Friday, September 18, 2009

Emma Woodhouse and Harriet

I had hoped to be further along in Emma by now but I have been nursing a little bit of a headache this week and could not really focus on it as much as I had wanted to, I hope with a 3 day weekend that I might be able to be further along, if not finished the novel by next Saturday.
Miss Emma Woodhouse fancies herself the best matchmaker in the British Empire, after hazarding to assume responsibility for the marriage of Mr. Watson to her former governess and lifelong family friend Miss Taylor; basing this on her introducing the two parties after he brought umbrellas to their need in the rain. Soon after Emma has made the acquaintance of Miss Harriet Smith and is quite determined to make a match for her with Mr. Elton who she feels in more in keeping with the presumed station from which Miss Smith comes from. She meets the farmer Mr. Martin with whom Harriet was mildly smitten; because of his profession and lack of a public school education (Emma stresses he is illiterate and can't read, yet Harriet has already mentioned that he knows how to read and has read at least The Vicar of Wakefield); for Emma this mere farmer is somebody who, even if his fortunes were to increase modestly, he would always be below her worth to associate. This bias has so far been pressed to Harriet to such an extent that she too is beginning to be manipulated towards Emma's outlook on things. It was there that I was forced to leave the novel as a headache came upon me.

1 comment:

  1. One of my fav of the Austen oeuvre - I hope that you enjoy it. Harriet Smith is much under-rated and overlooked. I will not reveal any spolilers but she always wins my respect in the end.

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