Quote 1
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: these were the disadvantages which threatened
alloy to her many enjoyments. The danger, however, was at present
so unperceived, that they did not by any means rank as misfortunes
with her.
This quotation, which appears early
in the novel’s first chapter, foreshadows the novel’s structure
as a whole. What Emma fails to perceive—that it is possible to have
too much of one’s own way or to be too satisfied with oneself—is
exactly what she learns over the course of the book. She is permitted
too much influence over Harriet and comes to understand that this
power threatens not only Harriet’s happiness but also her own. Her
flirtations with Frank Churchill satisfy her vanity, but they also
expose her to embarrassment and hurt and mislead Mr. Knightley.
This quotation also displays Austen’s gift for understatement. The
narrator’s commentary on Emma seems merely part of a standard character
introduction. Like so many of the statements in the book, we can
only feel the full force of the narrator’s observation upon a second
reading.
