"Had he married a more amiable woman, he might have been made still more respectable than he was;"

Before we are even given a name for this vile creature, we are told that John Dashwood's wife is not amiable, and she's a bad influence upon her husband. Unlike with some characters, Fanny isn't even given a chance of being thought of kindly.

"But Mrs. John Dashwood was a strong caricature of himself; more narrow-minded and selfish."

My favorite part of this line is that it's in the same paragraph that John is refered to as cold hearted and selfish. And if narrative description weren't enough, a mere 2 paragraphs later, Fanny proves with her actions that all the 'praise' of her is warranted:

"No sooner was his father's funeral over"; "without sending any notice"; "the indelicacy of her conduct"

I don't think Jane could have portrayed her as more despicable if she had included a funeral scene where Fanny was already claiming her inheritance. She almost provides an image of Fanny racing from the graveside to Norland and staking her claim before the dirt hits the coffin.