First of all, I think I can speak for Miss Osborne and Mrs. Fitzpatrick in saying a huge and heartfelt thank you for playing Jane Austen’s March Madness with us—for filling out brackets, for voting in each round, for Facebooking and Twittering and e-mailing and spreading the word (and, in one particularly endearing case, for asking us about the results between Easter services). Your enthusiasm surpassed our wildest hopes, and we couldn’t have had a successful tournament without your help and your humor and your willingness to play along. We had a great time moderating (and speculating), and we hope you had a great time playing. You’re the best!
But let’s get down to business and talk about Anne Elliot’s miracle race for the championship, shall we?
Anne Elliot—spinsterish, unassuming to a fault, and heroine of one of Austen’s less-read novels—went down to the dazzling and absurdly popular Elizabeth Bennet in the Final Four, making her the runner-up on the ladies’ side. She beat out Elinor Dashwood and her final passionate outburst, Jane Bennet and her notorious lovely/lovable combo, and even her own handsome nice-guy pirate Wentworth to become the only non-Bennet to make it to the end of the tournament. It appears that something about the air (sea air, one assumes) outside of Persuasion did her some good: in the universe of her own novel, Anne would never have put up this much of a fight.
So why did she make it so far in March Madness? Further, what kind of revealing psychological assumptions can we make about the Austenacious community at large, now that we’re equipped with this kind of data? (“Data”: statisticians everywhere shudder. Sorry, math!)
Maybe, through some ironic trick of the cosmos, the Austenacious target demographic is the demographic of maturity—in much the way that Persuasion is Austen’s treatise on autumn and long-suffering and the virtues of rekindled love. Maybe we know what it’s like to wait without hope. Maybe we have ineffectual fathers and well-meaning but occasionally overbearing lady neighbors. Maybe we like a good trip to the sea. Maybe we know that, as Benwick so heartbreakingly points out, the death of a relationship isn’t so different from the death of a person.
Or, you know, maybe we just have a thing for sailors.
Readers?
Tagged: Anne Elliot, Austenacious, Captain Wentworth, Elinor Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Austen, Jane Austen's March Madness, Jane Bennet, March Madness, Persuasion on Thursday, April 8, 2010 · 7 Comments »
I think I like the term “ineffectual fathers” over dead-beat!! And yes, I had one of those, but I’m pretty sure he’s not the reason I identify with Anne so much. Probably more along the lines of old spinster wishing for love but resigned to life without it. I’ll be 37 next week (ACK!!) and have only ever dated 3 guys with only one being a slightly serious relationship. Well, I thought it was serious…..until he stopped calling!! ROFL
Oh!, and I do have a thing for sailors – Regency and modern. I joined the Navy when I was 19 and for 5 years I was surrounded by them!!
LOL
Ah, Anne–I love you dearly and have yet to see a good portrayal of you on screen. (Apologies to A. Root and S. Hawkins, but neither is the Anne of My Dreams. Sorry.)
So why Anne? Well, for one thing, how many of us are Elizabeth? Assured, witty, take-no-shit-nor-prisoners, even from haughty rich guys or their even haughtier aunts? Lizzie’s the girl we want to be, perhaps imagine we are, but let’s face it, many more of us are Annes.
We’re the peacemakers. We deal with the whiners and the vain people in our lives, and we do it without complaint. We’re influenced by those we love and those we believe know better than we do, often against our own better judgement. We keep our mouths shut even when we’re dying to shout our frustration or anger or heartbreak to the world.
And we know that the Elizabeths of this world are more likely to win in the end.
But we’ve got more staying power, and ultimately, more heart.
^What Rosemary said. *a little teary*
Though one thing I’d disagree on–I like Sally Hawkins’s performance more every time I watch Persuasion
I just started watching the Sally Hawkins version again. I like her as well, but clearly I’ll need to watch the Amanda Root version again if I’m going to compare. (Oh, such hardships we face!) I love Anthony Stewart Head as Mr. Elliot. He’s so horrible.
Rosemary’s comment was superb, but I’d like to add a little to it. For me personally, the Lizzie/Anne comparison is a little like the Marianne/Elinor dynamic, by which I mean that most people I talk to consider themselves as more like Marianne when they’re younger and more like Elinor when they’re older. In the same vein, I liked Lizzie more when I was younger but I like Anne better now.
I’ve been told a few times that of all the Austen heroines, I’m most like Lizzie. I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided that’s not a compliment, although the people who said it meant to be kind, I’m sure. Given what I know about myself, I’m pretty sure they meant that I’m opinionated, sometimes judgmental, and usually not afraid to tell people off. And that works for Lizzie, but that’s not the kind of person I personally want to be. So I would submit that I don’t just find myself more and more like Anne as I get older, but I actually want to be more like Anne these days. She’s patient and dependable and competent. She treats everyone well, no matter how little they deserve it. She does what she feels to be right, no matter how difficult it is.
So rather than being surprised at Anne’s popularity, let’s say it’s a sign of your readership’s excellent taste.
If you’re interested, we’re hosting an author’s March Madness tournament at http://logiosdolioseriounios.blogspot.com/
Austen has advanced to the second round, and is up against Emily Bronte.
Lots of other great writers to vote on, too!