Diana - Tenant Ch 16-19

Helen's list of reasons why she didn't want to marry Mr. Boarham (Mr. Bore 'em, as she thought of him) spoke loudly to why marriages in today's American culture are not arranged (131).

• He was at least twenty years older than she
• He was narrow-minded and bigoted
• Their tastes and feelings were wholly dissimilar
• His looks, voice, and manner displeased her
• She had a complete aversion to him

Today's American women would not tolerate these discrepancies any better than did Helen in the 1800s. However, I find it curious that Helen is so blinded by Mr. Huntingdon's good looks. Mr. Boarham cares for Helen in a way that Mr. Huntingdon probably never will, judging from his conceit. One passage in particular reveals this:

". . .she's thinking how pleasant it will be, and how tender and faithful he will find her."
"And perhaps," suggested I, "how tender and faithful she shall find him."
"Perhaps--for there is no limit to the wild extravagance of hope's imaginings, at such an age." (151)

It's quite evident here that he has no intention of being faithful to Helen, if she accepts him. He does change his sentiment in the next few paragraphs, presumably to capture her fancy. I feel toward Helen the way I do toward Scarlett O'Hara -- I want to reach into the book and slap some sense into her.

Diana - Tenant ch 11-15

I didn't pay much attention to Gilbert's anger until it was mentioned in class. However, after that, I noticed his anger, fury, and violent tendancies repeatedly in these chapters. Mostly he is able to control his outbursts, but he does become physically abusive toward his brother, and shockingly, toward Mr. Lawrence. For me, that was the turning point of my regard for him changing to dislike.

Gilbert starts out sounding rational, but the more I read about him, the less I like him. In fact, he becomes downright creepy when he plans to sneak up to Mrs. Graham's window and peep in at her (99). He also has several strange and/or vindictive thoughts:

"My excellent parent. . .came to coaxing, and began to stroke my hair; and I was getting to feel quite a good boy" (103)
"I was comforted to hear that he [Mr. Lawrence] had frightfully fractured his skull and broken a leg" (113)
"she [Mrs. Graham] may think upon her sins, and be as miserable as she will" (117)

I assume Gilbert will redeem himself somehow, because I liked him at the beginning when he started writing the letter to Halford. Presumably we'll end up discovering why he's writing to Halford, and we'll like Gilbert again.

Diana - Tenant ch. 6-10

In these chapters, Gilbert's opinion of others begins to change for the worse as his regard for Mrs. Graham grows. "Within those eyes [Eliza Millward's] there lurked a something that I did not like; and I wondered how I ever could have admired them: her sister's honest face and small grey optics appeared far more agreeable" (72). Until Mrs. Graham arrived in the neighborhood, Gilbert liked Eliza, but not her sister. However, now his opinion has reversed.

Previously, Gilbert seems to have had some regard for Mr. Lawrence. However, now Gilbert is jealous of what he perceives to be Mr. Lawrence's attentions to Mrs. Graham. In fact, Gilbert snubs Mr. Lawrence at the end of a party (81), then later catches the bridle of Lawrence's pony as he attempts to ride toward Wildfell Hall. Gilbert is forced to release the pony when Mr. Millward happens along (86, 87)

Bronte also juxtaposes some odd words (the positive words in bold; the negative words in italics:
"I regarded my two fair neighbours with a feeling of abhorrence and loathing I scarcely endeavoured to conceal" (76)
"the winking and malicious twinkle of her little ugly eyes" (77)

Diana - Tenant - ch 1-5

After our discussions about women writing under pen names, I found it interesting that in the preface to the second edition, Bronte writes, "I am satisfied that if a book is a good one, it is so whatever the sex of the author may be" (5). She hid her identity, in part because she felt the topics in her book would not be taken seriously if they were known to be written by a woman.

The gritty topics of alcoholism, domestic violence, and adultery in this book shocked me, particularly because Bronte wrote in the early 1800s. I thought entertainment of the time would reflect what I supposed to be the generally Puritan morals most people embraced. However, I recently discovered that in the 1780s, one in three young women who got married in Massachusetts were already pregnant when they married. So much for Puritan ideals.

Bronte makes liberal use of foreshadowing, as when Gilbert makes an odd, intimate statement upon his first meeting Mrs. Graham. "I would rather admire you from this distance, fair lady, than be the partner of your home" (15).

As the mother of four sons, I laughed when I read Mrs. Markham's comment about the vicar. "I wish to goodness he had a son himself! He wouldn't be so ready with his advice to other people then;--he'd see what it is to have a couple of boys to keep in order" (17).

Bronte gives us excellent insight into her characters, as when Gilbert thinks, "She thinks me an impudent puppy. Humph!--she shall change her mind before long, if I think it worth while" (15). Here we see not only Gilbert's peevish, immature manner, but we also get a glimpse at how he thinks of himself. He's confident that he can gain her interest if he deems her worthy and puts his mind to attracting her.

Anne Bronte treats us to the same dry humor Jane Austen exhibited in Emma, which will make Tenant an enjoyable read. "Mrs. Wilson...oft repeated observations, uttered apparently for the sole purpose of denying a moment's rest to her inexhaustible organs of speech. She had brought her knitting with her, and it seemed as if her tongue had laid a wager with her fingers, to outdo them in swift and ceaseless motion" (33).

I'm looking forward to seeing how Bronte develops the story.

Emma - vol 3, ch 14-19

Ahh... another satisfying Austen ending. It's interesting to note that despite Austen's views as expressed through her characters (Emma states several times, "I shall never marry"), at least some of Austen's books end not only in marriage, but marriage for love. During the time Austen wrote, I would think marriages for love were fairly uncommon.

And dear Mrs. Elton delivers her final snub at the end of the book when she does not attend Emma's wedding. "Mrs. Elton, from the particulars detailed by her husband, thought it all extremely shabby, and very inferior to her own" (381). Or...was she not invited?

Diana - Emma Vol. 3, ch. 8-13

Throughout this section, we see Emma's character steadily changing as she realizes her faults and strives to improve.

1. She vows to call on Miss Bates the next morning and begin a "regular, equal, kindly ." (297)

2. She tries to help Jane during her illness by sending her arrowroot and offering to take her out for a carriage ride. (306)

3. "Emma did not want to be classed with the Mrs. Eltons, the Mrs. Perrys, and the Mrs. Coles, who would force themselves anywhere" (307)

4. Emma "was extremely angry with herself" for her slights toward Jane. (316)

5. Emma realizes "she had brought evil on Harriet, on herself, and she too much feared, on Mr. Knightley" by encouraging Harriet to hope for an attachment with Knightley. (324)

6. "The only source whence any thing like consolation or composure could be drawn, was in the resolution of her own better conduct." (332)

I'm looking forward to seeing how she matures in the last few chapters of the book.

Diana - Emma Vol. 3, ch 1-7

My favorite part in this section was the scene where Harriet and Emma are discussing Harriet's new love interest. Each woman believes she understands the other, yet each is speaking of a different man. Austen highlights the confusion with Emma's contradictory line, "Harriet, I will not affect to be in doubt of your meaning."

Emma assumes Harriet is in love with Frank Churchill because the "service he rendered [her] was enough to warm [her] heart." With this line, Emma refers to Frank rescuing Harriet from the gypsies. However, I believe Harriet is thinking of meeting Robert Martin at Ford's; "when I saw him coming--his noble look--and my wretchedness before." On the other hand, she could be talking about Knightley's gallant offer to dance with her when Mr. Elton snubbed her. Either way, I believe Emma and Harriet are completely at odds in their understanding of Harriet's new object of affection.

Diana - Emma vol. 2 ch. 14-18

Mr. Elton's predicament of "being in the same room at once with the woman he had just married, the woman he had wanted to marry, and the woman whom he had been expected to marry" (211) was hilarious. Jane Austen's dry humor (she was British, after all) has made me chuckle several times throughout the book.

As irksome as Emma finds her father's habits, I found it interesting that she resorts to his habit of staying home when pressed by Mrs. Elton, whom she does not like. Mrs. Elton tries to get Emma to plan an outing, but Emma notes, "we are a very quiet set of people, I believe; more disposed to stay at home than engage in schemes of pleasure." (214) However, Mrs. Elton does not take the hint. Indeed, she continues to pair herself with Emma, using "we" and "you and I" as she talks about how the two of them can draw out Jane Fairfax.

Mrs. Weston and Emma gloat over having determined that Knightley will probably marry Jane Fairfax, because he has vehemently denied that he ever will. What the two women fail to realize is that Knightley, a typical male, has said exactly what he thinks and feels. On the whole, men tend to think and act in a straightforward manner, while women try to read meaning into nuances. In this case, I think the women are wrong - Knightley has no intention of marrying Jane Fairfax because it is not her he loves.

Diana - Emma vol. 2 ch 8-13

In chapter eight, we see Knightley's influence over Emma. Knightley had commented that Frank had turned out to be the silly person he had supposed him to be (162). At the time, Emma took exception to Knightley's opinion. Indeed, she tried to rationalize it away. "Emma thus moralized to herself:--'I do not know whether it ought to be so, but certainly silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. . .No, I am perfectly sure that he is not trifling or silly'" (166).

Then we see what may be a change of heart later in chapter eight. Emma questions Frank as to whether he regrets spending a day getting his hair cut, to which he replies he does not (174). I think there are two possibilities regarding this passage:

1. Emma is trying to reassure herself that Frank is not silly by soliciting the fact that he still does not regret spending a day getting his hair cut (as we saw her rationalize earlier on 166).

2. Knightley has influenced Emma, and she is beginning to think Frank is rather silly, and seeks confirmation of this by trying to get him to admit he wasted his day getting his hair cut.

Diana - Emma Vol. 2, Ch. 1-7

Emma dislikes Jane Fairfax, yet she cannot help admiring her elegance. Why does Emma admire her? Perhaps because she feels Jane is no threat to her. Indeed, she pities Jane's social status. "...when she considered what all this elegance was destined to, what she was going to sink from, how she was going to live, it seemed impossible to feel any thing but compassion and respect" (p. 131).

In another interesting development, Emma is forced to admit that Harriet must visit the Martins, who have invited her. However, Emma fears "the danger of a renewal of the acquaintance" (p. 145). We soon see how greatly the whole business with the Martins is affecting Emma, as evidenced by three short sentences in close proximity.

"It was a bad business. She [Emma] would have given a great deal, or endured a great deal, to have had the Martins in a higher rank of life. They were so deserving, that a little higher should have been enough: but as it was, how could she have done otherwise?--Impossible! --She could not repent. They must be separated..." (p. 147)

Is it possible Emma is reconsidering Robert Martin as a possible match for Harriet?

Diana - Emma 9-19

In chapters 9-19, Emma continues to notice those faults in others that she herself has. I also noticed that when an important idea or emotion strikes Emma, Austen uses a short, direct sentence.
"She was vexed." (p. 99)
"It really was so." (p. 103 - Mr. Elton loves her)

We see the same pattern later with Knightley:
"His letters disgust me." (p. 117)

I find Austen's dry humor hilarious, and some of my fellow passengers on the bus looked at me strangely when I laughed out loud in several spots.
"...in the most overpowering period of Mr. Elton's nonsense,..." (p. 94)
"It was rather too late in the day to set about being simple-minded and ignorant;" (p. 112)

Mr. Knightley's vexation (p. 119) interested me. Why is he angry? And with whom?

The information Emma gleaned from her visit to the Bateses' household was interesting. Why did she zero in on Jane's coming to visit the Bateses rather than going to visit Ireland with the Campbells? Emma also focused on the fact that Jane is prettier than Miss Campbell/Mrs. Dixon (another dual-name instance that confused me for a few paragraphs.) I think we'll read interesting interactions with Jane Fairfax when she appears.

Diana - Emma 1-8

Jane Austen is one of my favorite writers. Her skill with dialogue and characterization always intrigues me. She clearly defines each character through both speech and mannerisms. For example, Mr. Elton continually says, "Exactly so." And Mr. Woodhouse is concerned about everyone's health, as evidenced by both his behavior and speech.

For me, Emma, as she presents herself to us, is an unlikable character--usually to a novel. She is selfish, snobbish, and finds pleasure in manipulating others' lives. However, through Knightley's eyes, we see Emma's good qualities (p. 30, his conversation with Mrs. Weston), thus redeeming her enough to keep us reading.

Another interesting point: the faults Emma sees in others seem to be her own, which is generally true of the human condition.
"He must have a pretty good opinion of himself." (p. 43)
"...and more than a reasonable, becoming degree of prudence, she was very sure did not belong to Mr. Elton." (p. 54)
As we read these first few chapters, we discover Emma thinks quite highly of herself and has very little prudence.