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- Tags: British literature
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Jane Fairfax’s Piano
Jane Fairfax’s piano is an anonymous gift, leading all her acquaintance to speculate on the giver. Frank encourages Emma to believe that Mr. Dixon gave it to Jane, evidence of an improper attachment, but Frank was her actual benefactor. The piano…
Harriet’s Portrait
Emma paints a portrait of Harriet because she believes it will draw Mr. Elton’s attention to Harriet. The painting embodies the misunderstandings that take place between the three of them when Mr. Elton praises Harriet with the intent of pleasing…
Gruel
Mr. Woodhouse eats a bowl of gruel at every opportunity and recommends it to every guest in his home. The gruel shows that he cares much more about his health than his pleasure, and he is certain that the gruel is necessary for good health. His…
Tags: British literature, Emma, food, health, Jane Austen, novel of manners, regency, Romance
Mrs. Elton’s Dress
Mrs. Elton claims that she must wear an ornate gown with excessive trimming because she is a bride, despite her modesty. This irony permeates all of her speech and actions, as she is always trying to appear humble while boasting. Her dress…
Harriet’s Box of Treasures
Harriet keeps a special wooden box with mementos from her days with Mr. Elton. She has a small piece of cloth that he discarded and the stump of a used pencil. The insignificance of the objects demonstrates the lack of real evidence of Mr. Elton’s…
Fanny Price’s Writing Paper
The gift of writing paper is Edmund Bertram’s first act of kindness toward Fanny Price. When she arrives at the Bertram’s home, she is too shy to ask for paper to write to her brother, though she desperately misses her family. Edmund is the only…
Silver Knife
Susan’s silver fruit knife is a gift from her late sister, Mary. Susan treasures it for its sentimental value, but her younger sister Betsy is constantly taking it for its material value. The two sisters frequently fight over the knife, illustrating…
Tags: British literature, gift, Jane Austen, knife, Mansfield Park, novel of manners, regency, Romance, silver, tool
Fanny Price’s Dress
The Bertram’s give Fanny a new white dress on the occasion of her cousin Maria’s wedding. She next wears the dress to the Grant’s dinner party, the first dinner party she is invited to attend. The dress symbolizes her new status now that Maria and…
Tags: British literature, Clothing, Dress, gift, Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, novel of manners, regency, Romance, white
Theater Curtains
In order to transform Mansfield Park into a theater, the actors were adamant about needing a curtain. Mrs. Norris slaves over the creation of the curtain, claiming she is trying to help them save money, while actually becoming implicit in the poor…
Amber Cross
Fanny’s brother William gives her an amber cross as a gift, but she is distressed about wearing it to his ball because she has no chain to wear it on. William could not afford the gold chain to wear it with, illustrating the struggle for both…