Jane Austen's Clerical Characters: An Essay

Jane Austen’s clerical characters are all flawed, each in a different way. Anglicans accommodate these priestly flaws by maintaining the Catholic principle of “ex opere operato” in Article XXVI of the Thirty-nine Articles. Austen obviously knew about this article, which acknowledges that within the church “the evil be ever mingled with the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority.” While Austen’s priests are often unworthy of their office, their unworthiness does not detract from the efficacy of the sacraments they mediate, or the word they preach, because these are: “of Christ’s institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men.” This background helps us understand Austen’s attitude towards her priests. She took their office seriously but she did not defer to them as persons. While she did not require them to be paragons of holiness, or remain separate from society, she did expect them to fulfill their priestly role. Each novel throws a slightly different light upon this role, in its own understated way (6,400 words).