Vanity Fair · Character

Miss Crawley

Wealthy, eccentric spinster whose fortune every Crawley relative courts, and whose French novels cannot prepare her for a governess refusing a baronet on her drawing-room floor.

supporting

Also known as Old Miss Crawley, Miss Crawley, the rich Miss Crawley

First appearance: viii private and confidential

As a supporting figure in Vanity Fair, Miss Crawley is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Sir Pitt's wealthy unmarried half-sister, whose fortune makes her an object of great respect and whose inheritance is courted by both the baronet and the rectory family.

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Miss Crawley holds the family purse strings and the family's attention, reading Pigault-Lebrun while nephews and in-laws orbit her for inheritance. When Sir Pitt proposes to Rebecca and is refused, she is more bewildered than any novel's intrigue could make her—proof that real vanity outpaces fiction. Her favor is the prize that draws Rawdon and Becky into high society, and her whims decide who rises and who is cut off.

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See Miss Crawley in viii private and confidential

Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Miss Crawley sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Miss Crawley's circle
Minor characters and servants
Social climbers and soldiers
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological breaking point for Jos Sedley, whose cowardice…

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In the story

Miss Crawley appears across 13 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

IX: Family Portraits
Sir Pitt's wealthy unmarried half-sister, whose fortune makes her an object of great respect and whose inheritance is courted by both the baronet and the rectory family.
X: Miss Sharp Begins to Make Friends
Miss Crawley is the rich aunt who favors Rawdon, lives a worldly life, and dislikes Pitt's preaching. She has a house in Park Lane and radical views.
XI: Arcadian Simplicity
The wealthy old spinster who adores imprudent matches and shows partiality to Rebecca, drinking heavily and causing concern about her health.
Miss Crawley at Home
The wealthy spinster enjoys Becky's services and company, though she harbors a cynical awareness that her friends are motivated by her money.
XV: In Which Rebecca's Husband Appears for a Short Time
Discovers Sir Pitt's proposal and Rebecca's refusal; is bewildered and scornful.
Chapter XVI: The Letter on the Pincushion
The aunt who is shocked and angered by the elopement, having been kept in the dark.
How Captain Dobbin Bought a Piano
Remains unwell and secluded at Park Lane, attended by Mrs. Bute; Rawdon is denied access to her.
Miss Crawley at Nurse
Lies ill and isolated, subjected to Mrs. Bute's oppressive care and terrified by her own mortality.
In Which All the Principal Personages Think Fit to Leave Brighton
Begins to recover her spirits after Mrs. Bute's departure, playing piquet with Briggs.
In Which Miss Crawley’s Relations Are Very Anxious About Her
Recovering from illness at Brighton, she remains bitter toward Rawdon and Rebecca, frequently rewriting her will and tormenting Miss Briggs.
James Crawley's Pipe Is Put Out
Grows timid under Lady Southdown's domination and finally settles her fortune on Pitt and Lady Jane after Becky's childbirth.
How to Live Well on Nothing a Year
Reported to be dying, prompting Rawdon to hasten to her bedside in hopes of inheritance.
In Which the Same Subject Is Pursued
Not directly present, but referenced as the rich aunt whose inheritance was once sought.

Chapter companion notes

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See Miss Crawley in viii private and confidential

See Miss Crawley in IX: Family Portraits