AITA … or the Hero?

Catherine:

“So I got invited to stay at Northanger and I thought it would be fun to snoop and create a fun storyline for the Tilney’s. But then it got too real and it seemed like General Tilney actually murdered his wife. So of course I went and told everybody to protect them. Their father seemed like he actually did it! Then, they even kicked me out without an escort when I confronted General Tilney but I was just trying to save his family from him. Am I the Asshole or the Hero?”

r/General Tilney: You blamed me for killing my sick wife, while I invited you to stay at my estate. How dare you accuse me of such a horrible crime. You are, indeed, the asshole here.

r/Captin Tilney: Father is right. You truly are an asshole.

r/Ms.Bates: Oh my darling! The hero, of course, if you suspected this man of being a murderer, however, the sake of the household must be kept in mind. Those gothic novels you read do give life a bit of excitement, no? Don’t listen to these mean men on the forum! Boo you boys! Keep life exciting and juicy.

 

Emma:

“I come from a small town called Highbury, a rural town outside of London. I like to perform acts of charity by helping my friends find gentlemen above them in order to improve their status and the social status of Highbury all together. However, things got a little messy when my friend Harriet received a letter from a young farmer named Robert Martin. A farmer? Could you believe that! Of course, I made her break up with him so she could meet Mr. Elton. He’s such a lovely gentleman and even is a clergyman! Am I the Asshole or the Hero for making Harriet dump her poor boyfriend because she deserves better, and so does Highbury?”

r/Fanny: I mean, maybe you shouldn’t meddle in other people’s relationships. It seems like Harriet really likes Robert and she should be allowed to decide who she wants to marry. You aren’t a hero for not letting your friend be with who she wants to be. You’re an asshole.

r/Isabella Thorpe: Oh honey, you’re the hero of course! It sounds like your life is so much fun over there. We all understand how important it is to marry well and be taken care of. You’re a saint, doing all the charity you can to improve others’ lives and should be nothing short of worshipped for it. Keep doing you!

r/Henry Crawford: As my sister, Mary keeps telling me, marriage is what will save me. I can only assume it will save Harriet from her low-class life, too. You are a hero for helping her find a gentleman to care for her. I see Fanny disagrees, however. Figures as much…

 

 

Frank Churchill:

“So I met this really sweet and talented girl Emma. She’s really cool to hang out with and that excitement of meeting a new girl again is a nice refreshing feeling. She’s real great to sing with, too. She’s got a cute face and seems really into me. Am I the Asshole or the Hero because I didn’t tell her about my preexisting engagement to Jane Fairfax in order to make Emma feel better about herself and to get my last kicks in before my wedding?”

r/Edmund: Trust me, I get where you’re coming from. While it’s not as sinful as what you did, I was set on marrying this lovely woman, Mary, but then I ended up with Fanny. Of course, she knew about Mary the entire time, though. So yeah, you’re kind of an asshole but God forgives everyone.

r/Mr. Knightley: GOD WON’T FORGIVE YOU. YOU BROKE EMMA’S HEART, YOU ASSHOLE. YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE. VERY ASSHOLE-Y. Edmund is being too passive here. Women are not toys to use for your pleasure just because you want to mess around before your wedding. They are human beings with gentle faces and kind hearts and feelings and emotions. But thanks for being such an asshole. Without you being so disgusting, I would’ve never gotten a chance with her. I love her.

r/John Thorpe: Ah, women are just like horses. Sometimes, one isn’t enough, if you get me, man? Good on you for having some fun. You ride one horse while another waits for you in the stable. Gotta make them all just feel better, those insecure little tramps. That’s just life. Goddamn, you are a hero!

r/Harriet: I think it’s pretty messed up what you did. You hurt Emma’s feelings and used her like it was all a game for you.  I think that makes you a pretty mean asshole.

 

 

 

 

I chose the format of the “AITA” Reddit forums for this final project because I felt it was the clearest way to analyze different characters’ roles from their own perspective. This method also provided a unique way for characters from other novels to interact with one another. In addition to those beneficial aspects, this method also made it easier to analyze truly what makes an Austen hero/heroine and why that is different for everyone.

The first original post in the thread comes from Catherine. Jane Austen bluntly tells us in the beginning of Northanger Abbey that Catherine isn’t much of a heroine. At the time Jane Austen is writing, the typical heroine of Gothic fiction was definitely not Catherine. She is not incredibly smart or strong or beautiful. This is completely intentional of Austen, of course, because everything she does, is. By all technicalities, however, Catherine is the heroine of Northanger Abbey. Her Reddit post highlights her love of Gothic novels, though, and her eagerness to be that kind of heroine and forcing her real life to follow the plot of one of those novels. This poet also showcases her innocence and lack of understanding as to why General Tilney would be upset by her accusations. This is also seen in the novel when she confuses Isabella with her literary heroines because she remembers them as if they were real people.

General Tilney becomes the first response to her Reddit post. He definitely does not view her as the heroine that Austen created her to be nor does he see her as a more traditional heroine. He becomes incredibly rude to her once he realizes she is not wealthy. This hostility is meant to come across in his response to Catherine. This kind of behavior was common in Austen’s time however, it is still not acceptable. His rejection of Catherin is always present.

Captin Tilney then comes in to support General Tilney. He aligns himself in the same way; he rejects Catherine as a heroine and refuses to entertain her absurd fantasies of his father being a murderer.

There could not be a discussion about such topics without Ms.Bates finding herself involved, so it was important to add her response to the thread as well. She encourages Catherine to keep her fantasies wild because Ms.Bates thrives on drama and excitement of all sorts. Something like the rumor Catherine is spreading surely would’ve caught Ms.Bates’ attention. Like most women at this time, though, she also is concerned about the image a household presents to society and those who matter in society.

The second “Am I The Asshole?” post comes from Emma. Emma Woodhouse is much closer to being the typical heroine of a Gothic novel than Catherine. She comes from money and is overwhelmingly concerned in the social hierarchy of the time and making sure her friends find love that is also beneficial to their place in society. Harriet is her main victim of this practice in Emma. Her post focuses on this aw well as highlights how unaware she is of the privilege she holds because of her father’s money. She thinks she is a hero and is helping Harriet but really, she’s taking her friend away from someone she loves. Despite this, she takes care of her father without one complaint throughout the entire novel and pushes Harriet to leave Robert because she wants her to be okay. Austen’s narrator wants us to dislike Emma and reject her as the heroine of the novel but by letting us into Emma’s, it makes the reader more sympathetic towards her and more lenient of allowing her to be the heroine of Emma.

Fanny is the first comment to respond to Emma. In Mansfield Park, Fanny just kind of exists to other people and goes by unnoticed. However, she makes her opinion clear in her response to Emma. We see the Fanny feels things intensely. For example, when she gets upset, her body reacts and she gets bad headaches. We see her strength, though, when she rejects Henry and refuses to give anyone a strong and clear explanation because she knows she doesn’t owe them one. This unapologetic attitude is seen in her response. She defends Harriet because as Fanny wasn’t forced to be with someone she didn’t want to be with, neither should Harriet.

The second response to Emma comes from Isabella Thorpe. Isabella Thorpe is quite possibly the most chaotically entertaining character in Northanger Abbey. She truly embraces Emma as the heroine of the situation. Isabella is all about scheming to get what she wants. While she is an incredibly fake friend to Catherine among other unagreeable traits, she understands the importance of marriage. In her response, she kisses up to Emma in the same way she does to Catherine as well as supports her as a heroine who understands the goal of life for women at this time was to marry well and Emma was doing right by Harriet.

Henry Crawford then chimes in with his own response to disagree with the girls and call out Emma for being the asshole. For comedic effect, he also comments on Fanny’s response about marrying who you love as she rejected his marriage proposal. His sister constantly tells him that marriage will save him, as he has an affair when Fanny breaks his heart and will change him into a gentleman. This leads him to side with Harriet on Emma’s post, commenting that she should marry who she loves since he did not have the opportunity to.

The last post comes from the infamous Frank Churchill, which becomes an attempt to justify hiding his engagement from Emma. He comes up with excuses for his and claims the title of a hero for himself. His bachelor mindset of getting his last kicks in before being “tied down” is a typical male perspective for men of the time and even, occasionally today for some. His main purpose in Emma is really just as a device for Austen to show important (and incorrect!) gossip can be to a small town.

Edmund is the first to respond to Frank’s disastrous post. His dedication to becoming a clergyman is extremely evident as well as his focus on being a morally good person. He remains incredibly neutral in this situation. However, he isn’t completely innocent and acknowledges his messy situation within his own love life that wasn’t executed perfectly. Frank Churchill, though, is not a perfect hero in his eyes and definitely leans more to the asshole side of this scale rather than heroic.

Mr. Knightley also comments on Frank’s post. He makes his feelings towards Frank very, very, very clear. This really comes from a place of love and a need to protect Emma rather than a place of hate for Frank. Mr.Knightley is the ideal “guy next door”. He is the perfect gentleman and arguably, the hero of Emma, alongside Emma, of course. Frank is most definitely an asshole in the kind eyes of Mr.Knightley.

John Thorpe replies right under Mr.Knightley, with a completely contrasting take her. His love for women and horses really shines through here, since all he really talks about is horses. While Mr.Knightley views women as intellectual beings who deserve to be respected, John compares them to horses. He praises Frank for being a hero because in his eyes, Frank is living the same lifestyle as John.

It only seems right that Harriet comes in to defend her best friend in her normal, kind of timid ways. As best friends, it’s the rule to hate the guy your best friend hates so of course, Harriet is going to see Frank as an asshole for taking advantage of Emma. She doesn’t say much, but that’s just her personality. There is no way a man like Frank would be a hero to the sweet Harriet.

Jane Austen and her genius mind are always throwing her readers around. Her heroes and heroines are not what they are expected to be, as found in the more traditional Gothic novels. Jane Austen creates heroes. They are original and different and all unique in their own way. She uses her heroes to satirize and make fun of the way society functions. A Jane Austen hero is not perfect, hence the Reddit posts. Their actions can be interpreted differently from various perspectives. Their roundness and complexity make them human, which is vital to their successes in her novels. They are tragically flawed and follow their own moral compass. Catherine does what she thinks is right but gets lost inside of her fantasies. Emma does what she thinks is right but unintentionally hurts Harriet. Frank Churchill does what he thinks is right but gets caught up in his owns lies to protect himself. Her heroes aren’t perfect but that’s what makes them heroes.