciia]

The only difference between Wickham and Willoughby's case is that in Wickham's situation Darcy was there and fixed his mess. Willoughby is everything what Wickham could be, if Darcy wouldn't be there.
And poor Eliza's only luck that she have Colonel Brandon as a step father. Without him, her story would ended much worse.

[lydiasilic]

I feel like Whickam is more of a villain than Willoughby. After all, Willoughby did actually love Marianne while Whickam just wanted money/a good time from Lydia.

[jenka]

I am so glad Crawford is high on the list. Currently re-reading Mansfield Park for the 101st time and all I can see nowadays is this entitled f***-boy (or he would be nowadays) with too much time and the first crush of his life on his hands.
Could rant about the man for hours.

[SusanLH]

Agree with the reasons for your ranking. I was thinking about Henry Crawford. I think he fell in love with Fanny but her doubting of him and the time it took to overcome her doubts saw his natural laziness and self-indulgence reassert themselves and he turns to a more willing and easier person, Maria Bertram. Looking forward to your 10 villainesses next.

[ElizabethJones-pvsj]

I have just re-read Sense and Sensibility so maybe that's why it's at the forefront of my mind I think I have to put Willoughby at the top of this list (although I think several other men on this list would have done much the same had they been in the same circumstances as all of Jane Austen's villains are characterised by selfishness).
Crime 1 he seduced & abandoned Eliza, although I think most of the other selfish jerks in the list would have used their power as wealthy men to treat woman as objects, it's just that in this one book we get to know her name and a little bit about her.
Crime 2 he deliberately deceive Marianne and her family while also carefully stopping short of anything that could let her sue him for breach of promise.
Crime 3 The final nail in the coffin is he hears from Sir John Middleton that Marianne is dying from the grief of being rejected by him and his response is not 'I should re-think my life choices' or 'what can I do to help?' but instead he chooses 'I will go out of my way to dump my emotional baggage about my unhappy marriage (which I chose to enter with eyes wide open) on a 19 year old who is trying to nurse her dying sister all on her own with no emotional support in sight'. It's just a horrible selfish act all about making himself feel better with zero F#s given about how it might affect anyone else. He's whining about his wife to his ex's sister and doesn't care that he is hurting his wife, his ex and his ex's sister because it makes him feel good that he has held his own little pity party.

[Shiyamirai]

Willoughby not only broke Marianne's heart, but dissappointed his aunt; who was probably looking the other way from all his other scandals until she found out who was connected to Eliza.

[matthewzito]

I feel like the half-brother from Sense & Sensibility deserves a place on this list. Not only did not care about his half-sisters and stepmother, but he also broke a promise that he made to his dying father.

[rachelport]

Mr. Eliot is worse than Wickham or Willoughby or Henry Crawford. Why? Because he isn't just a rake; his behavior towards Mrs. Smith is really damaging - besides his helping her late husband into financial ruin, he refuses to act in his role as executor, which keeps her in dire poverty.

[k.l.]

I agree 100% on Willoughby. He is my top worse villain choice too. He has so much potential and yet hurts and dissapoints so many so greatly. Made worse by the fact that he feels or belives himself to want well all the time, he is just such an idiot!

[JadedAlice]

"This is Mr. Darcy - don't get them confused." 😂👍

[טליאבישי-רת]

I loved the fact that you put Willoughby above Wickham! People often do the opposite, because Willoughby is so charming, and seems like Marianne's soulmate. But in reality - he is no such thing! He agrees with her ideas in order to court her (Jane Austen hints pretty broadly about it), and he is the classic narcissist - always seeing himself as the victim and everybody else at fault.
I really love Amanda Grange's illumination of his character, in Marianne's words, in "Colonel Brandon's Diary" - She brutally spreads out all his lies and self deception.

Another comment - Captain Tilney is definitely not an angel, but in the book it is not spelled out that he actually seduces Isabella - only that they flirt to the point that causes James uneasiness, and finally Isabella and James part. In the last movie there is a definite seduction scene.

[patty]

Honestly, I think Captain Tilney is a bit of a hero for saving James Moreland from Isabella. That was a close call!!

[bw]

I wonder if people are ready to forgive Frank Churchill partially because Emma was not a very vulnerable person in society