Jane Austen

     Jane Austen was born on Decemeber16, 1775. Her parents were George and Cassandra Austen. Jane was taught at home, except in 1783 when she went to a tutor in Southampton. Unfortunately, she left due to an outbreak of a disease. She loved to read and one of the books she loved to reread over and over again was Richardson's Sir Charles Grandison. She started to write Love and Friendship in 1787. Afterwards she began writing Sense and Sensibility, First Impressions and Northanger Abbey. Jane loves to go to parties and balls, which gave her many ideas for books and novels. In 1800 George Austen moved to Bath when he decided to retire. That summer Austen apparently had a secret romance, which inspired her to write Persuasion. 2 years later, Harris Bigg-Wither proposed to Jane, she accepted at first but the next morning she ran away with her sister. She never married. They moved back to Southampton when her father died. She also began to rewrite Sense and Sensibility. It was published in 1811, but the author was anonymous. The book made little money, but she decided to carry on and rework First Impressions. It was published in 1813, when it was renamed Pride & Prejudice. In 1814,  Mansfield Park was published and the book was sold out in six months. She then began on the book, Emma, which  was dedicated to the Prince of England and published in 1815. Persuasion was published the next year. In 1817 she began to write Sanditon,  but it was never finished. She died on  July 18th 1817, in Winchester. No one knows how Jane actually died but some say it was Addison's disease ("Pemberley").

       Jane's influences when writing were George Eliot, Burney, and Radcliffe ("Pemberley"). She had an ambition to change eighteenth century fiction, because she thought it was unrealistic of how humans actually interact (Jones). Most of her inspiration came from her own life. All the parties, social gatherings, love, it all came from her life and it appears in almost every story Austen has created. She grew up in a middle class family therefore most of her characters were from middle-class society. She did not make the novels tragic or over the top. she wanted to keep her novels normal like their lives. During her life, women depended on the men for their very life's and futures. Their job in life was to marry a man that could give them a nice home and lifestyle.Women with good wealth and appearance were easier to marry off. Marriage was bot done for love, but by money. Income was constantly talked about like social rank. Jane Austen realized the power of marriage and money when her father died. She realized that in order to sustain a happy life she would have to marry (Jones). This gave her many inspirations for her books, especially Pride & Prejudice and Emma. Marriage and Income are both very common themes that are placed in Austen's books, due to the time in which she was living in, and how her family raised her.

Fullerton, Susannah. "Jane Austen Biography." Jane Austen Society of Australia. JASA, 09 Mar 2008. Web. 5 Aug 2011. http://www.jasa.net.au/jabiog.htm.

Jones, Chris. "A Look into the Life of Jane Austen: Her Passions and Inspiration." associated content. yahoo, 2011. Web. 5 Aug 2011. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/799845/a_look_into_the_life_of_jane_austen.html.

"Biography: Life (1775-1817) and Family." Pemberley. Republic of Pemberley, 2010. Web. 5 Aug 2011. http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janelife.html#life1a.

Emma: Quote 10

August 3 , 2011
Page 368

"I cannot make speeches, Emma:"—he soon resumed; and in a tone of such sincere, decided, intelligible tenderness as was tolerably convincing.—"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am.—You hear nothing but truth from me.—I have blamed you, and lectured you, and you have borne it as no other woman in England would have borne it.—Bear with the truths I would tell you now, dearest Emma, as well as you have borne with them. The manner, perhaps, may have as little to recommend them. God knows, I have been a very indifferent lover.—But you understand me.—Yes, you see, you understand my feelings—and will return them if you can. At present, I ask only to hear, once to hear your voice."

The tone of this quote is " sincere, decided, intelligible tenderness..." just like the author explained in the quote. Mr. Knightley is admitting his love to Emma. The writing style of the dashes shows the hesitation  Mr. Knightley is feeling while trying to explain love. It also shows how caring and thoughtful Mr. Knightley's personality is. This quote also uses some complicated word choice and diction. It reveals Mr. Knightleys high education and rank. The last line he repeats the word "hear", to emphasise how he wants to hear the words back from Emma. He appears to want to hear "I love you" more than anything in the world from Emma and that he will be devastated if she does not.

Emma: Quote 9

August 3, 2011
Page 351

"Why was it so much worse that Harriet should be in love with Mr. Knightley, than with Frank Churchill? Why was the evil so dreadfully increased by Harriet's having some hope of a return? It darted through her, with the speed of an arrow, that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself!"

This quote again uses rhetorical questions. She is asking these to herself trying to arrange her feelings about Harriet falling in love with Mr. Knightley. Emma feels jealous and angry from the thought of Harriet and Mr. Knightley marrying. This quote also shows a different side of Emma. Emma seems like she has no self-steem and it makes Harriet seem above Emma. Dramatic irony is used, since the readers know Mr. Knightley loves Emma, but she doesn't. The last sentence is a metaphor saying the feeling of loving Mr. Knightley hit her fast like an arrow. I believe this is the climax of the novel. This is the moment when Emma gets the most attached and hurt. It shows she has changed and how willing she is to have Mr. Knightley as her husband.

Emma: Quote 8

 August 3, 2011
Pages 281 & 282

"My dear Jane, are you sure you did not wet your feet?—It was but a drop or two, but I am so afraid:—but Mr. Frank Churchill was so extremely—and there was a mat to step upon—I shall never forget his extreme politeness.—Oh! Mr. Frank Churchill, I must tell you my mother's spectacles have never been in fault since; the rivet never came out again. My mother often talks of your goodnature. Does not she, Jane?—Do not we often talk of Mr. Frank Churchill?—Ah! here's Miss Woodhouse.—Dear Miss Woodhouse, how do you do?—Very well I thank you, quite well. This is meeting quite in fairy-land!—Such a transformation!—Must not compliment, I know—(eyeing Emma most complacently)—that would be rude—but upon my word, Miss Woodhouse, you do look—how do you like Jane's hair?—You are a judge.—She did it all herself. Quite wonderful how she does her hair!—No hairdresser from London I think could.—Ah! Dr. Hughes I declare—and Mrs. Hughes. Must go and speak to Dr. and Mrs. Hughes for a moment..."

Doesn't this just sound confusing? This quote is from Miss Bates. who LOVES to talk. The writing style is short and choppy with dashes consistently after every thought. It shows how uneducated and "loopy" Miss Bates is. (she is ADD in my opinion) She constantly moves on to a new subject, rambling about any and everything. Miss Bates is also used as a metaphor throughout the story. Harriet compares her to Emma when they discuss on not being married. They frequently say if you are not married then you will end up an old maid like Miss Bates. I feel sorry for the old woman. At one time she had money and a good life, but now she has lost everything.

"Old Maid." Rant-ology!. Web. 3 Aug 2011. <http://rekedar.wordpress.com/>.

Emma: Quote 7

August 3, 2011
Page 132

"How could she have been so deceived?  He protested that he had never thought seriously of Harriet-never!  She looked back as well as she could, but it was all confusion.  She had taken up the idea, she supposed, and made everything bend to it.  His manners, however, must have been unmarked, wavering, dubious, or she could not have been so misled."

If I had to choose a genre for this quote and the entire novel, I would say a satire. Austen uses irony in almost every chapter. This quote is ironic because Emma  finally realized Mr. Elton fell in love with herself and not Harriet. It also uses rhetorical questions to convey how upset and angry Emma is feeling at the moment. Of course she also feels guilt of trying to set up Harriet and failing to do so. All her hard work of trying to match make Harriet backfired and led Mr. Elton to believe Emma was the ones who had feelings for him.

Emma: Quote 6

August 3, 2011
Page 119

"Now, it so happened that in spite of Emma's resolution of never marrying, there was something in the name, in the idea of Mr. Frank Churchill which always interested her.  She had frequently thought-especially since his father's marriage with Miss Taylor-that if she were to marry, he was the very person to suit her in age, character, and condition.  He seemed by this connexion between the families quite to belong to her.  She could not but suppose it to be a match that everybody who knew them must think of." 

This quote proves how ridiculous Emma is when it comes to marriage. She swore she would never marry and if she did it would only be for love, but she has never met Mr. Frank Churchill. She has only heard gossip and news from The Westons. She already assumes that she will like him due to his place in society and his upbringing with the Churchills. This also reveals how important and common it is for small towns to gossip. Highbury is shaped around gossip. Later it is revealed that Frank, like Emma, also likes to gossip especially about Jane and her secret lover who sent the piano. The reader finds out ironically that Frank was the sender of the piano.

Emma: Quote 5

August 3, 2011
Page 114

" I speak as a friend, Emma. You had better look about you and ascertain what you do and what you mean to do."

Mr. John Knightley confronts Emma about Mr. Elton and her matchmaking. He warns her to watch out because what she means to do is not often what everyone else sees. The dramatic irony is that Mr. John is right that Mr. Elton does indeed like Emma and not her friend, Harriet. When Mr. Elton framed the picture of Harriet, he did it for Emma since she drew the subject. Austen uses allegory. The picture is a symbol of affection from Mr. Elton.

Emma: Quote 4

August 3, 2011

Page 83

" My first displays the wealth and pomp of kings,

     Lords of the earth! their luxury and ease,

that is court.

  Another view of man my second brings;
    Behold him there, the monarch of the seas!

that is ship- plain as can be. now for the cream.

   But Ah! united [courtship, you know]. what reverse we have!
     Man's boasted power and freedom all are flown;
  Lord of the earth and sea, he bends a slave,
     And woman, lovely woman, reigns alone. "

This is a riddle that Mr. Elton makes and send to the Woodhouse address. Ironically the riddle was meant for Emma, but she mistakes it for Harriet. Emma is actually the one to figure out the clues, while Harriet is oblivious. This shows the difference in rank and education between Emma and Harriet. Emma finds the clues very easy while Harriet doesn't even figure out one. Mr. Elton wrote the riddle to show Emma his love and the want of Emma as his wife. The riddle is a symbol of how love can be misunderstood and manipulated based on your own judgement and mindset.

"The Riddler." MovieHole. Web. 3 Aug 2011. <http://www.moviehole.net/200817154-caffeinated-clint-2008-yearbook-edition>.

Emma: Quote 3

August 3, 2011
Page 64

"Your meaning must be unequivocal; no doubts or demurs; and such expressions of gratitude and concern for the pain you are inflicting a propriety requires will present themselves unbidden to your mind, I am persuaded. You need not be prompted to write with the appearance of sorrow for his disappointment."

This really shows Emma's true character to me. After reading the offer of marriage to Harriet from Mr. Martin, Emma thinks she should decline, but unlike Emma the reader knows that Harriet actually has feelings for Mr. Martin. This shows how persuading Emma can be when it comes to Harriet's decisions. Harriet has no self-dignity, therefore she goes to Emma for help with everything! Instead of marrying Mr. Martin, she refuses him because that is what Emma wants her to do. Emma thinks she is being sneaky by emphasizing the words you and your to make it seem like it is Harriet's personal decisions but in reality it is Emma's.

Emma: Quote 2

August 3, 2011
Page 29

"Matrimony, as the origin of change, was always disagreeable; and he by no means yet reconciled to his own daughter's marrying."

This is a quote from Mr. Woodhouse, Emma's father. This book's theme is all about marriage.In the 1800's is was a woman's job to find a husband that could let her have a happy life. For the most part, nobody married for love. Mr. Woodhouse is very static and hates change, he doesn't like marriage because it changes everything around him. I think that is why Emma said she couldn't marry Mr. Knightley because she knew her father would hate the change of having Emma married. I find it kinda ironic that Jane Austin never got married, yet that is pretty much all she writes about in her books.

Emma: Quote 1

August 3, 2011
Page 27

"The real evils indeed of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way and a disposition to think a little too well of herself..."

This quote really shows the character of the protagonist, Emma. It shows her flaw, which is being too spoiled and conceited. It also foreshadows a mistake or mistakes she will make in the book dealing with her spoiled lifestyle. Mr. Knightley is the only character that actually lets Emma know about her flaws. At first I thought it was due to the brother-sister relationship between the two, but towards the end of the novel I realized he was trying to better Emma as a person so he could have a better suitor of a wife.