суббота, 19 января 2013 г.

"Emma" by Jane Austen. Part 2

Summary

Mr. Knightley comes to dine with Woodhouses, and Emma wishes to restore their friendship but has no plans to concede the argument. Mr. Weston invites members of Highbury society to visit his family at Randalls on Christmas Eve, but Harriet can’t attend because of a cold. Meanwhile, Emma finally realizes that Mr. Elton has no interest in Harriet Smith and is instead infatuated with Emma herself. After Emma rejects Mr. Elton, he leaves for a while for a sojourn in Bath, and Harriet fancies herself heartbroken. The Westons are disappointed that Frank Churchill has not come to Highbury though Emma has already decided that he is a wonderful person. When she quarrels with Mr. Knightley about Frank, she automatically assumes that Frank has good intentions and is perfectly honorable. This leads to a disagreement with George, who thinks that Frank is avoiding his duty to visit his own father. Then, Emma's mistakes with regard to Harriet Smith have led her to greater self-examination. For the first time, Emma begins to consider her own faults and attempts to improve them. When she visits the Bates, this is an attempt to correct one of these faults: she acknowledges that she is negligent towards Mrs. and Miss Bates. During their visit, Emma is forced to hear about Mr. Elton, and though Emma has tried to avoid hearing about Miss Bates’s niece, Jane Fairfax, Miss Bates produces a letter from her. Next morning George Knightley thanks Emma for being pleasant toward Jane and as he tells Emma that he has news for her, he is interrupted by the arrival of Miss Bates and Miss Fairfax bursting Mr. Elton is going to be married. Emma is sorry for how Harriet will take the news while Harriet comes over all excited, and tells Emma that she has just seen Mr. Martin and his sister at the store, she is pleased that they have treated her with politeness and kindness. Emma is upset by Harriet's excitement but tells her about Elton's marriage. Harriet is shocked at the news, but she soon recovers and expresses her curiosity about his new acquaintance.


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