In this episode, we read chapters 6 to 10 of Emma. We talk about the hints Jane Austen gives us about Emma’s blunders, Emma’s manipulation of Harriet after Mr Martin’s proposal, the argument between Emma and Mr Knightley, Harriet’s riddle book, Emma’s and Mr Elton’s respective views of his place in the social hierarchy, and Emma’s lack of need to get married. (There was also a lengthy discussion of ‘Kitty, a fair but frozen maid’, which we ended up editing out, and just pointing to Lona Manning’s article and blog posts on the subject.)
We discuss the Martin family (specifically, Mr Martin and his mother), and in the historical section Ellen talks about vicars and parish business. Harriet talks about the 1996 Miramax film adaptation of Emma.
Things we mention:
General discussion:
- John Mullan, Discussion on Rosenbach Museum: Austen Mondays (YouTube – 22 November, 2022)
- Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield (1766)
- Lona Manning on ‘Kitty, a fair but frozen maid’:
- ‘From “Namby-Pamby” to “Sinister”: The Meaning and Significance of “Kitty, a Fair but Frozen Maid” in Austen’s Emma‘, Persuasions Online, Volume 43, No 1 (Winter 2022)
- ‘CMP#123 Of Cupids and Chimneysweeps’, Clutching my Pearls (19 December 2023)
- ‘CMP#124 Riddling with the Georgians’, Clutching my Pearls (22 December 2022)
- ‘CMP#125 “Astonished at what I hear”‘, Clutching my Pearls (28 December 2022)
- ‘CMP#126 Now You’ve Gone and Made Me Defend Mr. Woodhouse’, Clutching my Pearls (1 January 2023)
Character discussion:
- John Mullan, What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved (2012)
- Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield (1766)
- Ann Radcliffe, The Romance of the Forest (1791)
- George Eliot, Adam Bede (1859)
- Graph showing the percentage of female bakers, butchers, farmers and innkeepers in various age groups as shown in the census of 1851. From Ellen Jordan, The Women’s Movement and Women’s Employment in Nineteenth Century Britain (1999), Figure 3.1, p. 58.
Historical discussion:
- William Savage, ‘The Georgian Clergy’, Pen and Pension (16 May 2018)
- Penny Gay, ‘A Hypothetical Map of Highbury‘, Persuasions Online, Volume 36, No. 1 (Winter 2015).
Popular culture discussion:
- Main version considered:
- Miramax, Emma (1996) – starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam
- Other versions mentioned
Listener feedback:
- BBC, Emma (2009) – starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller
- Mikaella Clements, ‘The Hidden Horror Inside Jane Austen’s Novels of Love’, Literary Hub, 13 October 2017
Creative commons music used:
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Christoph Willibald Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice. File from IMSLP.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
Dear Ellen and Harriet,
There is one thought I have since the first times I read Emma and Pride and Prejudice and I’m wondering what do you think about it.
I see Emma as a female version of Mr. Darcy. I don’t see it as a 100% match, but certainly I see a lot of similarities on how they are and how the character/personality evolves in the novel. They are both wealthy and raise up in good principle, in essence they are good but they have a high opinion of themselves. But both of them reflect and reconsider their behavior upon circumstances. I even see a certain similarity in the way they interact with Harriet/Bingley.
Have you come across this line of thought before?
Thank you for your podcast, I look forward to every episode. I enjoy a lot your views and comments on the novels but also the insight on the way of leaving on the period. Is so difficult to gather some information that I find very valuable the work you are doing here.
Kind regards,
Silvia
Thank you for your podcasts. I love how you do them and the interaction between the both of you. It’s pitched at a level I understand but always contains information that I previously didn’t know. Thank you for your time and efforts.