Family and Situation
Mrs. Ferrars is the widow of the late Mr. Ferrars and the mother of Edward and Robert Ferrars as well as Mrs. Fanny Dashwood. At one point, Robert mentions his “uncle” Sir Robert, who would be either Mrs. Ferrars’ brother or brother-in-law.
The narrator tells us that Mr. Ferrars “had died very rich” and that “except a trifling sum, the whole of [his eldest son Edward’s] fortune depended on the will of his mother.” Though specifics are never discussed, we know that Fanny married with ￡10,000, so it is likely that Mrs. Ferrars resources are substantial, but not bottomless. As Edward was educated privately but younger brother Robert went to public school, it’s entirely possible that Mr. Ferrars’ status and/or wealth increased over the course of the boys’ childhoods.
When trying to convince Edward to marry Miss Morton, Mrs. Ferrars promises to settle “the Norfolk estate” on him, anticipating that it will bring it ￡1,000 per year if not more, suggesting that the family’s country holdings are modest. Instead, Mrs. Ferrars appears to live with her sons entirely or at least primarily in Park Street, London, which would put them quite close to Hyde Park.
The family politics of the Ferrars clan play influence a range of events in the novel. Everyone agrees that Robert is Mrs. Ferrars’ favorite, to the degree that Edward is certain she will forgive him much faster for marrying against her wishes. Edward, by contrast, “was neither fitted by abilities nor disposition to answer the wishes of his mother and sister, who longed to see him distinguished—as—they hardly knew what. They wanted him to make a fine figure in the world in some manner or other. His mother wished to interest him in political concerns, to get him into parliament, or to see him connected with some of the great men of the day.” On another occasion, Edward mentions that “his family” wanted him to go into the army, but that it was “too smart” for him.
Appearance
The narrator tells us that “Mrs. Ferrars was a little, thin woman, upright, even to formality, in her figure, and serious, even to sourness, in her aspect. Her complexion was sallow; and her features small, without beauty, and naturally without expression; but a lucky contraction of the brow had rescued her countenance from the disgrace of insipidity, by giving it the strong characters of pride and ill nature. She was not a woman of many words; for, unlike people in general, she proportioned them to the number of her ideas.”
Character
Though Mrs. Ferrars has few actions on the page, the reader learns much of personality through other characters’ discussions about her. John Dashwood insists that she is a generous woman, citing the way she gave him and his wife ￡200 upon their arrival in town to cover various household expenses and her promise to settle ￡1,000 on Edward if he’ll agree to marry Miss Morton.
It is very clear that Mrs. Ferrars is interested in the social advancement of her family, beginning with Edward’s early statement that his mother wishes to see him have loftier goals in life. This trend is later manifest when she is desperate to make a match between her family and Miss Morton, even moving from Edward to Robert as Edward’s engagement becomes known.
There is fairly substantial evidence that Mrs. Ferrars can be a difficult woman. Elinor says that “from Fanny’s occasional mention of her conduct and opinions, we have never been disposed to think her amiable.” Lucy Steele hears that “Mrs. Ferrars is a very headstrong proud woman,” and is sure that she will disinherit Edward because of the engagement, which is exactly what does ultimately happen. However, the fact that Lucy eventually works her way back into Mrs. Ferrars’ good graces suggests that she is not immune to flattery and sycophants.
