The charming Henry Tilney

The character of Henry Tilney is depicted as a charming gentleman. He is perceived in the scene when Catherine meets him in the pump room at Bath: “The master of the ceremonies introduced to her a very gentlemanlike young man as a partner; his name was Tilney.” After describing his physical appearance, the narrator informs us about him that “if not quite handsome, was very near it.” He shows “archness and pleasantry” as features that foreshadow darker aspects of this character later in the novel. He talks in a lively and fluent way, which makes his chatting “hardly understood by her.”

This charm suddenly disappears after his proposal, when he becomes awkward and self-conscious. In their visit to Mrs Allen, he “talked at random”. Later on, providing account for his father's behaviour, he “was almost as pitiable as in the first avowal of himself”, and he showed a physical reaction, “he blushed”.

Henry is portrayed as charming but he is not the most charming because he has to yield this title to the hidden character that appears in the end as a deus in machina to assume the role of Eleanor’s fiancé. This last character is described as “the most charming young man in the world”.  

The scholar Joseph Litvack argues for the “feminization” of Henry Tilney, as shown in the fact that he is only a student in Oxford, which implies his powerlessness, a position that is more proper of women in the literature of the 19^th century.  His archness and sophisticated wit also add to this feminization. This anticipates more “manly” protagonists of Jane’s Austen novels, including the monosyllabic Darcy in “Pride of Perjudice”.

Henry Tilney is portrayed as charming by his archness, sophisticated wit, physical appearance, and lively talk. This feature disappears after the engagement. It also is a term of contrast, interior with Eleanor’s fiancé, and exterior with other Jane Austen protagonists.