“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.” – Chapter 1, pg. 2“I lay it down as a general rule, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him.” – Chapter 7, pg. 51
“Better to be without sense than misapply it as you do.” – Chapter 8, pg. 64
“I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing; but I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall. And, without love, I am sure I should be a fool to change such a situation as mine.”
– Chapter 10, pg. 87
“The first error, and worst, lay at her door. It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together. It was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious – a trick of what ought to be simple. She was quite concerned and ashamed, and resolved to do such things no more.” – Chapter 15, pg. 140
“It is only by seeing women in their own homes, among their own set, just as they always are, that you can form any just judgment. Short of that, it is all guess and luck – and will generally be ill-luck. How many a man has committed himself on a short acquaintance, and rued it all the rest of his life!” – Chapter 43, pg. 385
“I cannot make speeches, Emma. 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.” – Chapter 49, pg. 445
So those were some of my favorite book quotes from Emma by Jane Austen.
After reading Pride & Prejudice, I was planning on tackling the rest of Jane Austen’s novels in the order they were published. But back in October, BBC (which I *think* stands for Bloody British Channel) released yet another Austen remake, so I watched it and fell in love with Romola Garai as Emma Woodhouse. And I’m glad I did, because I’ve heard Emma generally isn’t the most likeable of Austen’s heroines and that Romola’s portrayal toned down the “stuck-up bitch” aspects of her character. Also, if I didn’t know that Mr. Knightley was going to end up as Emma’s love interest, I’m 99% sure that I would have felt like that pairing came out of nowhere… which were my exact thoughts when Cher realized she loved her stepbrother at the end of Clueless (uh, yeah, for those of you that didn’t know, apparently Clueless is a remake of Emma). And knowing Frank Churchill’s secret ahead of time made the reading experience that much better because I could pick up on the subtle hints Austen dropped (er, no, he’s not gay).
