A while ago due to a glitch on my blog, I lost all the visual images on my side bar, including a poll. Accidentally I found it again today and glad to see the results are still there.
So here it is, for all you Janeites, book and literature lovers out there. If you haven’t voted, you can do that now. If you have voted before, and just might have changed your opinion, vote again. I’m sure Jane wouldn’t mind.
Life imitates art… art imitates life? Which of Jane Austen’s heroines do you think the author most resembled in terms of character?
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You’re welcome to share with us why you vote that way.
Other related posts on Ripple Effects:
Jane Austen: Sense Or Sensibility?
What Was Jane Austen Really Like? Reading Tomalin and Shields
Ripple Effects 
Oh, dear. I really try not to vote if I don’t know the candidates, so I’ll have to pass on this one! Interesting results, though. It might be fun to learn about the top and the bottom among the results!
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Linda,
Elizabeth Bennet is probably the best-loved Austen heroines. And P & P from which she comes could well make one of the best-loved English novels of all time. However, whether Jane was actually like her is open for discussions.
Arti
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I voted for Elizabeth Bennet (but I won’t give away here whether the other voters agreed with me, which was revealed after the vote). I imagine there is a bit of all of them in her, but I have always pictured Elizabeth as Jane, though I only know anecdotes about Jane Austen really.
Fun!
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Ruth,
Yes, you’re right about a mixture of characters in her… and we just love to see her as EB, the best-loved heroine I guess. Thanks for your consideration too… although people can still click on the “view results” button and see them 😉
A.
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I went with Elizabeth–tart-tongued but not so spoilt as Emma nor quite as selfless as Elinor…
Fun poll, Arti!!
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ds,
Thanks for voting and sharing your view.
A.
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I voted for Anne Elliot mostly because she is the one who is closest to not getting married. She also is sensible and even though she lacks a sharp tongue, I bet she has it in her but was never in a position where she could exercise it. I could be mistaken though and am willing to be persuaded otherwise 😉
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Stefanie,
I never thought of that… AE “is closest to not getting married.” Interesting thoughts about her latent verbal skills. 😉
A.
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It’s odd that I feel I know a lot about Jane Austen’s novels, but very little indeed about Jane herself. I really must read a good biography of her. I own one, by David Nobbs, I think.
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litlove,
I think I had this poll up a couple of years ago after I’d read JA’s biography by Tomalin and Shields. Their descriptions of her, in particular Tomalin’s, quite surprised me. That led me to think what JA was really like… albeit most of her readers tend to think of her in terms of the heroines she created, in particular EB.
Arti
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I’m with Litlov — knowing her books, not her life. I voted Elinor, trying to remember, but Elizabeth would have been my other choice. What do you think?
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jeanie,
I posted this poll a few years ago, that’s when I was eager to find out what JA was really like. So I went and read a few biographies, and was quite surprised with my findings… particularly Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen: A Life. I wrote my views in the posts I’d linked at the end of this post. But my view was mainly affected by CT’s book.
Arti
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I voted for Elizabeth. I suspect Austen was very much Elizabeth when she was young and possibly more like Elinor in later life.
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Nicola,
Welcome! And thanks for voting. You’ve brought out a good point that JA’s character by no means was static, but changed over time. So, voting for two heroines sure makes sense.
Arti
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I voted Elinor, but I really think she was a mix between Elizabeth and Elinor. 🙂
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Jillian,
Thanks for voting. Yes, I believe Jane was a mix of several of the characters she had created.
Arti
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Anne Elliott minus the sweet patience and admiration everyone has for her. Also, minus the dashing Wentworth, especially. But I agree with a previous poster she was LIzzy, except she was less attractive and got away with fewer things. Lizzy is a wishful fantasy. Possibly she also became Fanny-ish as she grew older and more reclusive.
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Caroline,
Yes, I think most of us are a mixture of traits and personalities. I’ve forgotten about this post… it has been so long. But I’m glad you’ve found it. 😉
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