Ranking Jane Austen's Heroines From Worst to Best

Ranking Jane Austen's Heroines From Worst to Best

Jane Austen published a total of six novels — and while she gained little recognition for them during her lifetime, they have all since become classics. Her sharply observed portraits of manners and marriage have endured for decades and generations to come will all have legions of fans.

We are ranking the heroines from Austen's novels from worst to best, including characters from Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and, of course, Pride and Prejudice. Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know in the comments!

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[irishcottage]

This lost me immediately when it ranked Emma Woodhouse as the worst. Emma is a complex, loving, fascinating character who genuinely means well and grows and learns from her mistakes. In my opinion, she is Austen’s best female character. At the very least, she is in the top three along with Anne Elliot and Elizabeth Bennett.

[melenatorr]

I put Anne Elliot over Lizzie: for me, she's a richer, more reflective character, and her development is unique. And she gets that wonderful declaration of how differently men and women love.

[susanyates]

Anne Elliott is my favourite Austen character. Disappointed you did not show the better portrayal by Amanda Root, though.

[Zaft_K]

Thank you for the nuanced and respectful discussion of Fanny Price. I have re-read "Mansfield Park" many times, and I appreciate Fanny more with each reading. Fanny represents the vast majority of young women in her time - poor, dependent (on men, if not always rich relatives), and at risk for ruin if she is even perceived to take a misstep. She is not sparkling like Lizzy or Emma, in part because that isn't her personality, but also because she is constrained by her situation.

[cuetzen]

I empathized the most with Elinor Dashwood. She is my favourite Austen's character along with Elizabeth Bennet, obviously.

[jannertfol]

I think 'best' is too vague. Do you mean nicest person? Or best-realised character?

I didn't really enjoy Northanger Abbey or Mansfield Park, but of the other four main novels, I do think the ranking you gave is pretty much spot-on ...although I also think Emma is a more interesting character than Marianne Dashwood (who is more or less a Lydia Bennet, with heart and brains.) Marianne, also, is not a heroine, in the sense that Sense and Sensibility is not actually about her. She's just a secondary character whose situation influences that of the main character, Elinor Dashwood (the same way Jane Bennet influences her sister LIzzy.) I wouldn't include Marianne in this list at all.

It's interesting to take on board Emma's vision of herself. She is more or less stuck having to take care of her weird father, seeing herself as never getting married—probably not admitting to herself that she will struggle to marry AND care for her father ...which doesn't quite make her the spoiled brat people sometimes liken her to. I think she's just living vicariously through her 'matches' and actually thinking she's doing good for others by trying to make these matches work. She is certainly prejudiced against people from other classes, but so are several of Jane's other heroines ...including Elizabeth Bennet. I do think she's the least 'nice' of the four heroines I'm dealing with, and deserves her bottom ranking for that reason ...but she is as excellently portrayed as any of the others. Romola Garai's portrayal is particularly engaging, although I'm fond of Kate Beckinsale's portrayal as well.

Elinor is an admirable person AND character. She is steady and steadfast without ever resorting to prudishness or small-mindedness, and her concern and willingness to conceal her own feelings in order to help her sisters, her mother, and Edward show that she is probably the least selfish of all the main heroines in these four novels I'm addressing. Elinor's situation in life is quite pitiable, really, although she's not really in danger of starvation, apparently. But the behaviour of her brother illustrates the danger in this kind of inheritance system. It was assumed (by the Bennets, in particular) that if Mr Bennet had only had a son, everything would be rosy for his five daughters, because the son would take care of them. Elinor's brother's actions demonstrate that that was, indeed, not always the case. (I believe Jane Austen's eldest brother let her own family down in a similar way.) Emma Thompson's portrayal in the movie version is spot-on, in my opinion.

Anne Elliott, like Elinor Dashwood, has also made sacrifices ...but not as willingly. Her situation is, I believe, the most moving of all the main heroines in these four novels, as she is living with regret. The kind of regret that comes when you KNOW you've made a major mistake at a pivotal moment in your life, and you will have to live with the consequences of that mistake 'forever.' She is so sad, and really sees no future for herself for so much of the story. Elinor's sadness is of short duration, but she would never have become an Anne, because there was nothing she could have done to 'get' Edward, if circumstances hadn't changed. While she would have been sad for the rest of her life, she wouldn't have had herself to blame. Anne, on the other hand, knows what she should have done—and didn't do. It's very very lucky that she got a second chance, and of course she took it. But her character is the one whom I sympathised with the most. I was very moved by Amanda Root's portrayal of this character.

But Eliza Bennet? Yeah. I think she tops this list, and deserves her place as the most popular of Austen's heroines. Partly because the plot of Pride and Prejudice is probably the most varied and fast-paced of all the novels, and all the characters who people this story are fantastic. But Elizabeth is just great to watch.

In general, she doesn't really change her overall personality or attitude towards much in the story EXCEPT her feeling for Darcy, but it's hard not to be enchanted with her character. I am especially fond of Jennifer Ehle's portrayal of her in the 1995 BBC version, as I think it comes the closest to Austen's written character. Ehle sparkles with intelligence and fun, and her satirical wit when confronted with utterly ridiculous people and sentiments pretty much mirrors our own view of these situations. While she is temporarily taken in by Wickham, she's never taken off her feet over him either. Elizabeth combines Elinor's outward composure, Emma's sense of fun, and Anne's ability to see the total picture at once. Elizabeth Bennet is the most rounded character of the lot ...and in Darcy, she has the perfect romantic foil—because he is equally engaging and well-rounded. Pride and Prejudice is pretty much a perfect story—the written version as well as the BBC's 1995 production. I return to both quite often.

[chipmunkpark]

Don't get mad at me but the worst main character is Fanny for me😬 and the best I would put Lizzie or Emma...because Emma at least learned her lesson and had development, same with Lizzie

[gabzi]

This is Jane Bennett erasure, if Maryanne makes this list so should Jane.

Also Captain Wentworth is the brother of Sophia Croft the wife of the couple that rents Kellynch.

[angelaholmes]

My favorites are
Elizabeth Bennett
Eleanor dashwood
Anne Elliott

[lauranichols]

Clarifications: Fanny Price’s family is the Bertrams; the Crawfords are visitors. And Captain Wentworth’s sister, not his brother, rents the Elliot home. (I also pronounce Marianne name like MaryAnn, not Marian, but I don’t know which would have been preferred in the 1800s.)

[gooseware]

You should have shown Elizabeth Ehle as Lizzie, the bbc adaptation of P & P, was far more popular.

[coritzaquintal]

Just like other commented, Emma should be higher but mostly agree with the list 👏

[circedelune]

Without competition, in my opinion, the worst Jane Austin heroine is Ann Elliot. It’s hard to rank best and worst without knowing what is meant by the terms. The funnest is Elizabeth Bennett. The most adorable is Catherine Moreland. The sweetest is Jane Bennet. The most honorable is Fanny. Emma is also a fun character, and not nearly so bad as you seem to think. Anne Elliott I find annoying in the extreme, and Marianne Dashwood only slightly less so. Eleanor Dashwood is rather boring, and more than a little foolish for esteeming a man so highly that actually treated her rather awfully by encouraging her affections, making her believe they could be returned, while knowing all along he could not be with her.

[NationalChamps]

Agreed with the ranking but disagree with their choice of Pride and Prejudice movie.

[einahsirro]

I agree with your ranking, but it's not the Crawfords who put Fanny Price down all the time, it's the Bertrams.

[ojasvashishtha]

Me
Worst - Marianne ( don't hate her but her personality is submissive, at least Emma knows her way. Actually I liked Emma but can't imagine having a friend like her)
Best - Elizabeth Bennet ( a middle class girl with dignity and someone who knows her needs without manipulating people)

[rosalindhershkovitz]

Pity you chose Keira Knightly as Lizzie.... so NOT Lizzie

[SaraH-tevb]

I like the ranking that you presented!

[daffodilunderhill]

My list before watching this video: 6. Fanny 5. Catherine 4. Eleanor 3. Emma 2. Anne 1. Elizabeth
Or maybe this is just me ranking how I like the books in general.

[jessyup]

Marianne is, by far, the most annoying, and Kate Winslet’s portrayal made me positively despise her. The scene when Colonel Brandon speaks with them and she just squints her eyes and looks away as if pained - such a little brat.