Jane Austen Characters Whom We Love to Hate Quiz

Answer: a pompous, officious toady

Mr. Collins (of "Pride and Prejudice") is obsessed with his noble patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. His proposal to his "fair cousin" Elizabeth must be the funniest, least romantic marriage proposal in English literature.

Answer: his own and other people's looks

Poor Anne Elliot (in "Persuasion") has a silly, vain father who spends much of his time gloating about his own and his daughter Elizabeth's beauty, and happily comparing their good looks to other people's ugliness.

Answer: because Aunt Norris is officious

Aunt Norris is a coldhearted, officious, self-important, stingy woman who kisses up to her wealthy brother-in-law, Sir Thomas. Mrs. Norris does love her niece Maria, however, so when Maria commits adultery, Mrs. Norris gets her comeuppance.

Answer: She is pretty, clever, poor, and sly.

Scheming Lucy (in "Sense and Sensibility") is secretly engaged to the man Elinor Dashwood loves, Edward Ferrars. She ends up married to his brother, Robert (and the two are perfectly suited: they're both out for themselves).

Answer: arrogance

Lady Catherine is Mr. Darcy's aunt and Mr. Collins's patroness (in "Pride and Prejudice"). She is excessively proud of her high birth and thinks of her own opinions and directions as law. She unintentionally furthers Darcy's and Elizabeth's romance by forbidding Elizabeth to become engaged to Darcy. When Elizabeth refuses, Darcy finds out and asks for her hand a second time.

Answer: selfish and self-deceived

When his father is dying (at the beginning of "Sense and Sensibility"), John promises him that he will provide for his step-mother and half-sisters, and he fully intends to do so. However, he is easily talked out of it by his proud, greedy wife. He does not even seem to realize that he has broken his solemn promise. He actually thinks he is a good, generous brother and stepson.

Answer: To pay her back for thinking he could stoop to marry her

When proud Mr. Elton finds out that Emma (the woman he wants to marry) is trying to match him up with Harriet (who's illegitimate, we assume), the clergyman is furious. He ends up marrying a woman as shallow and proud as himself.

Answer: General Tilney and Isabella Thorpe

Isabella is a flirtatious, scheming fair-weather friend, while General Tilney is a proud, unscrupulous, greedy dictator.

Answer: He is a charming, handsome rake.

Willoughby truly loves Marianne, but he jilts her for a richer woman when he loses his money. He loses his money because he runs off with Colonel Brandon's ward, lives with her in sin, and deserts her (apparently he does not know that she is pregnant, but she is). Willoughby's rich old cousin finds out about this evil deed and disinherits him.

Answer: She is a whiny, self-centered, proud hypochondriac.

Mary is only a shade or two nicer than her father, Sir Walter, and her eldest sister, the coldhearted, beautiful Elizabeth.