Discuss how Jane Austen presents Emma in chapter twenty four and at one other point in the novel?

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Hasan Khalifah

English Lit

Discuss how Jane Austen presents Emma in chapter twenty four and at one other point in the novel?

The two chapters that I am going to be looking at are chapter sixteen and twenty four.  Chapter sixteen fits into the novel on the whole as the first time Emma has to deal with something that has vexed her. Chapter twenty four on the other hand we learn further about how Emma’s “fancy” has created a story about Jane Fairfax. Before these chapters, it is established that Emma is “handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition……with very little to distress or vex her”. Furthermore we learn that Emma is in the class of the gentry and lives in Hartfield which intern due to society beliefs at the time encourage her to believe that her status makes her right all the time. We also find out that Emma follows her heart rather then her head, using her fancy rather then her intellect. This is shown when she tries to match make Harriet and Mr Elton which fails due to Mr Elton actually being interested in her. Furthermore Emma possesses “the power of having rather to much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself”. This quote from third person narration which is one of the key devices from the novel foreshadows that from this point on things will likely not go her way.

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Chapter sixteen is written mainly in free indirect thoughts that Emma is having due to Emma’s plan to get Harriet and Mr Elton together failing. “Such an overthrow of everything she had been wishing for.-Such a development of everything most unwelcome!-Such a blow for Harriet-That was the worst of all”. This quote from chapter sixteen although portraying Emma in a good light as she indicates Harriet’s pain also shows that Emma is actually more concerned that her plan went wrong because this is what she first says,  Harriet is the last thing she worries about (juxtaposition). Furthermore as Jane ...

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