Jessical Wrote:
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>
> I agree that Anne is a much more confident in
> herself than Fanny (as well as being clever and
> elegant and one heck of a lady) but she is also
> much older, and had a much more secure childhood
> than Fanny did. Sure, Anne's father is a moron,
> but in her early years she had her mother, and in
> later years had Lady Russell to protect and guide
> her. All Fanny encountered was abuse and neglect
> and constant reminders of her inferiority, with
> only Edmund to act as confidante. For all her
> unassuming nature, Fanny has a very strong moral
> compass, and stands firm when it really matters.
> There should be a way to portray that onscreen in
> a way that connects with the audience, evoking
> sympathy and respect for her.
Anne is also much more socially secure than Fanny, after all, Anne is a baronet's daughter, used to doing acts of charity to the poor near Kellynch, while Fanny is a poor relation treated as an object of charity herself. Anne is also respected by the Musgroves, they appealed to her for help out of respect for her capability (although I've read fanfic where Anne is portrayed as being bullied by them and running errands much in the same manner as Fanny, but that is not true to canon). Although only Mrs Norris was actively tormenting and abusive to Fanny, her cousins except Edmund neglected her. It was in fact the Crawfords who eventually noticed this, they did not mean to torment her but did so unintentionally. Henry did not know how unwelcome his attentions were to her. I often think Fanny might have liked Mary much better and might have tried to improve Mary instead of merely judging her if Fanny herself was not attached to Edmund and jealous of Mary. Someone once made a comparison of Fanny and Mary with Elizabeth Gaskell's Molly and Cynthia in Wives and Daughters. In Gaskell's book, Molly was secretly fond of Roger, but she also loved Cynthia, her stepsister, and when Roger was infatuated with the beautiful, good-natured but shallow Cynthia, and got engaged to Cynthia, she even attempted to persuade Cynthia not to break the engagement because she thought Roger really wanted Cynthia and would be unhappy without her. Cynthia had to assure her that the engagement was a mistake, that he was too good her, and that she preferred another man. Roger soon realized Molly's superiority and fell in love with her, explaining that his feelings for Cynthia was only boyish infatuation. But the point that struck me is -- unlike Fanny, Molly had no bitter, judgmental thoughts but wanted Roger and Cynthia to be happy. Actually, I would like Fanny better if her private thoughts were less judgmental. Anne is also less judgmental than Fanny.
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>
> I agree that Anne is a much more confident in
> herself than Fanny (as well as being clever and
> elegant and one heck of a lady) but she is also
> much older, and had a much more secure childhood
> than Fanny did. Sure, Anne's father is a moron,
> but in her early years she had her mother, and in
> later years had Lady Russell to protect and guide
> her. All Fanny encountered was abuse and neglect
> and constant reminders of her inferiority, with
> only Edmund to act as confidante. For all her
> unassuming nature, Fanny has a very strong moral
> compass, and stands firm when it really matters.
> There should be a way to portray that onscreen in
> a way that connects with the audience, evoking
> sympathy and respect for her.
Anne is also much more socially secure than Fanny, after all, Anne is a baronet's daughter, used to doing acts of charity to the poor near Kellynch, while Fanny is a poor relation treated as an object of charity herself. Anne is also respected by the Musgroves, they appealed to her for help out of respect for her capability (although I've read fanfic where Anne is portrayed as being bullied by them and running errands much in the same manner as Fanny, but that is not true to canon). Although only Mrs Norris was actively tormenting and abusive to Fanny, her cousins except Edmund neglected her. It was in fact the Crawfords who eventually noticed this, they did not mean to torment her but did so unintentionally. Henry did not know how unwelcome his attentions were to her. I often think Fanny might have liked Mary much better and might have tried to improve Mary instead of merely judging her if Fanny herself was not attached to Edmund and jealous of Mary. Someone once made a comparison of Fanny and Mary with Elizabeth Gaskell's Molly and Cynthia in Wives and Daughters. In Gaskell's book, Molly was secretly fond of Roger, but she also loved Cynthia, her stepsister, and when Roger was infatuated with the beautiful, good-natured but shallow Cynthia, and got engaged to Cynthia, she even attempted to persuade Cynthia not to break the engagement because she thought Roger really wanted Cynthia and would be unhappy without her. Cynthia had to assure her that the engagement was a mistake, that he was too good her, and that she preferred another man. Roger soon realized Molly's superiority and fell in love with her, explaining that his feelings for Cynthia was only boyish infatuation. But the point that struck me is -- unlike Fanny, Molly had no bitter, judgmental thoughts but wanted Roger and Cynthia to be happy. Actually, I would like Fanny better if her private thoughts were less judgmental. Anne is also less judgmental than Fanny.