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.