The Annotated Emma

by Jane Austen

  19. wonderful: astonishing, amazing (i.e., full of wonder).

  20. mind: inner character.

  Portrait of a young woman (Mrs. Angerstein).

  [From Lord Ronald Sutherland Gower, Sir Thomas Lawrence (London, 1900), p. 33]

  [List of Illustrations]

  VOLUME III, CHAPTER V

  1. Midsummer: June 21.

  2. mother in-law’s: stepmother’s.

  3. intelligence: communication, interchange of knowledge or sentiment.

  4. Mr. Knightley is like Emma in being clever enough to discern a possibility unimagined by others, but he contrasts with her in his caution and carefulness in deciding on the truth of this possibility. These glimpses of Mr. Knightley’s thinking, which continue throughout this chapter, represent the only time in the novel that the narrator relates the thoughts of any character besides Emma.

  5. Mr. Knightley’s being exposed to this information indicates the advantage he derives from not letting his dislike of the Eltons show; Emma’s more obvious disdain, along with her earlier attempt at matchmaking with Mr. Elton, has caused her not to be invited to the Eltons’ gathering.

  6. The line comes from The Task, by the eighteenth-century poet William Cowper, who is mentioned as a favorite of Marianne Dashwood, one of the heroines of Sense and Sensibility, and whom Jane Austen is known to have read and admired. In this passage of the poem he discusses the visions provoked by gazing into the fire:

  Me oft has fancy ludicrous and wild

  Sooth’d with a waking dream of houses, towers

  Trees, churches, and strange visages express’d

  In the red cinders, while with poring eye

  I gazed, myself creating what I saw.

  7. fell in with: encountered.

  8. Earlier, Mr. Woodhouse declared that the best way for the Coles to visit him would be to stop there on their walk toward the close of the day and take tea with him (see here).

  9. Horses are shown in Austen’s novels to be a regular source of interest for men. Wealthy men often owned several horses, to be used for personal conveyance, for recreational riding, and for hunting. Men who kept carriages—and men would almost always be in charge of any family carriage—would also have horses for that purpose, while horses played a crucial role in many of the agricultural activities that were the foundation of landowners’ wealth.

  10. Transportation was a matter of great concern to medical practitioners, who visited their patients in their homes. Going on horseback was their principal method, but it could be difficult and unpleasant. In the early nineteenth century an increasing number of practitioners bought carriages, especially in towns and cities, where incomes were higher. Some would drive around in impressive style, which also served to impress potential clients. Those in rural areas would naturally wish to follow this example, but their circumstances often made this, as here, merely an aspiration.

  11. connected: coherent and sequential.

  12. A carriage would probably not provide much shelter from inclement weather, for all but the wealthiest doctors would need to purchase cheaper, open vehicles. But it could be less fatiguing and reduce the danger of serious accident and injury.

  13. Mr. Weston hopes to make this a further link between Frank and Emma.

  14. Mrs. Perry is later described as a regular visitor to Mrs. and Miss Bates.

  15. This suggests an ongoing disagreement on the matter between Mr. and Mrs. Perry. The former’s objection may have resulted not just from concern over the cost, but from attachment to his horse: doctors, like others using their horses constantly, could develop a strong emotional bond with them.

  A Pembroke table (see next page).

  [From K. Warren Clouston, The Chippendale Period in English Furniture (New York, 1897), p. 212]

  [List of Illustrations]

  16. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} Miss Bates’s statement is ironic, for she is inadvertently revealing that Frank must have heard it in a letter sent by Jane. Jane and Frank have certainly realized this by now, which is why she is backing away and why, as they enter the hall next, Frank’s face betrays confusion and she, presumably to hide similar feelings, first fiddles with her shawl and then looks at no one while going through the door. Since only engaged men and women could correspond, this would be a major revelation to anyone who noticed it.

  17. Circular tables for meals were a recent fashion, which is why this one is called modern and Emma needed to introduce it. Their popularity was spurred by the fact that they encouraged easier communication and socializing and that, when guests were present, they avoided the distinctions that would appear with the traditional rectangular table, where greater proximity to the end indicated greater importance. This was in line with a trend toward a slight relaxation of formality compared with earlier ages. The Woodhouses still have a rectangular table for dinner, the main meal, which is why the issue of sitting at the bottom of the table arose earlier (see here).

  18. Pembroke: a Pembroke table was one, usually rectangular, with flaps on either side that could be extended to produce a larger surface top. They had been developed in the middle of the eighteenth century and soon attained wide popularity. For a picture, see the previous page.

  19. The two meals would be breakfast and supper, which were relatively light meals.

  20. Educational toys were popular then, including items that had individual letters on them. The Austen family owned a box of letters, currently on display at Jane Austen House Museum, that was used for teaching the alphabet as well as by the adults in parlor games.

  21. Alphabets were available commercially, whether in the form of cards or book pages that had rows of large letters that were meant to be cut apart. Emma, however, has produced her own, probably by cutting out pieces of stiff paper and writing letters on them.

  22. Jane had looked around, before examining the letters, to see if anyone was watching her, but her distraction now causes her not to mix the letters with the others.

  23. ostensible: presenting itself, offering itself to public view.

  24. delicacy: refined sense of what is appropriate and proper.

  25. involvement: entanglement, complicated affair.

  26. gallantry: amorous intrigue; flirtation.

  27. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} The words suggest an analogy between the word game and the larger game of Frank Churchill in deceiving everyone about his engagement, though Mr. Knightley does not know that is what the game involves. It is an appropriate analogy, for Frank’s behavior exhibits at times a childish pleasure in the deceit, even when, as with the next word he gratuitously forms, it causes Jane Fairfax distress.

  28. Thus Emma, by opposing this only in a laughing way, and by having encouraged Frank Churchill earlier, bears some responsibility for the distress he causes Jane.

  29. complaisance: courtesy, deference to others’ wishes.

  30. sedate: cool, composed.

  31. The author’s nephew J. E. Austen-Leigh, in a memoir written many years later, says that she provided additional information to members of her family about her novels, among which was that the letters here form “pardon.”

  32. The candles would have been brought in by the servants as it grew dark.

  A dining room with a circular table.

  [From K. Warren Clouston, The Chippendale Period in English Furniture (New York, 1897), p. 130]

  [List of Illustrations]

  33. That is, attached to Frank Churchill.

  34. He means the painful memories he might suffer, if Emma suffers from her involvement with Frank, of his own failure to warn her.

  35. vouchsafe: condescend, deign.

  Reading by candlelight.

  [From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. IX (1813), p. 168]

  [List of Illustrations]

  36. The criticisms Frank Churchill has offered of Jane Fairfax, his willingness to indulge with Emma in defamatory speculations on Jane’s possible illicit romance, and his attenti
on to Emma herself all give her reason to believe that he harbors no affection for Jane. But these are not necessarily good grounds for such emphatic certainty on her part, especially in the face of the suggestions of someone as careful and intelligent as Mr. Knightley, who has also had opportunities to see Frank and Jane together that Emma has lacked. Moreover, except for this recent brief jest with the letters, Frank has not displayed any of these signs to Emma during his second visit to Highbury.

  37. His deference to Emma’s judgment could result from his knowledge of her superior acquaintance with Frank Churchill; he may in fact suspect their friendliness results from a romantic understanding between them, and if so Emma’s emphatic certainty would confirm the suspicion since only that could provide a sound basis for such certainty.

  An older house (Stonor, Oxfordshire) in a relatively low, sheltered position, such as Donwell Abbey is shortly described as being.

  [From John Preston Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, Vol. V (1822)]

  [List of Illustrations]

  VOLUME III, CHAPTER VI

  1. It is possible they are not coming because they were in fact happy to be rid of Mrs. Elton and wish now to see her as little as possible.

  2. parade: ostentation, show.

  3. Box Hill was, and is, a famous beauty spot in Surrey (its name comes from a woodland of box trees found on one of its slopes). It was known particularly for the excellent views it offered in various directions from its summit. Jane Austen visited cousins in Surrey during the summer of 1814, the year she began this novel, and may have ventured to Box Hill with them. Other writers over the centuries have written of their visits to the hill, often in glowing terms. Box Hill is not far from the probable location of Highbury—see map. That Emma has never ventured there previously, despite its reputation, is another indication of the geographical restriction of her life until now.

  4. regular: formally organized.

  5. The term “picnic” first appeared in the mid-eighteenth century and coincided with a gradual increase in special excursions devoted to eating out of doors among the wealthy (many, especially poorer people, had long eaten outdoors from necessity, and outdoor meals had also been a frequent part of hunting excursions). Later in the nineteenth century picnics would become even more popular.

  A picnic; the clothing is from a slightly earlier period.

  [From Joseph Grego, Rowlandson the Caricaturist Vol. II (London, 1880), p. 316]

  [List of Illustrations]

  6. Pigeon pies had long been a popular food, and were frequently taken on picnics. In Sense and Sensibility one character owns a dovecote, for raising doves or pigeons for food. Pies then were often savory rather than sweet.

  7. resources: sources or means of entertainment. The use of the word here is an ironic comment on Mrs. Elton’s boasts of her own great resources.

  8. She earlier mentioned having “explored to King’s-Weston” (see here).

  A woman with a bonnet.

  [From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. X (1813), p. 52]

  [List of Illustrations]

  9. When Jane Austen was growing up her family grew strawberries, along with other produce.

  10. This contrasts with Mrs. Elton’s earlier statement of how much she loved home and could hardly be stirred from it (see here).

  11. Lady Patroness: a lady who presides over or exercises authority in a voluntary society. Some societies in their rules would specify the manner of selecting a Lady Patroness and her duties and powers; they might even designate a Vice Lady Patroness.

  12. sly: secretive.

  13. on her preferment: searching or looking out for a husband.

  14. Because married ladies will be focused on arranging the best party for all rather than on promoting their own marital prospects.

  15. humourist: whimsical person or one of odd conceits. Mrs. Elton chooses to interpret his rebuke of her presumption as a mere jest or whim.

  A garden seat, such as Mr. Knightley’s guests may use shortly.

  [From John Plaw, Ferme Ornee (London, 1795), Plate IV]

  [List of Illustrations]

  16. Many portraits of the time showed their subjects in an idealized bucolic state, and for women this could include rustic bonnets and baskets.

  17. form: formality, strict etiquette.

  18. By “gipsy party” Mrs. Elton means to evoke an ideal of rural simplicity. Even as Gypsies were frequently regarded with suspicion and treated severely by the law, their way of life was sometimes extolled for its romantic and picturesque features and presented as a model of primitive innocence. This did not lead to aspirations to live like Gypsies, but it could lead to a wish to adopt some of their external features temporarily. Thus a simple straw hat of the time, with strong bucolic associations, was often called a gipsy hat. For another example, in which a wealthy lady is dressed in supposed Gypsy costume to pose for a picture, see the following page.

  19. furniture: accessories. Gentlemen and ladies would normally have plenty of items with them for their convenience, just as they were almost always accompanied by servants.

  20. In contrast to Mrs. Elton’s idea of nature as the opposite of civilization, an idea that was gaining increasing currency during this period, Mr. Knightley expresses a more traditional idea of nature as the rational force behind the world as it exists, meaning that human beings’ existence in a state of society and civilization demonstrates that such a state is natural, and therefore to follow the dictates and rules of society is to follow nature’s commands. The need for those of the leading ranks to act in a way befitting their position would be one of those rules.

  21. Cold meat was often eaten during the day, in order to provide nourishment during the long interval between breakfast and dinner.

  22. set out: spread or display of food.

  23. full: fully.

  24. caro sposo: dear husband. Mrs. Elton now uses the term correctly (unlike on this page and this page).

  25. Women sometimes had small carts pulled by donkeys or rode donkeys; Jane Austen’s family had one that she was able to use, and in a letter she suggests that another woman “must come in her Donkey Carriage” (Mar. 23, 1817; italics in original). They were cheaper and easier to conduct than a horse and carriage; women almost never drove the latter. It is probably not a “necessary,” i.e., a necessity, for Mrs. Elton: she and Mr. Elton have a carriage, and even though he may use it some of the time for his clerical rounds the village of Highbury is small enough to get around easily on foot. Her suggestion that the ladies arrive on donkeys is part of her elaborate vision of bucolic simplicity, which calls for baskets, bonnets, and donkeys as props.

  26. This is a summary of what Mr. Woodhouse said rather than direct speech, since it is not in first person. Jane Austen uses this technique occasionally. Even in summary, the speech exhibits the long-winded repetition that is characteristic of Mr. Woodhouse.

  27. Mr. Weston, though less obnoxiously than Mrs. Elton, has also assumed impolitely the right to select someone else’s guests.

  A lady (Harriet, Lady Cockerell) in Gypsy costume.

  [From Malcolm Salaman, Old English Colour Prints (New York, 1909), Plate XIX]

  [List of Illustrations]

  28. al-fresco: open-air. The use of the term may be intended to mock Mrs. Elton, both for her enthusiasm for outdoor parties and for her affectation of Italian phrases.

  29. She may rarely go there because it is farther afield than the places around Highbury, and her father’s fears for her may keep her close to home. She also may feel uncomfortable visiting on her own the house of a single man, even though he is a relative by marriage (it would be completely improper, if not scandalous, for an unmarried woman to make such a visit to a non-relative). Finally, Mr. Knightley’s regular visits to Hartfield and Highbury undermine the need. At the same time, Emma’s not visiting there does indicate the limited geographical scope of her existence.

  30. co
mplacency: satisfaction, pleasure.

  31. alliance: connection through marriage.

  32. The future proprietor, assuming Mr. Knightley never marries, would be either Emma’s brother-in-law or her nephew, depending on whether the former is still alive when Mr. Knightley dies.

  33. The practice of flooding meadows with water had developed during the past two centuries because it stimulated the growth of grass and thus provided more feed for animals. It would occur in the winter, when it would also promote earlier growth of grass by raising the temperature, and again in the summer after the animals had been moved to other fields. It was done through channels to direct the water. But some kind of stream, as here, was necessary to maintain a continuous flow, since stagnant water damaged the grass.

  34. During the eighteenth century having a good prospect, or view, from the house had been highly valued, so that grand houses were constructed on high ground. In earlier times views were not considered so important, and houses were placed mostly with a view to protection from the elements or from attack; hence the very old Donwell Abbey is “low and sheltered.” For a picture of an older house in a similar position, see this page.

  35. Traditionally landowners had planted rows of trees along roads, but recent ideals of beauty often encouraged cutting down trees in order to create uninterrupted views of distant prospects. For an example of an avenue that the leading landscape gardener of the time, Humphry Repton, recommends cutting down, see previous page. In Mansfield Park a landowner contemplates hiring Repton and imagines that his avenues of trees will be cut down for the sake of the view, which leads the heroine to quote lines—from the same poem, William Cowper’s The Task, cited by Mr. Knightley (see here)—that lament “Ye fallen avenues.” Landowners could also chop down trees to secure money from the timber; this is why the passage cites extravagance as well as fashion as reasons for their disappearance. Mr. Knightley’s preservation of his attests both to his independence from fashionable trends and to his careful financial management: he does not need to sacrifice his trees for timber.