Research note · Chapter I
Chapter I: 1815 against the online text
The first chapter of Emma, transcribed from the first edition (John Murray, December 1815, with title pages dated 1816) and compared word by word with the Project Gutenberg text. There are 92 differences. “Context” is the 1815 text immediately before each difference; “none” means the word or punctuation mark is absent in that version. Line-end hyphenation, catchwords and the 1815 printer’s spacing around punctuation are not counted.
This edition does not restore every difference listed here. It restores the first edition’s spellings, wording and exclamation marks.
At a glance
- About 32 commas added in the later text
- About 10 commas removed, including the first edition’s “That, was your doing, papa”
- About 20 spelling and compound changes: every body, any thing, to-day, shew, for ever, surprizing, foretel, her’s, death-bed, match-making, Brunswick-square, Broadway-lane
- Heavier stops and capitals: commas become semicolons; lowercase after a question mark becomes a capital
- Two changes of wording: “It had been a friend” becomes “She had been a friend”; “pay our wedding-visit” loses “our”
- One structural change: Emma’s “(about four years ago)” loses its parentheses, and a new paragraph begins at “Ever since the day”
The 92 differences
| # | Context (1815) | 1815 | Project Gutenberg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | …most affectionate, indulgent father | , | ; |
| 2 | …indistinct remembrance of her caresses | , | ; |
| 3 | …own. The real evils | none | , |
| 4 | …The real evils indeed | none | , |
| 5 | …continuance. The wedding over | none | , |
| 6 | …easy fortune, suitable age | none | , |
| 7 | …had soon followed Isabella’s marriage | none | , |
| 8 | …dearer, tenderer recollection. | It | She |
| 9 | …companion such as few possessed | , | : |
| 10 | …pleasure, every scheme of | her’s | hers |
| 11 | …between a Mrs. Weston | none | , |
| 12 | …from Isabella and her husband | none | , |
| 13 | …husband and their little children | none | , |
| 14 | …children to fill the house | none | , |
| 15 | …the large and populous village | none | , |
| 16 | …spite of its separate lawn | none | , |
| 17 | …its separate lawn and shrubberies | none | , |
| 18 | …not but sigh over it | none | , |
| 19 | …easily depressed; fond of | every body | everybody |
| 20 | …his habits of gentle selfishness | none | , |
| 21 | …Miss Taylor live with us | for ever | forever, |
| 22 | …of her own!— | but | But |
| 23 | …be going to see them | none | , |
| 24 | …meeting! We must begin | , | ; |
| 25 | …we must go and pay | our wedding-visit | wedding visit |
| 26 | …must go in the carriage | none | , |
| 27 | …us anywhere else. That | , | none |
| 28 | …make a very good servant | ; | : |
| 29 | …over to see his daughter | none | , |
| 30 | …but particularly connected with it | none | , |
| 31 | …was a frequent visitor | none | , |
| 32 | …returned to a late dinner | none | , |
| 33 | …late dinner after some days | none | ’ (days’) |
| 34 | …that all were well in | Brunswick-square | Brunswick Square |
| 35 | …It was a happy circumstance | none | , |
| 36 | …Knightley had a cheerful manner | none | , |
| 37 | …It is a beautiful | , | none |
| 38 | …Well! that is quite | surprizing | surprising |
| 39 | …hard for half an hour | , | none |
| 40 | …no hurry with my congratulations | . But | ; but |
| 41 | …poor Miss Taylor! | ’tis | ’Tis |
| 42 | …have only one to please | , | none |
| 43 | …Emma playfully. “That | , | none |
| 44 | …” said Mr. Woodhouse | none | , |
| 45 | …a horrible idea! Oh | , | none |
| 46 | …to find fault with me | none | , |
| 47 | …not being thought perfect by | every body | everybody |
| 48 | …” said Mr. Knightley | ; | , |
| 49 | …I meant no reflection on | any body | anybody |
| 50 | …to hear about the wedding | , | ; |
| 51 | …we all behaved charmingly. | Every body | Everybody |
| 52 | …Every body was punctual, | every body | everybody |
| 53 | …body in their best looks | . Not | : not |
| 54 | …to be seen. Oh | ! | none |
| 55 | …seen. Oh! no | , | ; |
| 56 | …“Dear Emma bears | every thing | everything |
| 57 | …if we could suppose it | . But | ; but |
| 58 | …very acceptable it must be | none | , |
| 59 | …Miss Taylor’s time of life | none | , |
| 60 | …may comfort me for | any thing | anything |
| 61 | …would not make matches and | foretel | foretell |
| 62 | …And after such success | none | , |
| 63 | …to his wife on her | death-bed | deathbed |
| 64 | …believed none of it. | none | new paragraph and opening “ |
| 65 | …Ever since the day | ( | — |
| 66 | …(about four years ago | ) | — |
| 67 | …I met with him in | Broadway-lane | Broadway Lane |
| 68 | …that I shall leave off | match-making | matchmaking |
| 69 | …what you mean by ‘ | success; | success, |
| 70 | …now and then afterwards, | — | none |
| 71 | …you talk of success? | where | Where |
| 72 | …where is your merit? | —what | What |
| 73 | …are you proud of? | —you | You |
| 74 | …thought you cleverer—for | none | , |
| 75 | …—for depend upon it | , | none |
| 76 | …have drawn two pretty pictures | — | ; |
| 77 | …might not have come to | any thing | anything |
| 78 | …comprehend that.” “A | straight-forward | straightforward |
| 79 | …“A straight-forward, | open-hearted | openhearted |
| 80 | …A straight-forward, open-hearted man | , | none |
| 81 | …Weston, and a rational | none | , |
| 82 | …and a rational unaffected woman | , | none |
| 83 | …she can do good to | others; | others, |
| 84 | …not make any more matches | , | ; |
| 85 | …Mr. Elton, papa | , | none |
| 86 | …up his house so comfortably | none | , |
| 87 | …he was joining their hands | to-day | today |
| 88 | …a very pretty young man | none | , |
| 89 | …But if you want to | shew | show |
| 90 | …” said Mr. Knightley | none | , |
| 91 | …said Mr. Knightley laughing | ; | , |
| 92 | …I agree with you entirely | none | , |