Femme Fatale Fridays: Fanny Dashwood

Posted June 18, 2010 by Whitney in Femme Fatale / 10 Comments

“A Femme Fatale, translating to “Deadly Woman” in french, is an alluring, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire. Often this leads them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations.” ~ Wikipedia

 I first discovered this class of women from 1930s and 40s film noir several years ago and was seduced by their charm and cunning minds.  I then began to see them popping up in novels I read, even my favorites like Gone with the Wind and Wuthering Heights.  This  weekly post is to highlight/celebrate/condemn these sultry and conniving ladies in literature.

While Fanny Dashwood may be a miner character in Sense and Sensibility she plays a big part in trying to detour the happiness of those around her.
I think the best examples I could give of this are from quotes in Chapter Two of said novel.
These passages are showcasing her greed and lack of morals
 “Well, then, let something be done for them; but that something need not be three thousand pounds.  Consider, she added, that when the money is once parted with, it can never be returned.  Your sisters will marry, and it will be gone for ever.  If indeed, it could be restored to our little boy…”
 OR
“Yes; and the set of breakfast china is twice as handsome as what belongs in this house.  A great deal too handsome, in my opinion, for any place they could ever afford to live in.  But, however, so it is.  Your father thought only of them.  And I must say this: that you owe no particular gratitude to him, nor attention to his wishes, for we very well know that if he could, he would have left almost everything in the world to them.”

 These are just a few examples of her manipulation.  There is also that nasty business about her brother Edward basicly being too good for most women in the area.  Although, I won’t touch on that as I find myself tuning into Mrs. Dashwood when concerning my brother.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 169 other subscribers

10 responses to “Femme Fatale Fridays: Fanny Dashwood

  1. I hate her so much! She's so incredibly disgusting and I'd shudder to meet someone like her. I do keep wondering how Lizzie Bennet would have handled her though πŸ™‚

  2. One of my favorite scenes in the book is the one you quoted from Chapter 2, where Fanny keeps reducing John's "generosity" until there's nothing left. Hilarious!

  3. Kailia– It would make for a great show down!

    Christina– This chapter sets the tone for the novel perfectly.

    Rebecca– Most certainly!

    Jen– I really try not to, his girlfriend is very nice, I'm just overprotective…

  4. Fanny Dashwood is despicable but I had a riot reading about her because as such, there are many Fanny Dashwoods walking about among us πŸ™‚ Hers is a character that is a fine example of how some characteristics seldom change even two hundred years hence…

Leave a Reply to IntrovertedJen Cancel reply

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.