Analysis Of Mrs Elton

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Getting to Know Mrs. Elton

Jane Austen's characters are extraordinary. Vividly painted, complete with personal eccentricities and short-comings, they make the reader laugh over the foibles of humanity. One of Austen's most memorable characters is Mrs. Elton, who could be considered the antagonist of Emma. The reader's very first introduction to this character invokes a strong feeling of dislike mingled with amusement. This strong reader reaction is the result of a carefully structured build-up to Mrs. Elton's introduction. Austen shapes this reader reaction first though the subjective opinions of others, specifically, the praises of Mr. Elton and the criticisms of Emma. Then, after building this foundation, Austen introduces the reader to Mrs. Elton through an objectively recorded conversation that cements the reader's opinion that Mrs. Elton is a snobbish, self-centred woman.

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Elton. During this visit, one of the first things that strikes the reader as Mrs. Elton begins to speak is her style of conversation which displays thoughtlessness and self-absorption. Austen has peppered Mrs. Elton's sentences with commas and dashes that border many interjected phrases. This gives Mrs. Elton's sentences a choppiness that indicates that she is speaking very fast - too fast to think about how to properly construct her sentences. The thoughtlessness of Mrs. Elton's chatter is also reflected in her many repeated phrases; she obviously wants to be the one talking and will repeat herself just to keep control of the conversation. She does this so well that during her conversation with Emma that Emma only manages to say a few sentences. Not even the tone of Mrs. Elton's voice is pleasant. Mr. Woodhouse complains that "she speaks a little too quick. A little quickness of voice that hurts the ear". This shrillness is reflected in Austen's generous sprinkling of exclamation marks throughout Mrs. Elton's

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