Amen to all that you have said!
Fanny is certainly not the only judgmental Austen heroine - all of them are judgemental to one degree or another - even Anne Wentworth (who prefers her more elegent mind to the frivolous happiness of the Musgrove girls) and Elinor (who rightly judges the Steele sisters as being vain, stupid, and mercenary). Fanny had a great advantage over Elizabeth Bennet and Emma, as her judgements are usually correct and do not lead her to treat others badly.
As for Molly and Cynthia, their relationship is very different to that of Fanny and Mary. For a start, they begin their relationship as equals - both each a daughter of the newly married couple, living in the same house, with 'similiar' fortunes. Fanny and Mary are worlds apart - a poor dependent and a wealthy independent woman used to 'fashionable' society. Molly and Cynthia, for all their differences in tastes and talents, come to esteem each other truly, fully valuing the other for their virtues and loving them in spite of their faults. Mary, however, never really tries to get to know Fanny properly, and has no understanding of what she values. Fanny is a convenient companion, and since Edmund values her Mary does too, without really ever knowing Fanny as she really is. This leads Mary's acts of kindness to go astray, since she has no idea of what Fanny actually wants or needs. Fanny's strict moral values means that she cannot approve of or become close friends with Mary, as the way they view the world is incompatible. Jealousy over Edmund makes it worse, but even without the jealousy Fanny would still be unable to approve of Mary's cynicism and flippancy.
Fanny is certainly not the only judgmental Austen heroine - all of them are judgemental to one degree or another - even Anne Wentworth (who prefers her more elegent mind to the frivolous happiness of the Musgrove girls) and Elinor (who rightly judges the Steele sisters as being vain, stupid, and mercenary). Fanny had a great advantage over Elizabeth Bennet and Emma, as her judgements are usually correct and do not lead her to treat others badly.
As for Molly and Cynthia, their relationship is very different to that of Fanny and Mary. For a start, they begin their relationship as equals - both each a daughter of the newly married couple, living in the same house, with 'similiar' fortunes. Fanny and Mary are worlds apart - a poor dependent and a wealthy independent woman used to 'fashionable' society. Molly and Cynthia, for all their differences in tastes and talents, come to esteem each other truly, fully valuing the other for their virtues and loving them in spite of their faults. Mary, however, never really tries to get to know Fanny properly, and has no understanding of what she values. Fanny is a convenient companion, and since Edmund values her Mary does too, without really ever knowing Fanny as she really is. This leads Mary's acts of kindness to go astray, since she has no idea of what Fanny actually wants or needs. Fanny's strict moral values means that she cannot approve of or become close friends with Mary, as the way they view the world is incompatible. Jealousy over Edmund makes it worse, but even without the jealousy Fanny would still be unable to approve of Mary's cynicism and flippancy.