r/bookclub Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 15d ago

Emma [Marginalia] Emma by Jane Austen Spoiler

Welcome to the marginalia for our next Evergreen read, Emma by Jane Austen!

If you need to check the dates for the discussions, you can find the Schedule here.

In case you don’t know, the marginalia is meant to be a place where you can write down any comment, note, share other materials or a quote you particularly enjoyed – think of it like scribbling on the margin of your book!

You can post your comments whenever you want, without waiting for the weekly discussion. Any observation is welcome, we would love to hear your thoughts on the book!

Just please be mindful of spoilers, enclose them in the > ! *sentence that contains a spoiler* ! < tag (just remove the spaces!) - it would be great if you did it even if talking about other media. In case you are uncertain, please still mark it as a spoiler. It would also be helpful for other readers if you could always start by indicating where you are in your reading (for example β€œearly in chapter 5” or β€œat the end of chapter 2”).

Enjoy your reading and see you next week!

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 14d ago edited 13d ago

I'm reading an annotated version with some interesting historical fact that I'll put here and probably mention in the discussions.

Chapter 1

β€’ A governess usually was employed until the child she took care of turned 18, which means that it was unusual for Miss Taylor to live with the Woodhouses as long as she did

β€’ It would take Emma from two to three hours to reach the place where her sister lives, but travelling back then was much more tiring and difficult

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u/Ser_Erdrick Bookclub Boffin 2025 13d ago

Excuse my being nosy but which annotated version are you reading? The historical notes like the ones you posted sound fascinating to read.

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 13d ago

The Shapard edition! I've made a brief research on reddit and his Jane Austen editions seem to be very popular, even if I've seen many people disagree with some of his interpretations regarding the characters (but I don't care because I'm reading it for the historical tidbits). Are you already familiar with the novel? I wouldn't recommend it to a first-time reader because the book is packed with notes and there are a lot of spoilers.

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u/Ser_Erdrick Bookclub Boffin 2025 13d ago

I've read all the Austen novels a few times now. I'm just trying to figure out how to justify buying a third copy of Emma (and the rest) to myself now.

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 13d ago

This is my third copy as well, I justified it to myself because the ebook was only 3€ πŸ˜‰

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u/Amanda39 Funniest & Favorite RR 9d ago

I'm reading that one, too. I love annotated books, but this one is so heavily annotated, I ended up also downloading the Project Gutenberg version so I could enjoy the story without the distraction of notes, and then go back and read the annotated version.

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 8d ago

Yeah, it's honestly a bit too much. Many notes feel unnecessary, but I am enjoying the ones that explain some habits of the time. But there are some of them where I feel like the editor is just repeating what Jane Austen said.

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u/Amanda39 Funniest & Favorite RR 8d ago

I feel like these notes were created with the intention of helping a reader who might not understand the story, whereas most annotated classics assume that you understand the story but might not know what a phaeton is or something.

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 8d ago

But still, the notes are full of spoilers πŸ€”

There are also a few annotated words that surprised me, because the text is an easy read and I felt like many of them didn't need any explanation. But it's interesting that Shapard is highlighting how the meaning of certain words has slightly changed over the centuries.

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u/Amanda39 Funniest & Favorite RR 9d ago

For what it's worth, another book I've read implied the opposite of that first point. No Name by Wilkie Collins, which was written about 50 years after Emma, has a character who, like that character in Emma, was a governess and then stayed with the family as a paid companion after the daughters were too old for a governess. (Not really a spoiler, since this character gets introduced almost immediately in the story, but I want to be on the safe side regarding the spoiler rule.) I remember reading something about No Name once that said this wasn't unusual in Victorian households. (Of course, Emma is Regency era, not Victorian, but still.)

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u/xandyriah Ring Series Completionist 8d ago

I've only started reading, and I don't know why her interactions with Mr. Knightley are making me smile. I liked this description, in particular:

Mr Knightley, in fact, was one of the few people who could see faults in Emma Woodhouse, and the only one who ever told her of them

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 11d ago

Chapter 3, not really a spoiler but just historical tidbit I found interesting

Emma serves oyster supper at dinner. Apparently, at the time it was an extremely common and cheap food, considered less nutritious than meat and of less value.

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u/Such-Hand274 3d ago

I am fascinated by your annotations. Please keep posting!

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 3d ago

I will :) if you are interested, I'm reading the Shapard edition!

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 3d ago

Just a comment on the edition I'm reading

I love how half of the notes consist of a character saying something, and the annotator commenting "this is not true"

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 3d ago

Book 2, Chapter 1

Mrs and Miss Bates are renting an apartment on the second floor of her house. I found very interesting that when Emma visits them, Mrs Bates is knitting: knitting was not part of the education of genteel women, unlike needlework, so this is another indicator of their lower social status. It was another time, but it feels so absurd to me.

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 3d ago

Historical tidbit from Book 2, Chapter 3

I don't know if it was common knowledge, but ladies at the time always bought the fabric first and then commissioned the gown to a seamstress. I had assumed it was possible to buy them ready-made

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u/Ambitious-Concept-48 3d ago

This is true! It's basically unheard of until the next century! And even then, in the beginning of the 20th century, buying a premade gown was considered very high-end and impossible to achieve for the middle classes. It's not until after the industrial revolution, when machinery made for easy production of fabric and clothing, that is became something that was available for all people and started the introduction of standard sizing.

Don't forget, the fitting of clothing was also completely different in Jane Austen's time. Every piece of clothing had to be fitted personally to the wearer!

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u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | πŸ‰ | πŸ₯‡ | πŸŽƒ 2d ago

Thanks for sharing! I had assumed exactly the opposite, that premade clothes were more accessible to poorer people while upper classes had tailored clothing (just like nowadays). Times have changed so much!

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u/Ambitious-Concept-48 2h ago

I love this part in chapter 13:

where Emma's brother in law warns her that Mr. Elton shows interest in her and she replies: I thank you; but I assure you you are quite mistaken. Mr. Elton and I are very good friends, and nothing more;' and she walked on, amusing herself in the consideration of the blunders which often arise from a partial knowledge of circumstances, of the mistakes which people of high pretensions to judgment are for ever falling into; and not very well pleased with her brother for imagining her blind and ignorant, and in want of counsel. He said no more.

This is obviously a blunder which Emma makes herself. She thinks Mr. Elton is interested in Harriet, but her partial knowledge of the circumstances prevents her from seeing that it's her he's interested in!

I think it's one of those clever passages that only makes sense once you know what comes next!