The Annotated Emma
Page 63
48. buyings: purchases.
49. Shaking hands was a sign of particular friendship then.
50. hold up: clear up, cease raining.
51. floated: flooded, inundated.
A London clothing store, where customers would select from strips of cloth to make up a dress.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. I (1809), p. 187]
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52. This dramatic change in Harriet indicates that she still harbors affection for Robert Martin.
A woman with a bonnet and spencer.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. VI (1811), p. 52]
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53. Meaning they have not sought her either from lack of courage to face her or from lack of graciousness (one meaning of “condescension” then).
A maid washing clothes.
[From George Dawe, The Life of George Morland (London, 1909), p. 120]
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VOLUME II, CHAPTER IV
1. This would be a typical inquiry, because music was such a standard pastime of ladies.
2. Young ladies were conventionally praised in this manner, and a bride would be especially likely to be idealized.
3. Its dignity comes from the prestige of having won a woman with such a fortune, for that fortune would mark her status and make the man seem more meritorious, since her financial position could have inspired other men to vie for her affection and thereby made her more choosy. His sense of the debasement in being considered a suitable mate for Harriet would make Mr. Elton especially eager to assert his dignity through his choice, especially if he also suspected that Emma’s rejection of him resulted from his lack of wealth and position.
4. “Throw himself away” was the phrase Mr. Knightley used earlier in telling Emma that Mr. Elton would not make a financially imprudent match (see here).
5. In that same conversation Mr. Knightley says that Mr. Elton spoke “with great animation of” young ladies intimate with his sister who have twenty thousand pounds. It is possible he did not pursue one of them because, smarting from Emma’s rejection, he wished to marry quickly and these young ladies were not immediately available or interested in him. Or he may have been exaggerating the extent of their fortune or his sisters’ intimacy with them. He may be exaggerating a little his actual bride’s fortune, which is why the text refers to it as “10,000l. or thereabouts” and as “so many thousands as would always be called ten,” implying that people tend to round up when talking about their assets (“l.” stands for pounds).
6. distinguishing notice: distinctive attention to him.
7. accidental: chance, fortuitous.
8. While unmarried he would need to exercise caution around unmarried young ladies, for any particular friendliness could easily be interpreted as romantic interest. This could lead to wounded feelings as well as a belief on a woman’s part that, having led her on, he was now obliged to propose to her. In Persuasion the hero finds that his friendly attentions to a young lady have led to a general expectation that he means to marry her, which makes him feel bound to do so unless she changes her mind. This expectation could arise easily: due to the strict rules governing conversation and behavior between the sexes, a man who wished to court a woman could signal this to her only by greater friendliness. In addition, the universal belief in the desirability of marriage made everyone wish to see symptoms of attraction between two eligible persons as a sign of an impending engagement.
9. Those with parents living were expected to secure parental permission (if under twenty-one this was legally necessary). But neither the parents of Mr. Elton nor those of his bride seem to be living, so none of that would be necessary. Moreover, even when permission was given, marriages often involved complicated negotiations between the families over financial terms, in which a variety of interests could come into play.
10. The preparations could be related to the wedding itself, though weddings then tended to be modest affairs. This also could refer to getting the marriage license, or to the arrangements for moving the bride and her possessions to a new residence.
11. This makes Emma’s attempt to win him for Harriet even more misjudged, something she will continue to be forced to confront as the novel proceeds.
12. his sight: the sight of him.
13. Travel times then would make this a considerable distance: Emma’s sister is less than twenty miles away, and they see each other only on occasional holidays.
14. As long as he remained single, Emma would suffer from anxieties about his feelings toward her, including the possibility of another proposal. Others could also contemplate or even encourage a match between them; this may be what is meant, at least in part, by “vain solicitudes.”
15. Actually, her not being illegitimate, and having known parents and a living family, would be significant advantages. Emma is denigrating her more than is warranted to make Mr. Elton’s rejection of Harriet seem less justified.
16. alliance: family connection.
17. Despite being the younger sister she is called “Miss Hawkins,” with no “Augusta,” because her elder sister is married, as is stated just below.
18. Bristol was the second-largest city in England for much of the eighteenth century, due to its extremely active port. It prospered as a leading center of the sugar, tobacco, and slave trades, all conducted with Britain’s colonies in North America and the West Indies, as well as the export of manufactured goods to those colonies (for more on the slave trade, see note 8). This created a thriving merchant community, many of whom enjoyed great wealth, though they and their offspring still ranked socially below landed gentlemen. Emma, in addition to noting this, suspects that Miss Hawkins’s relatively modest fortune indicates that her father was not especially wealthy, and therefore not especially distinguished, as Bristol merchants went.
19. She means he is the clerk or assistant to an attorney; “drudge,” a term used less often that had a particular connotation of servility, serves to denigrate him further. The wording “nothing more distinctly honourable … than that he was in the law line” suggests he is not a barrister, the type of lawyer considered genteel and therefore something to boast of (see note 12). At the same time, he probably has risen to the level of attorney, as many clerks did. Someone as concerned with social status as Mr. Elton would have hesitated to marry a woman whose uncle and guardian was a mere clerk. Moreover, the approximately twenty thousand pounds of the two Miss Hawkins, for sisters would be given the same amount, represents a considerable sum. The uncle could not have accumulated such a sum as a clerk, and if the sisters’ parents had enough to bequeath this they would also have been in a position to help set up their brother as an attorney (even if the lack of ability that Emma suspects kept him from making much of his practice). In Bristol, attorneys, whose main business was property and financial transactions, were closely connected with the merchant community.
20. in a great way: of high rank or social position. The italics for this and the previous phrase suggest Emma’s sarcasm about these claims. “Well married” often referred to a financially advantageous match.
21. Owning a carriage was expensive and thus a mark of wealth and status, and owning or keeping two would be even more distinctive.
22. Harriet’s living at Mrs. Goddard’s, in Highbury, means she has much more occasion to encounter Mr. Elton on her daily rounds.
23. furniture: furnishings; the term then could mean smaller objects as well as what is now called furniture. His wife’s dowry would be adding to his income, and he is probably adding furnishings and servants to his household.
24. in agitation: under discussion.
25. Men, like women, generally wore hats when venturing outside.
26. She dares not confess her strong interest in the Martins to Emma.
27. Correct etiquette dictated returning visits, which is one reason why Emma
, who pays great attention to etiquette, hates the idea of no return visit from Harriet; she also could appreciate the ingratitude involved in Harriet’s snubbing those who have shown her such kindness. Emma’s solution is to organize for Harriet a visit that only conforms to the minimum demanded by etiquette for formal acquaintances (see beginning of next chapter).
28. applications: appeals (to Harriet’s sympathy).
Furniture of the period.
[From Chandler R. Clifford, The Decorative Periods (New York, 1906), p. 260]
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VOLUME II, CHAPTER V
1. The White Hart was one of the leading inns in Bath; in Persuasion a number of important characters stay there.
2. Butchers often delivered meat to their customers, so they would have carts that could convey large, heavy objects. For a picture of a rural butcher taking items in a cart, see the following page.
3. Regular coach service existed along the main roads of England (for more, see note 9). It does not go through Highbury, for coaches normally stopped at inns where fresh horses were kept for the use of carriages, and Highbury’s Crown Inn is shortly described as keeping only a couple of horses for local use. Thus the cart would be conveying the trunk to a nearby town where the coach does stop. Mr. Elton’s use of a coach indicates his eagerness, for shipping a trunk on it would be fast but expensive. People usually sent goods by much slower and cheaper wagons.
4. direction: address.
5. Many nicer homes had gravel walks; thus this is a sign of prosperity.
6. espalier apple-trees: apple trees cultivated to grow along a lattice frame.
7. A quarter of an hour was the time for introductory visits dictated by etiquette. Hence in restricting Harriet to that, Emma is not only minimizing the time she will spend with the Martins but also signaling that they should not regard her as an intimate friend, who would have progressed beyond introductory visits and could stay much longer.
8. When servants married they usually left service; employers preferred their servants, except for outdoor ones, to remain single. The young women who formed the majority of servants often took the job in order to accumulate enough money to serve as a dowry (though the amount accumulated would be small, it still could be vital for helping the working men whom female servants married to support a wife and children from their limited wages). Concern for former servants was a standard part of upper-class paternalism.
9. Donwell is Mr. Knightley’s parish and the Martins’. It may be the name of a village there, though if so it would be an insignificant village, since none of its denizens are ever mentioned and Mr. Knightley spends all his time when he is not working with those living in Highbury. The former servant probably married a man who lives and works there.
10. The gate marks the entrance to their property; its existence and white paint are further marks of their residence being comfortable and well tended.
11. collected: gathered.
12. memorandums: notes.
13. wainscot: wooden panel work lining the wall, common in homes at the time.
14. Thus Emma has returned a little early and shaved one minute off the planned fifteen-minute visit, while Harriet is keenly aware of how little time she has had.
15. Emma’s ruminations indicate the beginning of regret for the harm she has inflicted on the Martins by her manipulation of Harriet.
16. Oxford is approximately fifty miles from the area where Highbury is located (though there is no actual Highbury, its rough location can be placed by its proximity to other, actual places—see map). If Frank left Oxford in the morning and made the seven to eight miles an hour possible on good roads, he could arrive at Highbury by around four o’clock, the time that Mrs. Weston shortly gives as her expectation of his arrival and a normal dinner hour.
A butcher.
[From William Pyne, Costume of Great Britain (London, 1804; 1989 reprint), Plate LVIII]
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17. Frank Churchill’s arrival follows a pattern seen in all Jane Austen novels (except for Northanger Abbey, the sole novel not centered around a specific rural community). In each case a highly eligible young man comes to a rural community where he does not normally reside and attracts the interest of at least one young woman (in Pride and Prejudice there are two such young men). In the others this occurs early and sets much of the plot in motion; in Emma it is not quite as central, but it still has a major impact on the story and on the central character. One reason for the dramatic impact of such an arrival is the limited marital opportunities normally available to those of genteel rank in rural society (see note 56), and for genteel women in particular, who enjoyed less freedom to travel.
18. Emma, knowing of Mr. Weston’s incurable optimism, places much greater trust in the reliability of his wife’s estimate.
19. Married couples often call each other “Mr.” and “Mrs.” in this fashion. It in no way connotes coldness or excessive formality.
20. appropriated nothing: attributed no special significance to herself (regarding the news of Frank’s arrival).
21. Mrs. Weston is anxious about her first encounter with her stepson.
Oxford.
[From A. D. Godley, Oxford in the Eighteenth Century (New York, 1908), frontispiece]
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22. The elder is a low tree or shrub, often called the common elder. It could bloom early (it is now February). Hedges often contained a variety of trees and bushes.
23. Harriet’s next words show that Emma’s perception is only the product of her own imagination.
24. Bath is completely out of the way for someone going from Oxford to Surrey (see map). Harriet asks about Bath because of Mr. Elton’s presence there now, so Emma’s next thoughts refer both to Harriet’s lack of tranquillity and to her lack of geographical knowledge.
25. interesting: important.
26. The parlor was a modest sitting or living room (the Woodhouses also have a drawing room, which was a grander sitting room). It was frequently off the main hall, where Emma has come from.
27. air: appearance, general look.
28. address: bearing and manner, especially in conversation.
29. His eagerness links him to his father. It also, however, leads to the question of why he is suddenly so eager after having long put off a visit, both before and after his father’s marriage.
30. situation: location.
31. The ability to tell pleasantly what may be a falsehood, or at least flattering hyperbole, is something he will continue to exhibit.
32. Some women did engage in horseback riding, though it was not a common female pursuit.
33. By “neighbourhood” he means the local community of people of their own social level with whom they would associate. That is why he needs to inquire about its size, rather than simply judging by the extent of the village or the number of houses in the the vicinity.
34. Pretty houses, which could mean generally fine or of considerable size as well as attractive, would signify the presence of wealthy people and thus the basis of an ample local society.
35. He will soon display a strong interest in both dancing and music.
36. proportionably: proportionately.
37. mother-in-law: stepmother. The usage is found elsewhere in Austen’s novels.
38. Since Miss Taylor, when that was her name, had been Miss Woodhouse’s governess.
39. Meaning he wishes to say what will be perfectly qualified for eventually reaching the ears of Mrs. Weston herself, and thus completing his project of ingratiating himself.
40. Bowing is a fairly formal gesture by men, not employed often. Frank is the one man in the novel who does it regularly. This may result from his upbringing, for more elite families tended to have more formal manners. It also may be a product of his eagerness to be courteous and pleasing, as well as gallant toward ladies. In this case he uses the bow to signal that Emma is the person he knows he may praise extravagantly t
o Mrs. Weston.
41. She refers to the idea of a marriage between the two of them, and wonders if he is signaling acquiescence or defiance; his comment shows that he knows Mrs. Weston expects him to find Emma appealing, but does not indicate what he thinks about this.
42. comfortable: pleasant, reassuring.
43. Frank’s residence of Yorkshire, in the north of England, is a good distance from Surrey and thus would require a three-day journey and stays in inns that could be uncomfortable. Mr. Woodhouse also declares later that “a room at an inn was always damp and dangerous” (see here); hence his worry about Frank’s having caught cold.
44. The Crown is the local inn. Mr. Weston’s business could be to sell them some of his own hay, for the Crown keeps horses and they would need hay during the winter. Mr. Weston’s property is probably large enough to have substantial fields of grass, which could be cultivated for hay.
45. well bred: polite, well mannered.
46. Mr. Weston’s hint is that Emma and Frank might wish for more time together; Frank, knowing such a hint could embarrass Emma, ignores it.
Carting hay.
[From George Williamson, George Morland: His Life and Works (London, 1907), p. 62]
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47. the fashionable world: elite society.
48. make his way: progress, advance.
49. The street is made of dirt; so is the footpath, but the dirt would not be churned up as much by horses and carriage wheels. Their coachman, from traveling the road frequently, would know which places were worse.