Edward Ferrars
Quiet and honorable gentleman
Fanny’s kind, shy brother. He isn’t proud like his sister, and his gentle humor makes the Dashwoods feel at home.
Who is Edward Ferrars?
Edward is Fanny’s brother, a quiet, kind and slightly shy gentleman. Unlike his proud family, he cares nothing for showing off, and his gentle humor wins Elinor’s heart. Edward carries a secret promise from long ago, and he is so honorable that he will keep his word even when it costs him dearly.
Edward Ferrars is a character in Sense and Sensibility, the 1811 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Edward Ferrars like?
- shy
- honorable
- humble
Edward Ferrars’s story
Edward is the elder son of the wealthy Mrs. Ferrars and the brother of Fanny Dashwood. He is gentle, thoughtful and shy, and he would like a quiet life as a clergyman, but his proud mother wants him to be an important man in politics. At Norland he grows close to Elinor, though he visits less and acts oddly distant.
The reason is that, years earlier, as a young student, he became secretly engaged to Lucy Steele. He later realizes that he does not love her, but as a man of honor he will not break the promise. When Mrs. Ferrars finds out, she tells him to end it. He refuses, and she takes his inheritance away and gives it to his brother Robert.
Lucy then leaves Edward to marry Robert, and Edward is free at last. With a small living from Colonel Brandon, he goes to Barton to ask Elinor to marry him. His mother later forgives him enough to give him some money, and he and Elinor live happily at Delaford parsonage, where Edward is a kind and sensible clergyman.
“He must have all Edward’s virtues”
A moment to remember
When Mrs. Dashwood politely asks after his wife, Edward is astonished and cries out that he isn’t married at all.
Family and friends
- Elinor Dashwood: the woman he marries
- Lucy Steele: his secret fiancée
- Fanny Dashwood: his sister
- Robert Ferrars: his younger brother
- Colonel Brandon: gives him a job as clergyman
Talk about it
Edward kept his word even when it was hard. Can you think of a time you kept a promise that wasn’t easy?
Questions about Edward Ferrars
- Who does Edward Ferrars marry?
- Edward marries Elinor Dashwood. They settle at the parsonage in Delaford.
- Why does Edward not marry Lucy Steele?
- Lucy chooses to marry his younger brother Robert after Edward is cut off by his mother. This frees Edward to marry Elinor.
- What job does Edward have at the end?
- He becomes a clergyman. Colonel Brandon offers him the living at Delaford.
Read the story in
Sense and Sensibility
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
