Jane Austen Heroine Poll Results:

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Well, this is very interesting. I know it's a very very hard choice to choose one favorite from all of Jane's wonderful ladies, but the results were amazing! Of course I only got 20 votes, so I may re-do the poll.

Elizabeth Bennet 12 (60%)

Jane Bennet 0 (0%)

Emma Woodhouse 3 (15%)

Fanny Price 0 (0%)

Elinor Dashwood 5 (25%)

Marianne Dashwood 0 (0%)

Anne Elliot 0 (0%)

First place was Elizabeth Bennet, with 12 votes. Dear Lizzie! She's actually my favorite heroine, why, I have no clue. I very much enjoyed both versions of the movie P&P and watching Lizzie portrayed by Jennifer Ehle and Keira Knightley. I thought Jennifer Ehle looked more like my ideal Elizabeth Bennet, but Keira was fascinating as well. (Such expressive eyes!) And Matthew Macfayden was great as Darcy!! (More on that later, when I post about the guys...)

Second place goes to Elinor Dashwood, with 5 votes. I love Elinor too, I've seen two versions of Sense and Sensibility, the one played by Emma Thompson and the one shown on the PBS Masterpiece theater. I've also read the book, (I've read all the Austen books!) Which I actually didn't enjoy as much as the movies...it was a bit too drawn-out, although I did like reading it. Anyway, getting back to Elinor, We could all learn a valuable lesson from her example in patience, gentleness, and kindness in the midst of a very exasperating situation.

Third place is Emma Woodhouse with 3 votes! Oh yes, she did know everything, didn't she? :) Or at least she thought she did. How nice of Mr. Knightley to love her in spite of her abominable attitude towards her acquaintances! I've not yet seen the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, but I did watch the version that played on Masterpiece theater once. I have read the book, which I liked! :) There's something amusing about Emma's struggle with her pride...I'm glad she got everything sorted out in the end.

Poor Jane Bennet, Fanny Price, Marianne Dashwood and Anne Elliot all are at the bottom with 0 votes! Now, I didn't particularly fancy Fanny or Anne, but I love Jane and Marianne!! Don't we all love Jane Bennet's sweet goodwill towards all humankind? I love the scene in the Keira version of P&P where Jane and Lizzie are giggling under the covers after the first ball...what a perfect picture of sisterly affection! I actually didn't like the Jane in the Jennifer Ehle version, I thought she wasn't quite as pretty as Lizzie and her breathy voice got on my nerves. (Although I profess to like both P&P versions equally!)

And Oh, pity upon our romantic Marianne Dashwood! What a scoundrel Willoughby is! True, Marianne shows a deplorable lack of common sense but still, our hearts go out to this poor, imaginative maiden! Thank goodness for a heroic Colonel Brandon who most gallantly comes to the rescue. (Even though he's much much older than Marianne, if you stop to think about it)

And how can we forget Fanny. The meek country cousin who falls in love with Edmond. I haven't read this story recently but I do remember that I liked the book way better than the movie adaption I saw...according to several reviewists there has not been a good Mansfield Park movie yet! There's a lot going on in this Jane Austen story....And I'm sorry but I don't have time for an extensive review at present! (Maybe later...)

And lastly Anne Elliot. Again I liked the book better than the movie, in the book Anne's meekness and gentleness come across as desirable virtues but in the movie we are not quite convinced. Thankfully Captain Wentworth arrives on the scene and after a bit of shilly-shallying which causes Anne much heartbreak he writes her a note telling her he hasn't lost his love for her, though it's been 8 years since he left for the sea after she was persuaded to spurn his marriage proposal.

If you didn't get a chance to vote please tell me your favorite Jane Austen Heroine! I'd love to discuss them with you. :)

AND .....to vote for your favorite Jane Austen Hero, see the poll on the sidebar!

Julia