Emma, Volume II, Chapter 14 (Chapter 32)

[kellyrfineman]

Comments

[fuzzyfostermom]

I positively revel in Juliet Stevenson's portrayal of Mrs. Elton in the 1996 Emma.

I'm always tickled by Mrs. Elton's suggestion of writing a line or two to introduce Emma to the best society in Bath. Because, you know, Emma is so socially inferior that she needs Mrs. Elton's good word to make her acceptable...

Is it just me, or is there a lot of similarity in Mrs. Elton's & Lady Catherine's discussions of music?

And does Emma's peroration, in the book, also begin and end with reflections on Mrs. Elton's mention of Mr. Knightley? Because at least in the movie version, this suggests to me that, odious as Mrs. Elton is, what really induces Emma's fury is her over-familiarity towards Mr. Knightly, who is, after all, HERS. Even if she doesn't realize yet that she thinks of him in that way. For Mrs. Elton to assume a privilege Emma does not claim for herself! The very idea!

[kellyrfineman]

There's a similarity between Mrs Elton's and Lady Catherine's discussion of their fondness of music and how "important" they consider it (air quotes there quite deliberate), but there is in a way a greater similarity between Mrs Elton and Lady Middleton (from S&S), who also learned to play well in order to help her catch a husband, then promptly abandoned the practice of playing.

In the book, Emma's ruminations begin with outrage over Mrs Elton's use of "Knightley" and continue with further outrage over her surprise at finding him to be a gentleman, but they end with her wondering what Frank Churchill will make of Mrs Elton, causing Emma to continue to delude herself that she's in love with Frank.

[fuzzyfostermom]

I had forgotten all about Lady Middleton. Yes, I see the similarity.

Thank you for the clarification on Emma's "rant" in the book - I simply didn't have time to look it up!

[helgatwb]

I see Mrs. Elton as a sort of foil to Miss Bates. They both ramble on, and neither has much sense. Differences: Miss Bates is good-natured, kind, and happy; Mrs. Elton is ill-bred, unkind and insulting. Miss Bates is always talking about how many blessings she has, Mrs. Elton is always talking about how much she has given up. Miss Bates always complements others, Mrs. Elton always complements herself.

[kellyrfineman]

You are exactly correct - she's a negative mirror image of Miss Bates in other ways as well - she is not (strictly speaking) a gentlewoman, but she has money, whereas Miss Bates is a gentlewoman, but without.

[kellyrfineman]

Ah, but Mrs Elton came with 10,000 pounds. And her father is known to be a merchant, whereas nobody knows (just yet) who Harriet's parents are.

[nottygypsy]

Emma, your upset at Mrs. Elton's familiarity is very telling, I'm just saying!