In real life I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone truly insipid. Boring perhaps but mostly because their interests don’t mesh with mine. Or they insist on trying to grab the center of attention spotlight away from myself. Actually that still doesn’t make them insipid, just annoying. The most ‘blah’ person still has aspirations, hobbies, experiences, likes and dislikes, opinions. You might have to delve a little deeper to find out what they are, and most of us won’t give up the time. Easier just to move on with your glass of wine and talk to the artsy man with the uncombed mane of hair standing by the mantelpiece. But I have found insipid characters in books. Particularly female characters. And this annoys me a lot (but not enough to ‘out’ any book in particular. See: Prior blog “Step Away From the Hoity Toity”. Because why bother to write a flat character? Every character with a voice in your book should have something to say, and some role to play in advancing the plot. She (or he) should not just whine, moan, be depressed and wait for things to happen to her (him). Sure there can be a bit of that. We humans like to feel sorry for ourselves, and usually we buck up, pull our socks up, and try and do something about the situation, and if we don’t…well, no one really wants to hear it, do they? It seems to me that girls have pretty strong opinions and are clear about what they want or don’t want even if they get muddled along the way. 
No one is fainting onto a chaise lounge or sobbing into a lace handkerchief. Or just sitting around chewing on their nails and waiting for the hero to show up. Even pre-liberation, Austen’s heroines were stiff-upper lipping it and going about things in a stoic fashion. And even if they showed blank faces to the world at large, privately or in the company of beloved sisters they were full of passion and fire. Give us flaws, give us mis-steps and confusion, insecurity, bad attitudes, and mistakes, wrong moves and tantrums, wile and deviousness, but for god’s sakes, give us something!
5 thoughts on “Insipid Heroines”
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Hmmm… longing to know what sparked this! (But no, don't tell me…) I love your point about the passion and fire of Austen's heroines. The Bronte sisters didn't have a monopoly there!
I'm sure you could think of some examples, Katherine!
Heck yeah, although I found Austen's men were quite often boring – with the exception of a certain Mr D of course.
You're right Donna, the social restrictions and mores were quite character-destroying but I think her focus was always so firmly on the women and often the men were reduced to quick sketches or caricatures or exemplary models of honor and loyalty.