mrs. weston – Exact Words

Mrs Weston is pretty. Don’t add that into Frank’s lies (audio with rough transcript)

I’ve now read two people casting shade on what I will admit is Frank’s somewhat greasy way of saying “I didn’t expect to see a young pretty woman” about Mrs. Weston to Emma at first. But I get a little offended at that. I– She’s not that old, and I bet she is pretty. Like, are you telling me you don’t think Mrs. Weston’s pretty?

The conversation between Mrs. Weston, Mr. Knightley and Emma about why Jane Fairfax “consents to be with the Eltons” in which Emma calls EVERY SINGLE POINT right can lead me into what I need to say about Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’

I like it not only because it’s a very particular way of bringing forward points that the author wants us to be aware of—like the conversations in Pride and Prejudice at Bingley’s when Jane is sick—but also because half of what Mr. Knightley says needs the “rules of address” translation tweak to be properly understood, plus the bonus to make it all perfect, because Jane Austen counterintuitively allows Emma to be very precisely and exactly right on every point in her summation. (And you need her saucy lead-in to make the perfection fully sparkle.)