BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE’S ARTS AND EDUCATION PROGRAM STUDY GUIDE 206-428-6266
www.book-it.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Novel………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 About the Author……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Class in Regency England…………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Characters……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Behavior and Customs in Regency England…………………………………………………………….. 8 Activity: Compare and Contrast Emma and Clueless………………………………………………. 10 Sources……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
Book-It Repertory Theatre would like to thank the following Arts and Education Program Donors:
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About the Novel Emma, published in 1815, was the last of Jane Austen’s novels to be published in her lifetime. It tells the story of a young English woman and her mission to play matchmaker for the people in her life, all the while oblivious to the dangers her meddling causes. Jane Austen wrote that Emma is “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” In the first sentence of the novel, Emma is described as “handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition” living in a world “with very little to distress or vex her.” Emma is a comic novel in which Austen lovingly pokes fun at Georgian society and the people in it.
About the Author Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 in the village of Steventon in Hampshire. Her father was the local rector and a member of the landed gentry. Austen grew up in a village very much like the ones her protagonists lived in. Due to her status as part of the rural gentry, Austen had access to education and grew proficient in reading and writing. Austen wrote six novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion) two of which were published in 1817, after her death. For further information, check out the following website: www.janeausten.org/jane-austen-biography.asp
2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Emma. Jane Austen fans all over the world are celebrating with Austen-themed events, visits to Austen’s house-turned-museum in Hampshire, and with a new 200th anniversary edition of the novel that has been released this year. An anniversary festival was also hosted in Brunswick Square this September to commemorate the bicentennial. 3
Class in Regency England The Regency era was marked by the Industrial Revolution and with it the intensification of class divisions. Class status was determined primarily by income level. However, as divided as the classes were, the possibility of social mobility was never before greater than during the Georgian era. The Industrial Revolution brought about new ways for people to gain wealth and thus began the rise of the middle class. The upper class was not thrilled about these newly rich merchants and industrial workers. Having come from families that had money for many generations, they felt threatened by the “overnight” success of the middle class. The concept of having to work for your money was foreign and looked down upon. To gain real status in society, wealth was not enough. Landownership and a prestigious family pedigree were the true marks of gentility. Themes of class are explored in all of Austen’s novels. In Emma for example, Emma sees Mr. Martin as an unfit match for Harriet because she does not believe the two to be of equal class; she urges Harriet to reach for someone of higher standing. For women, marriage was the primary method for increasing one’s social status, it was often taken very seriously as an economic matter during this time. Jane Austen herself and many of her protagonists were members of the rural gentry. The title ‘gentleman’ was given to gentry landowners who owned large estates of land in the countryside; They would rent it out to be worked by tenant farmers. Later, that term would evolve to refer more to a code of behavior than landowning status.
Right-in-the-Text Questions 1. Who was at the top of the social hierarchy? Who was at the bottom? Where would Emma’s family fall? (Bonus: create a chart, placing the characters in class order) 2. Describe the tensions between old wealth and new wealth. What was the difference? 3. What was the main method for increasing one’s social status? 4
Meet the Characters
Emma Woodhouse Emma Woodhouse is the protagonist of the story. After the death of her mother and the marriage of her older sister, she is left in charge of managing the household, giving her a great deal of agency for a woman of her young age. Her confidence and position allows her to play matchmaker with those in her life. Mr. Knightley Not only is Mr. Knightley the wealthiest citizen of Highbury, but he is also the most virtuous. As Highbury’s magistrate, he plays a major role in local government administration and has many civil and criminal legal responsibilities. He is a friend of Emma’s and is 17 years her senior; he later becomes her romantic interest. Mr. Woodhouse Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, owns Hartfield, a gentleman’s residence with a farm attached. His income from this land is high enough that he can experience unlimited genteel comforts. Mr. Woodhouse is very concerned with health, which was incredibly common during the Regency period. Frank Churchill Frank Churchill is adopted by his mother’s family after her death. His Aunt and father are quite wealthy and support his extravagant lifestyle in London. Those who lived in London experienced a much faster pace of life in the Regency era and had access to more culturally. Although he does not work himself, Churchill’s fortune equals that of at least the Woodhouses. 5
Meet the Characters Continued... Mr. & Mrs. Weston Mrs. Weston is Emma’s one-time governess and now, close friend. At the start of the novel they have just married. Emma takes great pride in this and attributes it to her excellent matchmaking abilities. Situated on the Randalls estate, the Westons are quite wealthy, but not as genteel as the Woodhouse family. Mr. Weston, although a military man, made his fortune in trade, which was not considered an ideal occupation at the time. Mr. & Mrs. Elton Mr. Elton is the vicar of Highbury. Emma tries to match her friend Harriet Smith with him, thinking his high status makes him a more qualified suitor than Mr. Martin. This plan backfires when Mr. Elton proposes instead to Emma; she rejects him. Afterward, Mr. Elton goes away to marry the daughter of a Bristol merchant whose wealth is new money. Mrs. Elton lacks the breeding and refinement that other characters with old money have. Mr. Martin Mr. Martin is a tenant farmer. Though he has some money, he is of a lower class standing and Emma thinks he is an unsuitable match for Harriet. However, in the end, the two eventually end up together. Miss Bates & Mrs. Bates Mrs. Bates was once the distinguished wife of the vicar. When she was widowed she was forced to live on a diminished income with her daughter. Despite their meager way of living, they are still able to mix and visit with the best families of Highbury. Jane Fairfax Jane is represented as well bred, beautiful, talented, and well educated. Despite her excellent breeding and accomplishments she must earn her living as a governess since her family is unable to support her. The position of governess was one of the only acceptable occupations a woman could hold at the time; women who became governesses also became servants of the families they worked for. Jane is able to marry out of her situation by wedding a member of the gentry, Frank Churchill. Harriet Smith Being an orphan with no money or prestigious family background, Harriet’s friendship with Emma provides her with the opportunity to mingle with Highbury’s upper class. Emma takes her under her wing and Harriet becomes the subject of her misguided matchmaking attempts. 6
Community Tree
Romantic Relationships Mrs. Weston
Mr. Weston
Emma matches them
Emma is taken aback by their engagement
Mr. Knightley
Emma discourages this match
Emma attempts to match them
Emma rejects his proposal 7
Behavior and Customs in Regency England Proper behavior and deportment was prized among the upper classes. Rules for conducting one’s self were extensive and gender specific. Below are a few examples of the kinds of rules that existed for Emma and the others characters in Jane Austen’s novels.
Etiquette for ladies: 1. The Promenade: In England, a lady may accept the arm of a gentleman with whom she is walking, even though he be only an acquaintance. Two ladies may without any impropriety take each one arm of a single cavalier; but one lady cannot, with either grace or the sanction of custom take the arms of two gentlemen at the same time. 2. Evening party: Be scrupulous to observe silence when any of the company are playing or singing. Remember that they are doing this for the amusement of the rest; and that to talk at such a time is as ill-bred as if you were to turn your back upon a person who was talking to you, and begin a conversation with some one else. 3. The dinner table: As soon as you are seated at table, remove your gloves, place your table napkin across your knees. Never speak while you have anything in your mouth. The lady of the house should never send away her plate, or appear to have done eating, until all her guests have finished. 4. The ball-room: To attempt to dance without a knowledge of dancing is not only to make one’s self ridiculous but one’s partner also. No lady has a right to place a partner in this absurd position. Never forget a ball-room engagement. On entering the ball-room, the visitor should at once seek the lady of the house, and pay her respects to her. Engagements for one dance should not be made while the present dance is yet in progress. 5. When you cannot agree with the propositions advanced in general conversation, be silent. If pressed for your opinion, give it with modesty. Never defend your own views too warmly. 6. Under no circumstances may a lady call on a gentleman alone unless she is consulting that gentleman on a profession or business matter. 7. A lady should never “cut” someone, that is to say, fail to acknowledge their presence after encountering them socially, unless it is absolutely necessary. By the same token, only a lady is ever truly justified in cutting someone: “a cut is only excusable when men persist in bowing whose acquaintance a lady does not wish to keep up.” For more information visit: https://archive.org/details/danceman242. The Laws of Etiquette; or, Short rules and Reflections for Conduct in Society, by A Gentleman. A Manual of Politeness, Comprising the Principles of Etiquette, and rules of Behavior in Genteel Society, for Persons of both Sexes: https://archive.org/stream/manualofpolitne00phil/manualofpolitene00phil_djvu.txt
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Etiquette for Gentlemen 1. Introductions: Always introduce the gentleman to the lady--never the lady to the gentleman. The chivalry of etiquette assumes that the lady is invariably the superior in right of her sex, and that the gentleman is honored in the introduction. Never present a gentleman to a lady without first asking her permission to do so. 2. The Promenade: A well-bred man must entertain no respect for the brim of his hat. “A bow,” says La Fontaine, “is a note drawn at sight.” You are bound to acknowledge it immediately, and to the full amount. True politeness demands that the hat should be quite lifted from his head. On meeting friends with whom you are likely to shake hands, remove your hat with the left hand in order to leave the right hand free. If you meet a lady in the street whom you are sufficiently intimate to address, do not stop her, but turn round and walk beside her in whichever direction she is going. When you have said all that you wish to say, you can take your leave. 3. Dining: The lady of the house takes the head of the table. The gentleman who led her down to dinner occupies the seat on her right hand, and the gentleman next in order of precedence, that on her left. The master of the house takes the foot of the table. The lady whom he escorted sits on his right hand, and the lady next in order of precedence on his left. The gentlemen who supports the lady of the house should offer to relieve her of the duties of hostess. 4. The Ball-room: At the beginning and end of a quadrille the gentleman bows to his partner, and bows again on handing her to a seat. 5. In a carriage, a gentlemen takes the seat facing backward. If he is alone in a carriage with a lady, he does not sit next to her unless he is her husband, brother, father, or son. He alights from the carriage first so he may hand her down. He takes care not to step on her dress. 6. To yawn in the presence of others, to lounge, to put your feet on a chair, to stand with your back to the fire, to take the most comfortable seat in the room, to do anything which shows indifference, selfishness, or disrespect, is unequivocally vulgar and inadmissible. 7. If a person of greater age or higher rank than yourself desires you to step first into a carriage, or through a door, it is more polite to bow and obey than to decline. For more information visit: https://archive.org/details/danceman242. The Laws of Etiquette; or, Short rules and Reflections for Conduct in Society, by A Gentleman. A Manual of Politeness, Comprising the Principles of Etiquette, and rules of Behavior in Genteel Society, for Persons of both Sexes: https://archive.org/stream/manualofpolitne00phil/manualofpolitene00phil_djvu.txt
Right-in-the-Text Questions 1. When dining, who takes the head of the table? 2. Where does a gentleman sit in a carriage? 3. True or False: Women should never defend their own views too warmly. 9
Activity: Compare and Contrast
How does status play a role in the romantic relationships in both stories? How does it differ story to story? How are Emma and Cher similar? How are they different? Who are the Clueless counterparts to the characters in Emma? Use the list below and the character section of this study guide to match them. Clueless: 1. Cher 2. Tai 3. Josh 4. Amber 5. Mr. Hall 6. Ms. Geist 7. Christian 8. Elton 9. Mel Horowitz 10. Travis
Emma: __1__ Emma _____ Harriet _____ Mr. Knightly _____ Mr. Martin _____ Mr. Elton _____ Frank Churchill _____ Ms. Weston _____ Mrs. Elton _____ Mr. Woodhouse _____ Mr. Weston 10
Sources Claire, Tomalin. Jane Austen: A Life. New York: Vintage Books, 1999. Book. Copeland, Edward. Ed. The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. New York: Cambridge University Press,2011. Book. Gleadle, Kathryn. British Women in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Palgrave, 2001. Book. Jane Austen’s World. Web. 12 October, 2015. Kloester, Jennifer. Georgette Heyer’s Regency World. Naperville, Il: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2005. Book. Mavis, Batey. Jane Austen and the English Landscape. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1996. Book. Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. Book. Jane Austen’s England. New York: Viking, 2013. Book. Sullivan, Margaret. The Jane Austen Handbook. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2007. Book. Summeron, John. Georgian London. New York: Scribner, 1946. Book. The Jane Austen Centre. Jane Austen.co.uk. The Jane Austen Centre. Web. 12 October, 2015. Vickery, Amanda. The Gentleman’s Daughter. Women’s Lives in Georgian England. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Book. Wildeblood, Joan and Peter Brinson. The Polite World: A Guide to English Manners and Deportment from the Thirteenth to the Nineteenth Century. New York: Oxford University Press. 1965. Book. Williams, E. Neville. Life in Georgian England. New York: Putnam. 1962. Book.
Emma Study Guide was written and compiled by Annie DiMartino Director of Education Jillian Johnson Education Intern Laura Owens Literary Intern 11