Emma Syllabus Week 3 Linder

Mon 2/2 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 12-14 (16 pp.) [30-32](Ch 9-11 optional – If you are not able to read 9-11, some developments: Emma feels uneasy after the Coles’s party because she has indiscreetly shared with Frank Churchill her suspicions of Jane's feelings for Mr. Dixon (she also dwells a bit on her own musical inferiority to Jane); Harriet is still thinking about Mr. Martin; Frank teases Jane Fairfax about the pianoforte and though Emma thinks Jane is secretly “cherishing reprehensible feelings” for the anonymous giver (who Emma assumes is Mr. Dixon), she is “half ashamed” because Frank has teased Jane about it in a most unseemly manner; Frank and Emma plan a ball, and all are excited at the prospect of it.) For Ch. 12-14 [31-32], vocab: allusion (171), perusal (172), reproof (174), auspices (179), pert (181). Why does Emma find Mrs. Elton an “insufferable woman”? Try to find a couple of examples of Mrs. Elton’s most egregious offenses in Emma’s eyes.

Tues 2/3 Emma, Vol. II, Ch. 15-18 (21 pp.) [33-36] Vocab: conjugal (183), licentiousness (185), penury (185), appellation (188). Find two specific passages regarding Mrs. Elton that offer some insight into Emma's distaste for her. Do other people seem to find Mrs. Elton objectionable? Do you? Consider a possible subtext in the discussion of Frank Churchill's handwriting at the end of chapter 16 [34]. Does there seem to be more at stake than his script? Characterize Jane Fairfax's attitude toward being a governess. What analogy does she use to describe the business of placing governesses in chapter 17 [35], and what does her choice of words say about her feelings toward her future profession? What is ironic about the conversation Mr. Weston and Mrs. Elton have about Mrs. Churchill in chapter 18 [36]?

Wed 2/4 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 1-4 (18 pp.) [37 – 40]. Vocab: eminent (206), expeditious(209), reprobation (215), impelled (219). In what way does Mr. Elton insult Harriet in chapter 2 [38], and how does this reflect on him and Mrs. Elton? What do you think the narrator means when she calls Emma an "imaginist" (Ch. 3, p. 218)? Do you think Emma understands herself to be an imaginist? Look carefully at the paragraph and consider whether this seems to be the narrator's perspective strictly, or Emma's also. What does Harriet’s “confession” to Emma in Ch. 4 tell us about her? (note: our footnote says “court plaister” is adhesive tape. It’s more like a primitive form of band-aid). Emma pastiche assigned.

Thurs 2/5 Emma, Vol. III, Ch. 5-7 (23 pp.) [41-43]. Vocab: disingenuousness (227), reproof (230), arrear (231), fagged (246). What "blunder" does Frank make in chapter 5 [41]? Find the slip he makes early in the chapter, which he refers to later during the alphabet game. Consider the tense but constrained conflicts in chapter 6 between Mrs. Elton and Mr. Knightley, and later between Emma and Jane. What seems to be underneath each of these terse discussions, and which of the participants appears more favorably in each? In what way does Emma insult Miss Bates in chapter 7? Why does Mr. Knightley find this not only rude, but cruel? How does his criticism affect Emma?

Fri 2/6 Book talks and independent reading.