Summary

The title page of Chapter 6, “The Next World” includes a quote from Thomas Malthus from his Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798 (42). The chapter begins with Heiligman describing Emma and Fanny’s life together. In August of 1832, Fanny got sick. Emma took detailed notes of her sister’s illness. They did not know what was wrong with her, but cholera outbreaks were happening all over England. Fanny soon died. Heiligman notes how often in Jane Austen novels death precipitated a heroine seeking a husband. For Emma, Fanny’s death made her resolve to “become good like Fanny and religious like Fanny” (45). Chapter 6 ends as Heiligman notes that Fanny’s death profoundly affected Emma: “It cemented a faith in God and eternity that could have dwindled otherwise” and also cemented Emma’s beliefs in heaven and hell (46).

The title page of Chapter 7, “The...