The Annotated Emma

by Jane Austen

  3. Nothing else is ever mentioned of this adjoining parish, and Mr. Knightley seems to spend all his time with the residents of Highbury, so it may contain no settlement of any size. The large scale of Highbury, for a village, may have prevented another village from developing nearby.

  4. seat: country seat, i.e., the residence of a country gentleman.

  5. Evening parties occurred after dinner. Since dinner was eaten early then—Mr. Woodhouse eats his at four (see here)—plenty of time remained for evening activities.

  6. Cards were the most popular amusement at evening gatherings.

  7. The drawing room was the main living and sitting room in large houses.

  8. come-at-able: obtainable, available.

  9. Their constant availability suggests their lower social status.

  10. A vicar was one of the two principal types of Anglican clergymen, the other being a rector. The rector had the right to all the tithes in his parish, and the vicar the right to only some of them. Thus a vicar was usually less well off, though not always, for parishes could differ greatly in their population and productivity, and hence in the tithes they would generate. Also, a good portion of a clergyman’s income came from land allotted to him that he could farm himself and reap the profits from, called glebe land, and this could also vary greatly. For a picture of a vicar receiving tithes, see previous page.

  11. Quadrille is a four-person card game with similarities to bridge. It had been widely played in the eighteenth century but was now being replaced by whist; one reason for the change was quadrille’s complex rules, odd card values, and extensive specialized terminology. It would make sense that a very old woman would remain attached to it, and that she presumably finds a willing partner in the elderly Mr. Woodhouse.

  12. in a very small way: very humbly or modestly. This refers especially to her financial penury. For more on her situation, see note 5.

  13. Jane Austen may be thinking of herself here, for she was also unmarried and not wealthy, especially before she began to earn money from her novels, and by then she had aged and perhaps lost her looks. But she undoubtedly did enjoy a compensating intellectual superiority.

  14. simplicity: naturalness, freedom from affectation. Many moralists of the time extolled the virtue of simplicity.

  15. Running a girls’ school was a common occupation for women, offering one of the few ways that a woman could hope to make a decent amount of money on her own, though many schools did not succeed.

  16. liberal: cultivated, refined.

  17. acquirements: acquisitions or attainments, usually personal ones, such as musical or artistic talents, rather than material ones.

  18. systems: doctrines.

  19. This period witnessed an increasing number of schools for girls as well as a variety of new theories about the best method of education. The author’s wording indicates a critical perspective on many of these schools, especially for the pretensions of their curricula, self-descriptions, and titles. “Seminary” and “establishment” would be more pretentious designations than “school”; the first, which was used increasingly to refer to girls’ schools, had traditionally been employed for university-level academies, and the second could refer to various public institutions. Many girls’ schools, especially in London, emphasized turning their pupils into elegant young ladies, and charged plenty for the privilege. At the same time, schools often paid less attention to their students’ health than to other goals. Jane Austen and her sister briefly attended a small school whose headmistress’s inaction when the two girls contracted typhus almost led to Jane’s death, and spurred their parents to remove them immediately.

  20. Accomplishments were consistently upheld as the goal of girls’ education, whether from a school or a governess. These accomplishments included basic academic skills, as well as in many cases knowledge of French or Italian. But even greater emphasis was placed on skill in music, dancing, drawing, embroidery, and personal deportment and manners.

  One reason parents might simply wish to send girls out of the way is that they would have little to do at home, since those wealthy enough to afford a school would aspire for their daughters to be ladies, which meant not doing housework. Until they reached the age of eligibility for marriage (when they generally would be at home so their parents could watch over their actions and choices), they would be essentially biding their time.

  21. Rural schools were favored by many parents, who considered them more healthy, and those running the schools capitalized on this by emphasizing, in their advertisements, such features as clean air, spacious grounds, and opportunities for exercise. Mrs. Goddard’s ample garden may help furnish the wholesome food she provides; many people grew their own vegetables.

  22. “Chilblains,” a term used more often then, means inflammatory swellings caused by exposure to the cold and affecting the hands and feet. They were considered by many of those who ran boarding schools as too minor an ailment to bother with, so Mrs. Goddard’s careful attention to them would be a mark in her favor among parents concerned with their daughters’ health.

  23. Fancy work is ornamental work of various kinds. It often referred particularly at this time to adorning objects with decorative designs of paper or paper appliqués. This had recently become very popular: stationers sold the actual papers, while books or journals printed designs that people could copy. One reason for its appeal was that it required much less skill and effort than other decorative activities, such as drawing or needlework. Thus the prevalence of fancy work in Mrs. Goddard’s parlor may indicate the limited nature of the education she provides.

  24. Sixpences were coins of modest value (for more, see note 20). Cards were often played for money then, even if only small amounts.

  25. prosings: tedious talk or conversations.

  26. A natural daughter is one born out of wedlock—meaning she is a daughter by nature but not by law. The profound stigma attached to begetting a natural child is why the parent is referred to only as “somebody.” Such a parent would prefer to remain anonymous and to avoid contact with the child, even while taking steps to ensure the child’s education and future livelihood.

  27. scholar: student. The term was a standard one for schoolchildren and had no necessary connotation of advanced or sophisticated study.

  28. “Parlour-boarder” was a term used most frequently for students who lived with the head of the school and enjoyed extra privileges. Harriet was probably raised to that condition when she completed her education, sixteen or seventeen being a normal time for that for girls. It would be logical for her parent, being unable to provide a socially respectable home for her, to continue supporting her at school until she married.

  29. “Plump” probably means she is fleshy, not overweight. This would not be a handicap, for contemporary ideals of beauty did not exalt slenderness but stressed a median between fat and thin.

  30. manners: general conduct and demeanor. This term, which is frequently used in Jane Austen, had a broader meaning than it does today.

  31. pushing: overly forward or assertive.

  32. This is a significant sentence, for it shows some of the sources of Emma’s infatuation with Harriet. What captures Emma’s fancy is Harriet’s deference, gratitude, and artless—i.e., unfeigned—awe at the grandeur of Emma’s home. From this Emma concludes that Harriet “must have good sense.”

  33. “Acquaintance” is almost always used in the singular at this time, even in contexts where we would use the plural.

  34. They were school friends (see above). Girls’ schools generally drew most of their students from a nearby area, in part because parents’ protectiveness toward their daughters made them wish for proximity (they were more willing to let their sons go far away). It is possible these friends were day rather than boarding students; girls’ schools often had both kinds.

  35. character: reputation, public report.

  36. For what renting a farm involves, and implies socially, see note 31.
/>   37. wanted: needed.

  38. It is notable that in envisioning her new project Emma first thinks of it as interesting (for herself), and then as kind.

  39. By her situation she means particularly her wealth and social position, which would give her the means to assist someone. It was believed that those with such means had an obligation to help those who were less fortunate.

  40. powers: abilities.

  41. “In-between” had just come into usage at this time. This example, and another from 1815, are the first given in the Oxford English Dictionary.

  42. parties: gatherings. The term could apply to small, intimate gatherings as well as larger events.

  43. “Supper-table” was sometimes used to refer to a specific type of table, a tripod with concave sections in the top for holding porcelain or glass. Other times it simply meant any table used for supper. It is not clear what is meant here. In either case it would be a small table, as indicated by its being moved toward the fire, for supper was a fairly light meal—see below.

  44. do all the honours: render all the courtesies or civilities.

  45. Their civil scruples would make them hesitate to take much, or take too readily, however they might desire the food. The urgent pleas of their hostess, however, would allow them to take and eat with relish. At this time oysters were widely available and inexpensive and, like other seafood, were considered less nutritious than meat; this would make them appropriate for a casual meal such as supper. Chicken was perhaps the most available of all meats and was served in a variety of contexts.

  46. One only laid the tablecloth for larger, more substantive meals. The trend at this time was for the cloth to be no longer laid at supper, for it was declining into a very light meal as dinner came to be eaten later, especially among the wealthy and fashionable (for more on this process, see note 62). This is why the memory of earlier times leads Mr. Woodhouse to offer a substantial supper.

  47. Gruel was a watery oatmeal. It was often served to invalids; some doctors of the time recommended thin gruel for those who were sick as part of a regimen of abstinence. Abstinence was often part of medical advice, which helps inspire Mr. Woodhouse’s fears of the effects of food.

  48. nicer: more appetizing. This presumably refers to the chicken and oysters, and perhaps to other items served with them.

  49. Serle is the cook. A cook was an upper servant, which is why a last name is used, and was usually a woman, though grander households, usually grander than the Woodhouses’, could employ a male cook.

  50. Preserves at that time were eaten for dessert, rather than at breakfast.

  51. Mr. Woodhouse shows his courtesy by offering food to each of his guests in turn. He also addresses them in order of their social status: Mrs. Bates, though now relatively poor, is the widow of a vicar, a genteel profession; Miss Bates derives her status from the same vicar, though being his daughter is inferior to having been his wife; finally, Mrs. Goddard, though the most affluent of the three now, has worked much of her adult life, a mark against a woman, and in a profession of lesser prestige.

  52. affability: courtesy, gentleness, especially of a superior to an inferior.

  53. Shaking hands then was not a greeting used upon meeting anyone, but a gesture of particular friendship and affection.

  VOLUME I, CHAPTER IV

  1. The shrubberies around country houses were often interlaced with walking trails.

  2. Grounds usually had a variety of sections, including gardens or courts. Mr. Woodhouse probably restricts himself to a short walk during the cooler months, due to the aversion to cold he consistently shows.

  3. Walking was the principal form of exercise for women. Some women rode horses, but it was not a widespread practice, and few participated in any other sports.

  4. Emma would find it unpleasant because social norms discouraged women from walking alone (see note 33), and she shows a great concern for social propriety. She also may simply dislike the lack of a companion.

  5. approved: approved of.

  6. It is not clear how much genuine good taste or appreciation for elegance and good company Harriet actually manifests. What she mostly displays throughout the novel is an inclination to agree with others, and thus she is probably just echoing Emma’s own opinions.

  The Board or Society of Agriculture (see note 24 below).

  [From Fiona St. Aubyn, Ackermann’s Illustrated London, illustrations by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson (Ware, 1985), p. 135]

  [List of Illustrations]

  7. should: would.

  8. penetration: capacity for seeing through or discerning things.

  9. It is called “Abbey” because of its proximity to Donwell Abbey, from whose proprietor the Martins rent the farm (see here). Later, during a visit to Mr. Knightley’s home, Abbey Mill is shown to be nearby (see here). That passage also describes the latter as next to a river, which is why a mill was built there.

  10. “Parlour” was the term for a small sitting or living room, such as would exist in more humble dwellings. A drawing room was a larger and more elegant room of this type, like the one at the Woodhouses’. This is why Harriet makes a point of the size of one of the Martins’ parlors. Two parlors, though not as good as two drawing rooms, would also be a source of distinction, for any family with pretensions to more refined living would need at least two sitting rooms, one for the daily activities of the family itself and one for guests.

  11. An upper maid can exist only if there is someone below her, hence the Martins have at least two maids. This maid’s long time with them would be an additional mark in their favor, for servants often left to seek better employment, and a family that could retain theirs probably paid good wages.

  12. These are both breeds of cattle. Alderney is an island in the English Channel, and during the eighteenth century cattle from there had been imported into England. Two other Channel Islands, Jersey and Guernsey, produced even-more-famous breeds of cattle, and in this period cows from these islands were sometimes called Alderneys. Alderneys were especially prevalent in southern England due to the island’s proximity to ports along the channel. They were mostly dairy cattle and were prized for the richness of their milk; an agricultural article of 1799 called them the best milkers in England in proportion to their size. Cows from Wales, primarily the strain known as Welsh black cattle, had also become popular in much of England, cultivated for milk or meat. Large numbers of cattle, especially dairy cattle, were kept in the parts of Surrey close to London to cater to the large London market, and dairy farmers frequently had a variety of breeds.

  13. Mrs. Martin may have made a point of this because Harriet, with no family or normal home, would have few possessions, and thus would prize anything that was called hers, especially something as significant as a cow.

  14. A summer house, separate from the main house, was a fashionable feature of gardens then. In stressing these more socially distinguished features of the Martins’ home, Harriet may be reflecting the Martins’ own aspirations to rise, which they have imparted to her. She probably also wishes to make them look as impressive as possible to Miss Woodhouse.

  15. inspiriting: animating.

  16. Moonlight made a great difference in people’s evening activities, especially in rural areas, for the only other sources of light for walkers would be handheld torches, or any light coming from nearby houses.

  17. Walnuts were one of the most popular of English nuts, and at this time walnut trees were very abundant (they have since declined in England).

  18. The shepherd would work under Mr. Martin, tending the latter’s flock of sheep. Sheep have long been a leading farm animal in England, well suited to the cool climate and prized for their wool and their meat. For a contemporary picture of a shepherd, see this page.

  19. country: county.

  20. Most farmers cultivated a variety of animals and plants, rather than specializing in one product. The Martins have cows, sheep, and poultry at least, and later their
apple trees are mentioned (see here).

  21. dressed: cooked, or prepared for cooking.

  22. All three teachers are single women. Teacher, along with governess, was the main occupation of women from educated backgrounds who needed to support themselves. Mrs. Goddard, whose husband is never mentioned, may be a widow, or she may be called “Mrs.” from courtesy, for the title was sometimes bestowed on single older women who had reached a position of respect. Her offering something as substantial as a goose for supper indicates her lower social station, for a recent trend among the wealthy was for supper to become a relatively light meal. It also may indicate her old-fashioned nature, which would be one reason she suits Mr. Woodhouse as a companion.

  23. information: education, knowledge.

  24. The Agricultural Reports were a series of surveys produced by the British board of agriculture; for a picture of the board, see this page. Each concerned a specific county and discussed the state of agriculture there while suggesting ways it might be improved. This period witnessed an increasing interest in agricultural improvements, with a number of authors writing books on different regions and aspects of farming in the hope of improving knowledge and encouraging better methods. Many such methods were implemented, and the resulting increases in food production played a critical role in the Industrial Revolution, which was beginning in England during this period.

  25. Many windows then were in a deep recess or bay, with the part below the window being occupied by a flat surface that could serve as a seat.

  26. Elegant Extracts: a popular anthology of excerpts of noted writings.