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Jane Austen assignment stuff
EMMA - Mr KNIGHTLEY
[1] 309. The hero, Mr Knightley, is one of the few sensible men among Jane’s heroes, and he with his experience and strength of character is… the only true mate for Emma.
[2] 200. Because Emma ignores the economic drive behind love, she assumes that alovely face and good connections are enough to attract an eligible man without a dowry…
Elton, however, has fixed his sights on Emma instead, and serious difficulties could have developed if Elton’s attentions had gone further, as Emma’s brother in law repeatedly warns her.
… shows how dangerous any transgression of the rules of the marriage market can be for women…
[3] 11. Mr Knightley… always demonstrates a concern for others… taking Emma aside to offer a good-natured, but firm, critique of her behaviour.
123. [Excursion to Box Hill] … perhaps inspired by travelling completely beyond the bounds of Highbury for the only time in the novel, Emma gives in momentarily to her long standing wish to treat Miss Bates with the kind of disregard for propriety and humanity that she usually reserves for outsiders. This lapse, the implications of which Mr Knightly quickly points out to her, is enough to make Emma see that her world cannot be divided up into two separate compartments conveniently seales off from each other. Her task from that point on… is to direct her energies inward towards her own community, and to seek stimulation - in a generous engagement with the familiar and a readiness to accept change. Thus, Emma at last pays proper attention to Miss Bates, seeks to be of use to Jane Fairfax, and yields greatly to the alteration in her own status and the order of villiage life consequent on accepting Mr Knightly’s marriage proposal.
125. The fact that Emma is able to convince herself that Mr Knightly can be ignored pays testimony to the strength of her conviction that the standards of Highbury do not apply when dealing with outsiders. Mr Knightly may well have been almost always right over a lifetime of encounters in their own community, but this, for Emma, does not mean that he knows anything about a woman based on delicate… points of ‘female right and refinement’, and on ‘strong passion’. Consequently, although it troubles Emma to disagree with him, she has no doubt that it is correct to do so.
138. Box Hill… provides the ideal setting for Emma to indulge herself in an act so irresponsible and cruel that even she can grasp its significance.
Emma yields to her often felt but always resisted temptation to [139] regulate Miss Bates to the status of outsider.
Mr Knightly explains the full implication of Emma’s words:
Were she a woman of fortune>
secure your compassion.
Miss Bates has her origins within the upper reaches of the Highbury system of ranks, and the villiage’s three leading families have committed themselves to ensuring that, in spite of her poverty and foolishness, she does not entirely lose her inherited position.
… Emma directly contravenes this commitment.
… the sudden realisation that those fanciful activites she has tried to reserve for what she considers peripheral areas of her life will inevitable have an effect on matters of most intimate concern to her.
140. … if she is to remain within the moral limits of Highbury at all times, she must redefine her relationship to the community. The legitimate need for stimulation previously met by illegitimate means must be satisfied through a more whole-hearted commitment to the familiar, through a reaching beyond the tiny circle to which she has limited herself, and through a willingness to accept necessary change.
REFERENCES
[1] Milton, G. E. Jane Austen and Her Times. London: Methuen & Co., 1709 (2nd and cheaper edition).
[2] Fay, Elizabeth A. A Feminist Introduction to Romanticism. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998.
[3] Monaghan, David. Jane Austen: Structure and Social Vision. London: The MacMillan Press, 1980.
EMMA- DONWELL
12. The trip to Donwell takes Emma to a place which serves as an appropriate background for the education in Highbury values she receives there.
116. … the strawberry picking expedition marks Mr Woodhouse’s first visit to Donwell in two years.
122. A delicate balance between reality and fantasy, dullness and excitement, responsibility and irresponsibility … Emma holds her world in a condition of stasis.
… the balance begins to tip during the Crown ball and the Donwell visit.
… both occasions are part of the revival of Highbury life inspired by Frank Churchill and Mrs Elton and, being much more exciting than the familiar evening parties at Hartfield and Randalls, they command Emma’s complete involvement. Mr Knightley, too, is shaken out of his usual complacency and participates fully. As a result and without either being aware of it, Mr Knightley and Emma [123] begin to precipitate change by approaching each other as lovers.
123… a discordant note is introduced… because of Emma’s interference with her sense of rank, Harriet has become presumptuous enough to aspire to be Mrs Knightly. The harmony of the Donwell visit is also undercut by the evident distress of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax, whose already unstable relationship has been brought to an impasse by their involvement in Emma’s fantasies.
134. The visit to Donwell marks a further stage in Emma’s reassessment of her role in the Highbury community.
135. Mr Knightly now becomes an initiator of social activity…
[To avoid any improper schemes on Mrs Elton’s behalf] … he offers her an alternative form of amusement in the shape of a strawberry picking party in the grounds of his house, thereby assuring that her restless energies be placed under his personal control.
… the prompt and firm way he is able to check Mrs Elton’s attempts to be Lady Patroness:
‘It is my party. Leave it all to me. I will invite your guests’.
‘No,’ he calmly replied, - ‘There is but one married woman in the world whom I can ever allow to invite what guests she pleases to Donwell, and that one is… Mrs Knightly;- and till she is in being, I will manage such matters myself.’
… he ensures that the entire visit is organised in such a way as to reflect the very best standards.
As the guests scatter over his grounds, Mr Knightly attatched himself to harriet and takes her to a spot overlooking Abbey Mill Farm. His intention is to remind her of the ‘prosperity and beauty’ of Robert Martin’s home environment, and thus direct her attentions to a proper suitor.
136. The main focus of Emma’s day… is the revitalised Mr K. and his estate. Viewed within the context of his own home Mr K is indeed an impressive figure, and Emma finds herself feeling an increased respect for him.
She felt all the honest pride and >
fashion nor extravagance had rooted up.
Emma is tending towards a more direct ‘alliance with the present… proprieter’ than is already afforded by her sister’s marriage, and that she is beginning to realise that there is an appropriate role for her alongside such a fine example of ‘English verdure, English culture’.
137. What eventually faces Emma is the possibility that she has helped create a match between Harriet and Mr K which will not only destroy her own chances of happiness and fulfilment, but undercut the prestige and authority of one of H’s leading citizens and thus damage the community.
This discordant note is reiterated, although very quietly, during the Donwell visit.
Because Emma has encouraged her to think that a match with Mr K is not an impossibility, Harriet completely misinterprets his motives for singling her out for special attention during the walk through the grounds of the Abbey.
… there are other false notes sounded amidst the tranquil harmonies of Donwell that could be heard and interpreted by anyone willing to listen.
Jane leaves early and in a state of ‘great agitation’; Frank Churchill arrives late and proves to be bad-tempered and restless. Both are distressed because of difficulties in their relationship…
… a very clear hint is given that, by behaving irresponsibly in some areas, such as in her treatment of the outsiders Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax, Emma will inevitably cause harm in others, even if, as is the case at Donwell, this runs directly counter to her conscious aims.
… it becomes inevitable that Emma will achieve self-knowledge as a result of a painful exposure of the limitations of her inconsistent approach to experience.
REFERENCES
[1] Monaghan, David. Jane Austen: Structure and Social Vision. London: The MacMillan Press, 1980.
EMMA - Mr KNIGHTLEY
[1] 309. The hero, Mr Knightley, is one of the few sensible men among Jane’s heroes, and he with his experience and strength of character is… the only true mate for Emma.
[2] 200. Because Emma ignores the economic drive behind love, she assumes that alovely face and good connections are enough to attract an eligible man without a dowry…
Elton, however, has fixed his sights on Emma instead, and serious difficulties could have developed if Elton’s attentions had gone further, as Emma’s brother in law repeatedly warns her.
… shows how dangerous any transgression of the rules of the marriage market can be for women…
[3] 11. Mr Knightley… always demonstrates a concern for others… taking Emma aside to offer a good-natured, but firm, critique of her behaviour.
123. [Excursion to Box Hill] … perhaps inspired by travelling completely beyond the bounds of Highbury for the only time in the novel, Emma gives in momentarily to her long standing wish to treat Miss Bates with the kind of disregard for propriety and humanity that she usually reserves for outsiders. This lapse, the implications of which Mr Knightly quickly points out to her, is enough to make Emma see that her world cannot be divided up into two separate compartments conveniently seales off from each other. Her task from that point on… is to direct her energies inward towards her own community, and to seek stimulation - in a generous engagement with the familiar and a readiness to accept change. Thus, Emma at last pays proper attention to Miss Bates, seeks to be of use to Jane Fairfax, and yields greatly to the alteration in her own status and the order of villiage life consequent on accepting Mr Knightly’s marriage proposal.
125. The fact that Emma is able to convince herself that Mr Knightly can be ignored pays testimony to the strength of her conviction that the standards of Highbury do not apply when dealing with outsiders. Mr Knightly may well have been almost always right over a lifetime of encounters in their own community, but this, for Emma, does not mean that he knows anything about a woman based on delicate… points of ‘female right and refinement’, and on ‘strong passion’. Consequently, although it troubles Emma to disagree with him, she has no doubt that it is correct to do so.
138. Box Hill… provides the ideal setting for Emma to indulge herself in an act so irresponsible and cruel that even she can grasp its significance.
Emma yields to her often felt but always resisted temptation to [139] regulate Miss Bates to the status of outsider.
Mr Knightly explains the full implication of Emma’s words:
Were she a woman of fortune>
secure your compassion.
Miss Bates has her origins within the upper reaches of the Highbury system of ranks, and the villiage’s three leading families have committed themselves to ensuring that, in spite of her poverty and foolishness, she does not entirely lose her inherited position.
… Emma directly contravenes this commitment.
… the sudden realisation that those fanciful activites she has tried to reserve for what she considers peripheral areas of her life will inevitable have an effect on matters of most intimate concern to her.
140. … if she is to remain within the moral limits of Highbury at all times, she must redefine her relationship to the community. The legitimate need for stimulation previously met by illegitimate means must be satisfied through a more whole-hearted commitment to the familiar, through a reaching beyond the tiny circle to which she has limited herself, and through a willingness to accept necessary change.
REFERENCES
[1] Milton, G. E. Jane Austen and Her Times. London: Methuen & Co., 1709 (2nd and cheaper edition).
[2] Fay, Elizabeth A. A Feminist Introduction to Romanticism. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998.
[3] Monaghan, David. Jane Austen: Structure and Social Vision. London: The MacMillan Press, 1980.
EMMA- DONWELL
12. The trip to Donwell takes Emma to a place which serves as an appropriate background for the education in Highbury values she receives there.
116. … the strawberry picking expedition marks Mr Woodhouse’s first visit to Donwell in two years.
122. A delicate balance between reality and fantasy, dullness and excitement, responsibility and irresponsibility … Emma holds her world in a condition of stasis.
… the balance begins to tip during the Crown ball and the Donwell visit.
… both occasions are part of the revival of Highbury life inspired by Frank Churchill and Mrs Elton and, being much more exciting than the familiar evening parties at Hartfield and Randalls, they command Emma’s complete involvement. Mr Knightley, too, is shaken out of his usual complacency and participates fully. As a result and without either being aware of it, Mr Knightley and Emma [123] begin to precipitate change by approaching each other as lovers.
123… a discordant note is introduced… because of Emma’s interference with her sense of rank, Harriet has become presumptuous enough to aspire to be Mrs Knightly. The harmony of the Donwell visit is also undercut by the evident distress of Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax, whose already unstable relationship has been brought to an impasse by their involvement in Emma’s fantasies.
134. The visit to Donwell marks a further stage in Emma’s reassessment of her role in the Highbury community.
135. Mr Knightly now becomes an initiator of social activity…
[To avoid any improper schemes on Mrs Elton’s behalf] … he offers her an alternative form of amusement in the shape of a strawberry picking party in the grounds of his house, thereby assuring that her restless energies be placed under his personal control.
… the prompt and firm way he is able to check Mrs Elton’s attempts to be Lady Patroness:
‘It is my party. Leave it all to me. I will invite your guests’.
‘No,’ he calmly replied, - ‘There is but one married woman in the world whom I can ever allow to invite what guests she pleases to Donwell, and that one is… Mrs Knightly;- and till she is in being, I will manage such matters myself.’
… he ensures that the entire visit is organised in such a way as to reflect the very best standards.
As the guests scatter over his grounds, Mr Knightly attatched himself to harriet and takes her to a spot overlooking Abbey Mill Farm. His intention is to remind her of the ‘prosperity and beauty’ of Robert Martin’s home environment, and thus direct her attentions to a proper suitor.
136. The main focus of Emma’s day… is the revitalised Mr K. and his estate. Viewed within the context of his own home Mr K is indeed an impressive figure, and Emma finds herself feeling an increased respect for him.
She felt all the honest pride and >
fashion nor extravagance had rooted up.
Emma is tending towards a more direct ‘alliance with the present… proprieter’ than is already afforded by her sister’s marriage, and that she is beginning to realise that there is an appropriate role for her alongside such a fine example of ‘English verdure, English culture’.
137. What eventually faces Emma is the possibility that she has helped create a match between Harriet and Mr K which will not only destroy her own chances of happiness and fulfilment, but undercut the prestige and authority of one of H’s leading citizens and thus damage the community.
This discordant note is reiterated, although very quietly, during the Donwell visit.
Because Emma has encouraged her to think that a match with Mr K is not an impossibility, Harriet completely misinterprets his motives for singling her out for special attention during the walk through the grounds of the Abbey.
… there are other false notes sounded amidst the tranquil harmonies of Donwell that could be heard and interpreted by anyone willing to listen.
Jane leaves early and in a state of ‘great agitation’; Frank Churchill arrives late and proves to be bad-tempered and restless. Both are distressed because of difficulties in their relationship…
… a very clear hint is given that, by behaving irresponsibly in some areas, such as in her treatment of the outsiders Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax, Emma will inevitably cause harm in others, even if, as is the case at Donwell, this runs directly counter to her conscious aims.
… it becomes inevitable that Emma will achieve self-knowledge as a result of a painful exposure of the limitations of her inconsistent approach to experience.
REFERENCES
[1] Monaghan, David. Jane Austen: Structure and Social Vision. London: The MacMillan Press, 1980.