by Jane Austen
11. form: bodily figure.
12. temper, and understanding: emotional and intellectual qualities. Hence the list refers to all important characteristics of a person.
13. Even as Sir John frequently pesters others, often annoyingly, to join in his gatherings, he does not hold it against them when they refuse.
14. smartness of air: stylish appearance and manner.
Two fashionable women.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. IV (1810), p. 301]
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15. These attempts to praise Lady Middleton’s only occasional activities signal the desperate nature of their flattery.
16. At this time people generally did not have access to printed patterns for clothing, so they often would take the patterns of other people’s dress (a term that could mean various articles of clothing then). Jane Austen refers in her letters to taking patterns of items owned by others.
17. Women frequently wore sashes around their waists then. For an example of a contemporary dress with a prominent sash, see this page.
18. Since women’s hair was always pinned up, this would loosen their hair and force them to rearrange it later.
19. work-bags: bags for embroidery materials and tools. They were made of cloth and could be pulled together at the top to close. Ladies would often carry these with them when visiting to allow them to embroider in company with others.
20. The knives and scissors would be used for embroidery.
21. The eldest boy has been named after his father, a standard practice then.
22. She is presumably the third child and the oldest girl—four children are mentioned for the Middletons, but since the oldest is only six (this page), the fourth child, who is never described, is probably a baby. The eldest girl was frequently named after her mother, a procedure not followed here, since Lady Middleton’s name is Mary (this page). It is possible another close female relative, such as Sir John’s mother, is named Anne or Anna and they decided on Annamaria as a way of combining the two names. Over the last century female names ending in “a,” which marked them as not being traditional English names and as likely deriving from Latin or Italian, had grown significantly in popularity. Their use in Jane Austen is sometimes a mark of pretension on the part of the family, and the double name of Annamaria, virtually the only such in Austen, is probably meant to signal Lady Middleton’s affectation.
23. Women always wore something on their heads, and many, especially wealthy and fashionable women, had elaborate headdresses (for examples, see pictures on this page and this page). They would often be held together with pins, and since safety pins had not yet been invented, these pins could easily scratch someone too close to the headdress.
24. lavender-water: a liquid distilled from lavender flowers that could be used as a perfume or as a medicine for various ailments, either applied externally as here or swallowed.
25. sugar plums: small sweets made from boiled sugar and some added flavoring.
26. Apricots were a popular source for marmalade, which was usually eaten as a dessert after dinner.
27. The extreme solicitude shown toward the children here was not that unusual then. Many wealthy parents at this time were fairly indulgent toward their children, though most did not go as far as Lady Middleton.
28. Lucy is distinguished from Miss Steele, indicating that she is younger. Lucy is probably switching to praise of Lady Middleton because her sister’s attempt to show her concern for the child met with such a blunt rejoinder from Marianne.
29. The issue of how to balance truthfulness and the demands of courtesy often arises in Jane Austen, and her leading characters, committed to both principles, often struggle with it. In general she favors a moderate course. Elinor clearly represents a reasonably happy mean between Marianne’s refusal ever to dissemble, even if it means insulting others, and the Miss Steeles’ insincere flattery. A further distinction between Elinor and the Miss Steeles is that Elinor’s falsehoods or evasions are done to avoid hurting others’ feelings, while their mendacity is designed to win the favor of those who might benefit them. They, especially Lucy, will show themselves willing to say unpleasant things to those who are not in a position to confer any benefits.
30. eclat: show, acclamation.
31. Elinor is able to satisfy the conflicting demands of truth and politeness fairly well by concentrating on praiseworthy aspects of Sir John’s character and omitting any reference to others.
32. It would be considered impolite to ask people you had just met such direct personal questions.
33. In the next chapter Lucy will reveal her reason for not wishing others to learn of her and her sister’s familiarity with Norland. Thus she tries to explain it away with a reference to Sir John, though in fact he is unlikely to have ever seen Norland, for his only visit to the Dashwoods came before they had moved there (this page).
34. freedom: excessive familiarity, overstepping of the normal bounds of conversation.
35. beaux: sweethearts, lovers. It could also mean fashionable men, though Miss Steele is probably using it in the first sense. The only characters who use the term in Jane Austen are vulgar or affected.
36. lief: gladly.
37. Mr. Simpson is probably an attorney; “clerk” would refer to his assistant. It could also refer to someone else working in a subordinate position in a business or office. In whatever case, he has relatively low status, for attorneys and businessmen were not considered genteel, and their clerks would be of even lesser standing. Miss Steele’s obviously regarding him as a potential mate indicates the Steeles’ lower social origins, for people in this society would generally know only people of their own rank.
38. Miss Steele’s language reveals her vulgarity, not just by her subject matter but also by her poor grammar (as in the use of “an’t” and of “vast” and “civil” as adverbs), her harping on the same points, and her constant use of the same pet terms, here and elsewhere, “beaux,” “smart,” “vastly,” and “prodigious.”
39. turn the discourse: redirect the conversation.
40. artlessness: naturalness, freedom from artificiality.
41. use: benefit.
42. friend in the corner: person who will be a refuge in case of need. This was an old proverbial expression, and a more colloquial one than the polished and educated characters in Jane Austen use.
43. nice: delicate, scrupulous.
44. This unique example of noninquisitiveness on Mrs. Jennings’s part will have important ramifications for the plot.
A woman with a sash.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. VIII (1812), p. 174]
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VOLUME I, CHAPTER XXII
1. parts: abilities, talents.
2. manners: behavior and demeanor.
3. easy: unrestrained, unembarrassed; the term is sometimes used in a pejorative manner, as it is here.
4. just: exact, accurate.
5. amusing: interesting, entertaining.
6. powers: natural abilities.
7. illiterate: uneducated.
8. want of information in the most common particulars: lack of knowledge about the most ordinary details or facts.
9. respectable: worthy of respect.
10. delicacy: sensitivity to others’ feelings, or to what is proper and appropriate.
11. They are valueless because she showers deference and attention on everyone. Flattery ends up being counterproductive when used on an intelligent person in a position to observe other applications of it.
12. A walk like this, from the Middletons’ residence to the Dashwoods’, constitutes their best opportunity of private conversation, which is why Lucy has chosen to introduce an important and intimate topic now.
13. impertinent: presumptuous, intrusive.
14. Lucy, frustrated that Elinor’s limited response and subsequent silence have thwar
ted her plans to extend their discussion, is desperate for some other means to continue her chosen topic, and so comes up with this rationale. It is a lame one, for while Elinor displayed some puzzlement at Lucy’s question, she indicated no real disapproval or inclination to ask about Lucy’s reason; nor does Lucy show herself in general to be a person lacking in confidence or plagued by remorse. But, however feeble the rationale, it is all she has, and she utilizes it.
15. To be intimately connected would mean to be related by marriage. How soon depends on Mrs. Ferrars because of her son’s financial dependence on her.
16. Edward’s younger brother was mentioned earlier (this page). Because he is younger he is called “Mr. Robert Ferrars,” in contrast to Edward’s simple “Mr. Ferrars.” The distinction is the same as that between the oldest unmarried sister and the younger ones.
17. She cannot understand why Lucy would make such a declaration, having told nobody else of the supposed engagement, and this helps persuade Elinor that it must be false.
18. complexion varied: face changed color.
19. Hysterical fits or swoons by heroines were a popular convention of novels of the time, especially sentimental novels (where susceptibility to such swoons could be a positive sign of the heroine’s highly developed sensibility). In Jane Austen’s youthful satire on sensibility and sentimental novels, Love and Friendship, the heroine and her best friend are constantly fainting. In contrast, in her novels the heroines, though often subject to very powerful emotions and strains, never faint.
20. This explains why Lucy has not mentioned it previously.
21. This reason would be grossly insufficient to justify revealing an important secret to someone Lucy has recently met and has no other connection with. Of course, the real reason, which will become apparent, is one that cannot be articulated, namely the wish to warn off Elinor from Edward.
22. A clear hint to Elinor of the only status she should aspire to with regard to Edward.
23. Elinor is now facing, just like her sister, unexpected romantic disappointment. Her struggles with her feelings here indicate that she is experiencing some of the same sufferings, but her response is very different, for Marianne made no attempt at composure. Of course, Marianne was not faced with a hostile stranger before whom she did not wish to embarrass herself. This gives Elinor an extra incentive to remain outwardly calm, though it also makes the revelation more of an ordeal for her, and thus a crucial test of her character.
24. emotion: agitation, distress.
25. When Edward recently visited the Dashwoods, he had come from Plymouth.
26. Her use of “begun” for “began,” “me” for “I,” and “was” for “were” demonstrates her poor grammar, which will continue to appear.
27. Edward was being schooled by Mr. Pratt. This was not unusual: many educated men took in boarders and taught them in order to supplement their incomes. When Jane Austen was a girl her father, a well-read clergyman, taught a number of boys at the Austen home. This does lead to the question of how the Miss Steeles are so poorly educated, for their uncle, with whom they have stayed a fair amount, would have needed to be a very learned man to attract as a pupil the eldest son of a very wealthy family, and one whose intelligence would have allowed him to notice any serious deficiencies in his teacher.
28. Park-street: a street in the fashionable and expensive Mayfair section of London. That it is the residence mentioned for Mrs. Ferrars indicates that it is her only one, for if she had a country house she would be associated with it, even if she spent much of her time in London. Many wealthy widows resided in London; it offered them ample social and cultural opportunities, and greater independence than rural society, in which rules of propriety and difficulties of transportation often restricted single women’s ability to venture outside. Mrs. Jennings also has a house in London, though in her case she has a connection to the city from her earlier life.
29. This final clause, including Lucy’s emphatic I, represents a clear dig at Elinor, who has apparently been deceived about Edward. The phrase “all my happiness depends” was a common one in connection with marriage. It was especially apt for women, whose social and financial fate was so dependent on a husband, and most especially for a woman like Lucy without money or good social position of her own.
30. Because of Elinor’s connection with Edward’s sister, word about his engagement could have reached Fanny through Elinor or other members of her immediate family. Explaining Edward’s secrecy is important for Lucy, since his complete silence on the subject constitutes a salient point of doubt about her story.
31. security: confidence, assurance.
32. out of heart: in a state of dejection, discouragement.
33. miniature: miniature painting (see note 18 for more). It was popular to carry or wear miniatures of one’s beloved; a crucial development in Persuasion is sparked by a man’s commission to have a miniature of himself framed for his fiancée. Lucy, unlike most with such pictures, cannot wear hers. For a picture of two women looking at a miniature, see next page.
34. Ladies’ gowns often had pockets. A woman also would sometimes wear a belt under her gown with pockets suspended from it, to which access was provided by a slit in the gown.
35. above these three years: for more than three years.
36. Elinor does not wish to linger on the picture.
37. It is possible that, despite Lucy’s words, Edward has not really pressed her to give him a miniature of herself. There will be indications, in this conversation and subsequently, that he is not as committed to the engagement as Lucy claims he is.
38. This was “set” in the first edition, and was changed for the second. It is not clear if this was done by Jane Austen or by the printer. She may have meant it to be “set” to mark Lucy’s poor grammar, though she is far from always ungrammatical.
39. Such hyperbolic expressions are a consistent sign of an untrustworthy character in Jane Austen, since they tend to denote either insincerity or excessive emotion.
40. A sign of Edward’s possible ambivalence. Having plenty of leisure, he could visit her more often if he really wished to do so.
41. In looking at Elinor she may be hoping the latter will betray herself by urging Lucy to break the engagement. In their next conversation Lucy will make an even more explicit appeal to Elinor along these lines.
42. Social conventions gave the woman, but not the man, the power to break off an engagement. Hence it is up to Lucy.
Two women looking at a miniature.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. III (1810), p. 389]
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43. Of course, Elinor’s own situation bears significant similarities. Lucy, who probably hopes that her disclosure will prompt Elinor to contact Edward and sever whatever understanding or friendly relationship they have established, may be hoping to gauge the possibility of that through her last question.
44. feelingly sensible: sensitively or acutely aware.
45. Elinor means to suggest that it was his time with Lucy that most depressed him. In fact, he did improve during the course of his stay with the Dashwoods, with his enjoyment being “at the height” at the end of his stay. This is a strong indication that it was his engagement to Lucy, rather than his inability to marry, that caused his despondency. More generally, it is difficult to understand why he would have paid such attention to Elinor, or even visited the Dashwoods at all, if he truly loved Lucy and were only waiting to persuade his mother to consent to the match.
46. direction: address.
47. Lucy’s ready deployment of this and other proofs indicate that she has come fully prepared for this battle.
48. An attractive and well-formed hand, or handwriting, was highly regarded then. People could be taught good penmanship in school, and books provided models of handwriting to emulate.
49. Because postage was expensive, and was assessed by weight, people would generally try to
fill their sheets of paper in order to avoid having to add another one. Jane Austen in her own letters used a variety of expedients to fit as much information as possible on each sheet.
Edward may have written the address poorly from lack of enthusiasm for Lucy, which made him take less effort, rather than tiredness.
50. The letter constitutes an important proof of the engagement, because unmarried and unrelated men and women could correspond only if they were engaged. Elinor knows that Edward is too conscientious to violate such a rule.
51. oppression: overpowering depression.
52. Elinor’s success in quickly steadying her feelings, even under these circumstances, attests to her personal strength. At the same time, it inevitably makes those feelings less palpable to the reader. This is the problem with having a heroine who functions in part to exemplify a moral and intellectual ideal. The heroines of Mansfield Park and Persuasion are also virtuous and wise, but their sufferings under painful feelings are presented much more fully and acutely.
53. Lucy may have chosen to give him a lock of hair rather than a miniature because the former is less expensive—or it could have been simply from lacking the time to procure the latter. It would seem this was the first time she gave him such a memento, possibly because his possession of one would increase the risk of detection. She may have changed her policy after observing him during his recent visit: if he was in lower spirits than previously, perhaps because Elinor had given him a taste of a better alternative, she could have noticed and decided to insist on his accepting a keepsake; she would be especially likely if his unhappiness had made him raise the topic of ending the engagement. This also may be why, having seen the threat from Elinor, she speaks of sitting for a miniature portrait. All these attempts to bind him, as well as her multiple demonstrations to Elinor of the engagement, would be further motivated by her knowledge that its secret nature makes it more precarious. A crucial reason for making an engagement public was to prevent, through social pressure, either person from renouncing it. No such mechanism exists in this case; Lucy can rely only on Edward’s honor, and she, not being honorable herself, is probably inclined to doubt the strength of such a force.
