by Jane Austen
25. powers: physical faculties.
26. The concluding lines demonstrate Emma’s sincere efforts to make amends for her previous misbehavior as well as the continuing importance of Mr. Knightley’s opinion to her thoughts.
Mourning dress.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Series Two, Vol. IV (1817), p. 362]
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VOLUME III, CHAPTER X
1. natural: normal.
2. The sweep gates represent the entrance to Hartfield.
Examples of entrance gates to wealthy properties.
[From John Plaw, Ferme Ornee (London, 1795), Plate I]
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3. late: recent.
4. If Mr. Churchill had natural children, i.e. children out of wedlock, he might only reveal it now, after his wife’s death. He also could decide to bequeath the estate to them rather than Frank, for Frank is only a nephew and has been made the heir by the Churchills’ will, which Mr. Churchill can change, and which he might do for the sake of his own children.
5. The Otways were mentioned during the ball at the Crown (see here).
6. work: needlework.
7. wonderful: astonishing.
A portrait of a woman (The Countess of Oxford, by John Hoppner).
[From Malcolm Salaman, Old English Colour Prints (New York, 1909), Plate IX]
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8. Meaning that his manners, or outward conduct, were very much those of a man who was unengaged and at complete liberty romantically.
9. mischief: harm, injury.
10. One reason why engagements were supposed to be made public was to avoid such confusion.
11. with a witness: without a doubt, with a vengeance.
12. offering: being offered.
13. This is an ideal of manliness often expressed at the time. In this case, Emma has a clear model that undoubtedly influences her espousal of it, Mr. Knightley.
14. She probably means that while Jane Fairfax’s coldness might have communicated some sense of her resolution to end the engagement, that alone would not have sufficed to convince him.
15. The reason why he learned this only now, approximately ten days after Jane’s decision to accept the position as governess, is explained later by Frank—here.
16. own: confess.
17. material: essential.
18. Family burial vaults were standard for wealthy families. They usually were part of the local parish church, with very wealthy families often constructing a separate chapel within the church, below which their vault would rest. Within the vault the members of each successive generation would be interred.
19. simplicity: sincerity.
20. During the debate between Emma and Mr. Knightley on Frank Churchill, before the latter’s arrival, Mr. Knightley worried that if Frank turned out to be the smooth charmer Emma imagined, he could ultimately “make all appear like fools compared to himself.” In many respects he has done this, and in a manner even Mr. Knightley could not possibly have imagined.
21. Emma is undoubtedly thinking of her own speculations about Jane Fairfax’s possible ties of affection with Mr. Dixon, which she never would have meant Jane to hear but now has to imagine being an object of discussion between Frank and Jane.
22. It is not a “connexion [meaning a connection by marriage] to gratify” because of the relatively low social position of Jane Fairfax and the Bateses. It is notable that Mrs. Weston should say this, considering she was a governess before marrying Mr. Weston, and thus either at the same level as Jane or even lower (her own background is never specified).
23. Jane’s situation would give her a powerful reason to practice such deceit, for eventual marriage to Frank would save her from a life as a governess, which would mean dependence, isolation, social degradation, limited income, and most likely spinsterhood. Now she can look forward to life as the mistress of a very wealthy estate, which will involve tremendous social advantages as well as any personal advantages coming from her affection for Frank; her new position will also allow her to provide her aunt and grandmother with far greater comfort and economic security than they enjoy now.
24. This line derives from Romeo and Juliet. The precise words are “The world is not thy friend, nor the world’s law,” spoken by Romeo to persuade an apothecary that, considering his dire poverty, he should have no scruples about selling Romeo a deadly poison forbidden by the law.
A woman in walking dress.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. XIV (1815), p. 120]
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VOLUME III, CHAPTER XI
1. ideas: thoughts.
2. evil: misfortune, difficulty.
3. discovery: disclosure.
4. It was after Frank and Emma’s ostentatious flirtation on Box Hill that Jane rejected these attentions and exhibited such pointed dislike of Emma.
5. She has already interpreted Harriet’s calmness when Frank Churchill is present or is mentioned as self-command on her part.
6. office: duty, task.
7. by: with.
8. event: outcome.
9. This gives a sense of Mr. Weston’s standards of secrecy, for Harriet, as far as he knows, has no connection to Frank Churchill or Jane Fairfax.
10. propose showing: exhibit.
11. peculiar: special, particular.
12. colouring: blushing.
13. This indicates Harriet’s strong feelings, the complete opposite of the calmness and composure Emma has recently been attributing to her.
14. It was this possibility that presumably provoked the terror Emma felt above when she first sensed that she had been mistaken about the object of Harriet’s affection.
15. stand up: dance.
16. Emma has mistaken this in part because of her inclination to rate a romantic and melodramatic rescue, though one that required no particular virtue or thoughtfulness on the rescuer’s side, above an ordinary social action that required both of those qualities.
17. attitude: position, posture.
18. This is a crucial moment, for Emma has finally attained an essential piece of self-knowledge, which, had she possessed it earlier, would have allowed her to pursue a much more sensible course.
19. indelicate: lacking in propriety and decency.
20. Thus Emma is forced to undergo further penance for her mistake, though her willingness to do so for reasons, at least in part, of justice to the person who is now her rival is a sign of virtue, one that could in turn make her deserve better outcomes than her previous wrong deeds have brought her.
21. emotion: agitation.
22. accent: tone.
23. developement: disclosure, unfolding.
24. art: artifice, cunning, calculated behavior to attain one’s ends. This was a pejorative term often applied to women for their alleged stratagems in luring and snaring men. Its absence would be something particularly valued by Mr. Knightley, with his love of sincerity and openness; he has already praised Harriet for being “artless” (see here).
25. The strict rules of propriety governing behavior between unmarried men and women, ones that a man like Mr. Knightley would be especially likely to follow, meant that genuine love often could be expressed only through such small and ordinary gestures as the two cited by Harriet.
26. confidence: trust, intimacy.
27. article: detail, particular.
28. spirit: ardor, vigor.
The exterior of a farmer’s house. People like this, who are comfortable but still directly involved with farm labor, are now the objects of Harriet’s disdain.
[From Malcolm Salaman, Old English Colour Prints (New York, 1909), Plate XII]
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29. Thus Emma’s first serious mistake, that of trying to form and direct Harriet, ends up being the one that causes her the most acute regret.
30. The shrubbery contains m
any of the walking paths near her house.
31. posture: position.
32. imposed on … imposing on: deceived … deceiving.
33. The need for self-knowledge is a crucial part of the reformation of a Jane Austen heroine. At a critical moment, when she realizes her past errors, the main character in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, declares, “Till this moment, I never knew myself.” In Emma’s case her willingness immediately before this to acknowledge that she has deceived herself even more than others have deceived her—in other words, that she has been the principal author of her trouble—represents an important step in the direction of better self-knowledge.
34. succeeded to: come to possess or enjoy (in the wake of someone else).
35. disgusting: distasteful.
36. Harriet’s social position means that, had she not been befriended by Emma, Mr. Knightley would never have had any social contact with her (except possibly as the wife of Robert Martin).
37. stale: lacking in novelty; hackneyed.
38. The inferiority of Harriet’s social position and background, as well as her personal limitations, would provoke these sneers. Emma’s concern about this reflects the value placed upon general opinion, even by those people most capable of thinking for themselves, a phenomenon seen consistently in Austen’s novels. Emma’s reflections also show her thinking about, and caring deeply for, Mr. Knightley’s welfare, even without respect to herself and her own relationship with him. It is notable that she did not see Harriet’s low status as a problem for Mr. Elton or Frank Churchill, neither of whom she cared for so much.
39. powers: abilities, especially mental ones (just as the reference to first-rate abilities concerns mental ones). Almost every other Austen novel presents an example of an intelligent man who has been captivated in this manner, including Mr. Allen of Northanger Abbey, Mr. Palmer of Sense and Sensibility, Mr. Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, and Sir Thomas Bertram of Mansfield Park. In general the women they have married possess beauty and good nature, just as Harriet does.
40. Though in Austen’s novels men always make most of the overt advances, and always propose, she does present cases in which the interest a woman shows in a man is what principally inspires him to think of her.
41. Most of the unequal marriages in this society, at least as regards inequality of rank, involved women marrying up. The reason was that wives derived their status, and usually their wealth, from their husband, so a marriage between a high-ranking man and a lowly woman would elevate her, whereas a marriage in which the positions were reversed would degrade the woman rather than raising the man.
42. The first cause is God, the ultimate director and arbiter of human fate.
43. Emma’s words echo in many respects those Mr. Knightley used at the climax of his disagreement with Emma about Harriet and Robert Martin (see here).
44. Though many women in this society would like to marry a man of higher rank, it was rare enough that most would not focus their thoughts and efforts on it, especially if they were as naturally humble and limited in imagination as Harriet.
45. situation: social position.
46. high worldly establishment: marriage, and accompanying situation, with someone of high rank.
VOLUME III, CHAPTER XII
1. Earlier Mr. Knightley had said, “I should like to see Emma in love, and in some doubt of a return; it would do her good” (see here). Now he has gotten his wish, but he probably did not imagine that he would be the object of her love.
2. Emma, preferring that people praise her, cannot imagine that his clear-sighted censure can be compatible with love.
3. She again refers to his good in her deliberations, though her succeeding words about preserving a close relationship with Mr. Knightley, which his marriage would interfere with, indicate she is thinking in selfish terms as well.
4. In her deliberations she never imagines another possible mate for him besides Harriet or herself. One reason is the limited marriage opportunities for someone in his social position (see note 56).
5. As subsequent events will show, this statement indicates that her self-knowledge still has limits.
6. Meaning her power of observing his feelings for Harriet, which she fears being exercised because of what she might discern.
7. Harriet, even with her increased confidence, is still naturally inclined to submit to Emma, and she is probably grateful because, sensing Emma’s disquiet at the prospect of a match between herself and Mr. Knightley, she would prefer not to discuss the subject.
8. daughter-in-law elect: the person selected, but not yet installed, as her daughter-in-law. The phrase was often used in relation to betrothed people.
9. Thus even with her own troubles Emma retains some genuine interest in other people, as well as a willingness to display that interest for another person’s sake.
10. Mrs. Weston has visited Mrs. and Miss Bates but does not seem to be a regular caller of theirs, so her going might be considered unusual. Others in Highbury would certainly notice and then spread the word: in Northanger Abbey one character states that normally in England “every man is surrounded by a neighbourhood of voluntary spies.”
11. Jane’s marriage to the heir to a wealthy estate would certainly improve their own situation. At a minimum Jane and Frank could give them more money to live on, and they could even provide a better home for them. But Mrs. and Miss Bates may be too concerned for Jane to focus on this.
12. Because the Westons have a carriage and Jane does not, they can offer her an opportunity for an airing that she lacks.
13. put by: laid aside.
14. Private engagements are presented consistently as wrong in Austen’s novels, though the degree of wrongness may vary.
15. Her moral scruples were much stronger than Frank’s were, as his letter explaining his side of the story will indicate (see here). Since Mr. Knightley has regarded Jane more highly, and Emma preferred Frank, the case is another example of Mr. Knightley’s superior judgment.
16. By “friends” she probably means both her aunt and grandmother and the Campbells. That she makes a point of deflecting all blame from them is a further testament to her good character.
17. Mrs. Weston, who always tries to exculpate Emma in any case, is here unaware of the slanderous reports Emma had shared with Frank regarding Jane Fairfax’s relations with Mr. Dixon.
18. temper: disposition.
19. drawback: deduction, hindrance.
20. intelligence: news.
21. Hence this conversation has provided further grounds for Emma’s self-reproaches. She also realizes that she now suffers from her past follies.
22. This is a rare case in Jane Austen where the weather is used to correspond to the feelings of a character, and heighten those feelings. This will continue in the next chapter.
23. English summer days are very long.
24. At this nadir of despair, Emma’s response is to resolve to act better in the future.
VOLUME III, CHAPTER XIII
1. turns: walks around.
2. This echoes the opening chapter of the book, when Mr. Knightley had also just returned from London and came to visit the Woodhouses.
3. His willingness to ride back through the rain, when he is on horseback and cannot shelter himself, demonstrates his eagerness to return. He will soon explain the reason.
Dinner dress.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. XIV (1815), p. 181]
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4. He probably waits to see if Emma has anything more to say, since, as he explains shortly, he assumes she is gravely disappointed by Frank Churchill’s engagement to Jane Fairfax.
5. He could have learned it from Harriet there; if so, it would be one more mark of his greater intimacy with her.
6. Mr. Weston was earlier described as discussing parish business with Mr. Knightley and other men at the Coles’ party. Mr. Knightley, as the leading landowner
and a magistrate, would be the most important person in the government of the parish, so when he is away he would be informed of any developments and his opinion sought.
7. He had taken her hand just before leaving for London, and this represents an even more intimate gesture.
8. sensibility: sensitivity, delicacy.
9. His words and his gesture indicate he has interpreted her sigh and sinking voice as signs of heartbreak over the loss of Frank Churchill.
10. It is notable that rather than exulting over her release from Frank, something that could benefit him (see below), he is mostly concerned for her welfare, just as she has been, at least in part, with his.
11. “The feelings of the warmest friendship” are his feelings toward her; “indignation” and “scoundrel” relate to Frank. His broken speech shows the intensity of his passion.
12. He believes that she knows rationally she should not regret the loss of Frank, but that her feelings are still ones of regret.
13. lively: merry, lighthearted.
14. Normally a woman would be more ashamed to confess that she was attached to a man who has proved himself unreliable and in love with someone else, but, with Emma’s conduct having convinced others of her attachment, she has reason for shame at having behaved so flirtatiously with no real attachment as the cause.
15. Mr. Knightley, now that he learns he has no reason to be worried about a marriage between Frank Churchill and Emma, quickly switches to his usual generosity and fairness in judging someone else.
16. Jane Fairfax could provide him with the moral guidance he now lacks.
17. By “character” he probably means his public reputation as well as his inner character, for reputation was of great importance in this society, and that of a man would have great influence on the position and therefore the happiness of his wife.
18. Her character must vouchsafe for her disinterestedness, for the many material advantages of the marriage for her could easily lead to the inference that she pursued it from greed or ambition.