9 Best Jane Austen Villains

Remember those bastards that tried their hardest to ruin our- ahem- the herione's happiness?!

9. Edward Ferrars - Sense and Sensibility

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Ok, so maybe Edward is not an all out villain. But boy was I disappointed when Elinor married him at the end. He’s just so boring! There wasn’t a single part of the book where he particularly commended himself to me. And he makes Elinor fall in love with him when he’s already engaged to world’s most annoying girl. Am I the only one who was holding out for Elinor and Colonel Brandon getting together?

8. Lady Russell - Persuasion

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Lady Russell convinces Anne to break it off with man-I-most-wish-wasn’t-fiction Captain Wentworth, despite the fact she loves him and he’s a beautiful human being. Lady Russell however is significantly less infuriating than Anne’s father and sister, who should just be locked somewhere far away. And I suppose it’s easily argued that she thought it was in Anne’s best interests, as he was poor and unconnected blah blah blah. But Anne was miserable for eight unnecessary years. Here’s a picture of Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth, which was THE BEST CASTING ever achieved. I couldn’t not do it.

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7. Mr Collins - Pride and Prejudice

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Eurgh. He makes my skin crawl just by typing his name. He just never stops talking about bloody Lady Catherine De Bourgh, whilst he works his way through the Bennet sisters in terms of which one he wants to marry. He refuses to take Elizabeth’s rejection of his proposal seriously, and basically tells her she should consider herself lucky in her circumstances. Glad to see the back of him.

6. Caroline Bingley - Pride and Prejudice

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If I wasn’t opposed to calling women bitches... No, seriously she is a nasty piece of work. Just because she’s got a fair bit of money in the bank (or her brother does- she’s a WOMAN remember, they can’t be trusted with money!), she just walks round with a face like a slapped arse making an abundance of condescending comments. She’s instrumental in the removal of the loveable Mr Bingley from Jane’s company, because she doesn’t deem her worthy of her brother. One part of her is understandable, she fancies this guy...

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5. Lady Catherine de Bourgh - Pride and Prejudice

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This woman does such terrible things as repeatedly asking Elizabeth her age- such a monster. But in all seriousness, she is so disgusted by the rumours about a link between Elizabeth and Darcy that she appears in the middle of the night to take on Elizabeth. Just another all-round snob.

4. Frank Churchill - Emma

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Frank is basically a very bad influence on Emma, not that it really takes much though. The two when together seem to be so annoying to others around them that it’s actually embarrassing. He also encourages everyone to presume him and Emma are in love, despite the fact that he’s secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax the entire time, poor girl. Mr Knightley more than makes up for it though.

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3. Mr Willoughby - Sense and Sensibility

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This guy just seems so darned nice at the start of the novel. But he really goes off the rails. He could not have led Marianne on any more than he does at the start of the novel, and then abruptly leaves. It then turns out that he seduced Colonel Brandon’s niece and then abandoned her when she was pregnant! Jesus. He is then disowned by his rich aunt and so has to find a rich wife. When he visits Marianne when he thinks she’s dying (total overreaction), you do begin to feel slightly sorry for him. But he’s still predominantly a bit of a bastard.

2. Mr Wickham - Pride and Prejudice

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The one that everybody loves to hate. He takes advantage of Mr Darcy Senior, and when hot Mr Darcy refuses to fund his lavish lifestyle he embarks on a path of bitterness and revenge. He almost runs off with Georgiana Darcy for her fortune, and then spreads horrible, incorrect rumours about Darcy that he’s too proud to refute. He makes Elizabeth kind of fancy him, and then runs off with the exasperatingly grinding Lydia. He’ll only marry her because Darcy pays him to. What a great guy.

1. Mr Elliot - Persuasion

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Grr I really hate this one. He basically marries his first wife on the promise of money, and her death is certainly suspicious. He also led Mr Smith into debt, leaving Anne’s old school friend in destitute circumstances. He only tries to infiltrate the Elliot’s because he wants to ensure that Sir Walter does not remarry, so that the inheritance will still go to him. He even goes so far as to persuade Mrs Clay to be his mistress, to keep her away from Sir Walter. Most unforgivably of all, he upsets Captain Wentworth when he believes him and Anne to be engaged. Overall: evil.