Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Edward suffers from two major problems when it comes to people liking him, I believe. Firstly, Jane Austen does not give him very many lines. He does hilariously make this comment about Marianne: And books!—Thomson, Cowper, Scott—she would buy them all over and over again: she would buy up every copy, I believe, to prevent their falling into unworthy hands Ch 17) and use the word “saucy,” both of which I appreciate, but overall we don’t hear from him enough to really admire him. Secondly, it’s kind of scummy of him to raise Elinor’s expectations when he is already engaged to Lucy Steele. However, Edward has an amazing strength of character that makes Elinor love him and so should we!
Edward is shy, reserved, and his career goal is to be a country clergyman. His family refuses to support him so he is trapped, he’s not rich enough to make a go of it himself, so he’s stuck doing nothing. Without help, he might never gain a living and be stuck as a curate for his entire career, which would not give him an income high enough to marry on. He’s miserable about it and yet he does not give in to his mother’s or sister’s ambitions. If Edward did what they wanted, he might actually have his inheritance by now, but like our favourite heroines, Edward refuses to commit to something that he does not love just for money.
Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars, Sense and Sensibility (2008)
Edward is faithful against all opposition. He got engaged to Lucy and then falls out of love with her and starts to like Elinor. While he does try to get out of the engagement by any fair means, he never breaks his promise to Lucy. He does this because he believes that she really loves him and he doesn’t want to hurt her. Even when he is disinherited, he persists in his loyalty to Lucy, a woman he doesn’t even love. “Elinor gloried in his integrity” Ch 38 and so should we!
Edward gave up the inheritance of an eldest son and instead was happy in, “the ready discharge of his duties in every particular, from an increasing attachment to his wife and his home.” Ch 50. No other man in Austen’s works is forced to give up an inheritance to marry the woman he loves. Darcy and Bingley probably disappointed their families, but no one can touch their wealth. Even Henry Tilney’s inheritance is secure, though his father could have probably made his life miserable. Mr. Knightley just has to live in a different ultra wealthy mansion for a few years to marry Emma. Edmund Bertram has his livings secure. Edward alone gives up the most prized thing in Regency society (being an eldest son) and accepts a profession instead. He is the most sacrificial and, if we judge by that meter, maybe the most romantic of Austen’s men.
Even when he certainly could get back into his mother’s good graces, Edward doesn’t. He proposes to Elinor knowing he might well be disowned all over again. Robert, Lucy, John, and Fanny all fight for the eventual Ferrars fortune and suck up to Mrs. Ferrars, but Edward just leaves with his mother’s gift of ten thousand pounds. He understands that what must be sacrificed to gain such wealth isn’t worth the purchase. This is something nearly all Austen villains cannot seem to grasp, especially most characters in this very novel.
Dan Jeannotte as Edward Ferrars, Sense and Sensibility (2024)
Lastly, Elinor Dashwood, a very intelligent young woman whom I admire, thought that Edward was awesome, and I trust her judgement!
More:
Emma Woodhouse is a Lovable Heroine (to me, at least)
Jane Austen’s Brave Refusal to Reform the Rake
The Problem with Portrayals of Mr. Collins
The Unwritten Proposals in Jane Austen’s Novels
Imagining Jane Austen’s Heroines (with period portraits)
Who is more Physically Attractive? The Hero or Villain in Each Austen Novel…
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