Rating Jane Austen Proposals*
*just the major ones in her main six novels
Edward Ferrars to Elinor Dashwood
- Entirely unexpected (the Dashwoods all thought he was already married to Lucy Steele)
- Elinor cries happy tears of joy and relief
- Owns up to his foolishness from before
- Had surprise and eager acceptance on his side but he could have avoided so much drama and heartache by being honest in the first place. At least he's a man of principle.
- 7/10
Mr. Collins to Elizabeth Bennet
- Wants to get married because Catherine de Bourgh told him to
- Does try to alleviate the Bennet's future financial distress by proposing to one of the daughters
- Doesn't listen to Elizabeth at all
- Refuses to take Elizabeth's clear no and thinks "no means I'm flirting and actually mean yes"
- 1/10
Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet (#1)
- Proposes because his feelings overcome his "better judgement" and he can't take it anymore
- Insults her family's lack of propriety and connections and how he's degrading himself to marry someone so inferior
- Was completely confident that she would say yes because of his wealth and importance even though he had separated Mr. Bingley and her sister
- Responds in anger from his wounded pride when she says no and insults her family some more
- Rating this higher than Mr. Colin's proposal because we all love the enemies-to-eventual-lovers tension and spit-fire back and forth
- 3/10
Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet (#2)
- Prompted by Elizabeth thanking him doing everything to solve the crisis with Lydia running away with Wickham, which he didn't even mean for Elizabeth to find out about
- States his feelings for her clearly before asking for hers
- But "one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever"
- He just puts his heart out there but is willing to walk away and take her reply as a final answer instead of forever trying to wear her down or forever bother her!!!
- Owns up to his pride and how Elizabeth challenged him to change
- They continue talking and walking, happy and in love, with Elizabeth too overcome to look him in the eye. Ah restrained regency love!
- 10/10
Henry Crawford to Fanny Price
- Is genuinely in love for once instead of wanting to toy with a woman's affections out of boredom
- Helps her brother William get a promotion and shares this with his proposal (Could be seen as manipulative)
- Doesn't listen to Fanny when she tells him to stop talking because it's distressing her
- Won't take no for an answer
- He and everyone else thinks she's going to make him a better man (Be a better man on your own! It's not a woman's job to transform you!)
- 2/10 - (my apologies to the shippers)
Edward Bertram to Fanny Price
- It happens?
- We don't get many details in the text
- Fanny ends up with the one she wanted even though he's not great
- 4/10
Mr. Elton to Emma Woodhouse
- Insults Emma's friend Harriet, calling Harriet way beneath him, when Emma says she thought he had been interested in Harriet
- Full of empty flattery - he isn't actually in love with her
- Just interested in her large dowry and high social standing
- After Emma rejects him, he writes a petty letter to Mr. Woodhouse saying he's leaving town for a while, purposely leaving her out of the letter
- Quickly revenge-rebound-marries another young lady of wealth
- 0/10
Mr. Knightly to Emma Woodhouse
- Is willing to not say it at first when Emma tells him to stop
- Admits his shortcomings and his tender love for her
- He waits to hear her answer
- "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more"
- 9/10
John Thorpe to Catherine Morland
- Barely counts as a proposal
- "Did you ever hear the old song 'Going to One Wedding Brings on Another?' " (Seriously, what?)
- Say you're bad at communicating clearly without saying you're bad at communicating clearly
- Only wants to marry her because he mistakenly thinks she's a wealthy heiress
- -3/10
Henry Tilney to Catherine Morland
- After finding out why his father threw Catherine out, tells his father in passionate anger that he loves Catherine and intends to marry her, and refuses to go with General Tilney to Herefordshire
- Instead goes straight to Catherine's home to propose
- Combined with mortification and deep apologies for the way his father treated Catherine
- Is willing to part ways with his father over it
- A mix of love and anger and asking for forgiveness
- They eventually get his father's approval
- 8/10
Captain Wentworth to Anne Elliot (#2)
- Puts a note on a table and gives a look and leaves
- The most romantic letter in the history of time
- "I am half agony half hope"
- Confesses his foolish pride and regrets his resentment
- Asks for but a word, a look
- So much relief after so much angst
- 100/10
Bonus: Mr. Martin to Harriet Smith
- Gets Mr. Knightly's advice before proposing
- Short and sweet (A short letter doesn't mean it's bad, Harriet!)
- Is still civil and kind to her after she says no even though it's awkward
- Extra sweet because they eventually end up together
- 9/10
How would you rate these proposals?
