Besides the text of the novel, for this assignment you will need to consult the following materials in the Broadview edition of Emma: Appendix C: William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, “Of Parent and Child,” pp. 435-436, and Appendix D: “Of the Husband and Wife,” pp. 437-438
In Austen’s time women only acquired legal standing [“coverture”] in marriage through their husbands, who were considered “barons” or “lords” over their wives, who were considered “femes covert.” Outside of marriage, women were legal nullities with no right of ownership or legal standing in courts of law. The vulnerability of unmarried women, especially illegitimate daughters [“filius nullius”], is a major theme in Emma. According to Blackstone, an illegitimate child “cannot be heir to any one, neither can he have heirs, but of his own body; for, being nullius filius, he is therefore of kin to nobody, and has no ancestor from whom any inheritable blood can be derived.” In Blackstone’s explanation, “blood” stands for class/social rank, which as we see in Emma, is acquired either through legitimate (acknowledged) birth or marriage. But even a wealthy and “legitimate” (in terms of acknowledged parentage) female character like Emma cannot possess or pass on her wealth if she remains unmarried. Using proper essay structure (with beginning, body, and conclusion), please explain why, regardless of class rank or birth origin, marriage to a man is deemed essential to the novel’s female characters: Emma Woodhouse, Harriet Smith, and Jane Fairfax.
**1,000 words maximum–please observe the word limit and the following instructions carefully. Failure to do so will result in a lower grade.
