A Male Mrs. Bennett

The most ridiculous character in this novel is absolutely General Tilney. He is the female version of Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. Both are obsessed with rank, class, money, and their children getting advantageously married. Both also brag, dominate conversations with stuff no one cares about, make quick ill-informed judgments and react accordingly, are prideful and rude, compare themselves with others, seek out a feeling of superiority, and make it painful to be in the same room with them.

All of Austen's novels seem to have a ridiculous character embodying these traits Austen hates most in society. In Pride and Prejudice it was Mrs. Bennett. In Sense and Sensibility it was Fanny. I am fascinated that in other novels it is a woman that embodies these traits, but here it is a man. In so doing, Austen shows that ridiculousness is not limited to the female population; men and women alike have the potential to embody these negative characteristics. Although it is interesting here that the General did not start out obviously ridiculous like Fanny and Mrs. Bennett. We have to get to know him a bit to really see it. In Jane Austen's eyes these characteristics cross sex as well as class/money (Fanny and the General are very wealthy, Mrs. Bennett is not). If she has a message threaded through her novels other than marriage based on love is preferable, it is that these characteristics are to be criticized and avoided. That said, I still want to marry a rich guy--but don't worry I won't brag about how new our carpet is or anything.