Emma Chapter Sixteen Summary

  • In which Emma beats herself up for being so, so wrong.
  • How could she have imagined such an unsuitable match for Harriet?
  • And how could she have missed the fact that Mr. Elton wanted her, not her friend?
  • Now that Emma realizes how blind she’s been, she vows never to match-make again.
  • Of course, she could set Harriet up with that new lawyer-fellow in town…
  • But that would be breaking her vow. She goes to bed miserable…
  • …and wakes up pretty much OK.
  • Austen’s narrator writes some funny stuff here about the fickleness of youth. Check it out!
  • After all, it’s not like Mr. Elton really wanted anything but her money (and rich girls are a dime a dozen).
  • And Harriet? Well, she’s not really the romantic heroine type. She’ll get over it.