All good points, and they just highlight the fact that there is a comparison factor ever at work in Jane Austen's novels. Beyond the caring,sharing world of the good and just folk, and the central characters' stories, is a whole army of all the things that Jane Austen obviously disliked in both manners and behaviour amongst people. Without being overtly moralistic (at least in general) she included all the irritations that happened beyond the facade of false bonhommie that existed at much of middle-class level (and above) two hundred years ago. ( Not that a lot has actually changed in some respects, mind, there are still a lot of idle, rich wastrels around...but that's another story) :-).
The titles of three of her works:
Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion all sem to create this heads and tails, Yin and Yang view of life. In the stories there is always a marked villain to counterbalance the hero/heroine and the same balance is also carried on within the main characters themselves as their vices are shown alongside their virtues. Goodness always triumphs over adversity and baddies usually lose out, but (repeating a current theme) sometimes get off too lightly, but that's just our view. To stick with this the current title, yes, good old Sir Walter Elliot is high on the list, but nature has made him a less than intelligent man and his mind isn't up to scheming, as his appearance is ever his priority. He is actually a good example of pride ( false) and vanity combined with a lack of reality, a disciple of divine right. He would be amazed to realise he was guilty of anything. In unlike manner as a background villain, Wlliam Elliot led Mrs Smith's husband into debt then scarpered and tried his luck with Anne whilst in cahoots with the dubious Mrs Clay, another background ne'er do well on a par with P&P's Mrs Younge. Lydia Bennet I see as a silly girl given too much of her own way to the point of living in a dream world where rules are for everyone else. I doubt she would ever change, much like moaning, self-centred Mary Elliot Musgrove. None of them can be excused, ( how on earth did Jane Austen ever allow the lying, cheating, Wickham to come out cleaner than Beau Brummel's best shirt?) but the darker, devious variety need to be named and shamed. To the stocks with them..(-:
