Opinions of Emma

Captn Austen.—liked it extremely, observing that though there might be more Wit in P & P—& an higher Morality in M P—yet altogether, on account of it’s peculiar air of Nature throughout, he preferred it to either.

Mrs F. A.—liked & admired it very much indeed, but must still prefer P. & P.

Mrs J. Bridges—preferred it to all the others.

Miss Sharp—better than M P.—but not so well as P. & P.— pleased with the Heroine for her Originality, delighted with Mr K—& called Mrs Elton beyond praise.— dissatisfied with Jane Fairfax.

Cassandra—better than P. & P.—but not so well as M. P.—

Fanny K.—not so well as either P. & P. or M P.—could not bear Emma herself.—Mr Knightley delightful—Should like J. F.—if she knew more of her.— Mr & Mrs J. A.—did not like it so well as either of the 3 others. Language different from the others; not so easily read,—

Edward—preferred it to M P.—only.—Mr K. liked by every body.

Miss Bigg—not equal to either P & P.—or M P.—objected to the sameness of the subject (Match-making) all through, —Too much of Mrs Elton & H. Smith. Language superior to the others.—

My Mother—thought it more entertaining than M P.—but not so interesting as P. & P.—No characters in it equal to Ly Catherine & Mr Collins.—

Miss Lloyd—thought it as clever as either of the others, but did not receive so much pleasure from it as from P. & P—& M P.—

Mrs & Miss Craven—liked it very much, but not so much as the others.—

Fanny Cage—liked it very much indeed & classed it between P&P.—& M P.—

Mr Sherer—did not think it equal to either M P—(which he liked the best of all) or P & P.—Displeased with my pictures of Clergymen.—

Miss Bigg—on reading it a second time, liked Miss Bates much better than at first, & expressed herself as liking all the people of Highbury in general, except Harriet Smith—but cd not help still thinking her too silly in her Loves.— The family at Upton Gray—all very much amused with it.— Miss Bates a great favourite with Mrs Beaufoy.

Mr & Mrs Leigh Perrot—saw many beauties in it, but cd not think it equal to P. & P.—Darcy & Elizth had spoilt them for anything else.—Mr K. however, an excellent Character; Emma better luck than a Matchmaker often has.—Pitied Jane Fairfax—thought Frank Churchill better treated than he deserved.—

Countess Craven—admired it very much, but did not think it equal to P & P.—which she ranked as the very first of it’s sort.—

Mrs Guiton—thought it too natural to be interesting.

Mrs Digweed—did not like it so well as the others, in fact if she had not known the Author, could hardly have got through it.

Miss Terry—admired it very much, particularly Mrs Elton.

Henry Sanford—very much pleased with it—delighted with Miss Bates, but thought Mrs Elton the best-drawn Character in the Book.—Mansfield Park however, still his favourite.

Mr Haden—quite delighted with it. Admired the Character of Emma.—

Miss Isabella Herries— did not like it—objected to my exposing the sex in the character of the Heroine—convinced that I had meant Mrs & Miss Bates for some aquaintance of theirs—People whom I never heard of before.—

Miss Harriet Moore—admired it very much, but M. P. still her favourite of all.—

Countess Morley—delighted with it.—

Mr Cockerell—liked it so little, that Fanny wd not send me his opinion.—

Mrs Dickson—did not much like it—thought it very inferior to P. & P.—Liked it the less, from there being a Mr. & Mrs Dixon in it.—

Mrs Brandreth—thought the 3d vol: superior to anything I had ever written— quite beautiful!—

M: B. Lefroy—thought that if there had been more Incident, it would be equal to any of the others.—The Characters quite as well drawn & supported as in any, & from being more everyday ones, the more entertaining.—Did not like the Heroine so well as any of the others. Miss Bates excellent, but rather too much of her. Mr & Mrs Elton admirable & John Knightley a sensible man.

Mrs B. Lefroy—rank’d Emma as a composition with S & S.— not so Brilliant as P. & P—nor so equal as M P.— Preferred Emma herself to all the heroines. —The Characters like all the others admirably well drawn & supported—-perhaps rather less strongly marked than some, but only the more natural for that reason.— Mr Knightley Mrs Elton & Miss Bates her favourites.— Thought one or two of the conversations too long.—

Mrs Lefroy—preferred it to M P—but liked M P. the least of all.

Mr Fowle—read only the first & last Chapters, because he had heard it was not interesting.—

Mrs Lutley Sclater—liked it very much, better than M P— & thought I had “brought it all about very cleverly in the last volume.”—

Mrs C. Cage wrote thus to Fanny—“A great many thanks for the loan of Emma, which I am delighted with. I like it better than any. Every character is thoroughly kept up. I must enjoy reading it again with Charles. Miss Bates is incomparable, but I was nearly killed with those precious treasures! They are Unique, & really with more fun than I can express. I am at Highbury all day, & I can’t help feeling I have just got into a new set of acquaintance. No one writes such good sense, & so very comfortable.

Mrs Wroughton—did not like it so well as P. & P.—Thought the Authoress wrong, in such times as these, to draw such Clergymen as Mr Collins & Mr Elton.

Sir J. Langham—thought it much inferior to the others.—

Mr Jeffery (of the Edinburgh Review) was kept up by it three nights.