I agree with your evaluation and granted, Emma’s family circle is condensed and her father, the Knightley brothers and Mr. Weston are the gentlemen with whom she is most familiar. I can see how knowing their ways could not help her realize Mr. Elton’s faults. What rankles is that Emma ignores the signs of Mr. Elton’s poor character that I think she was capable of realizing. She fails to see his affectations in manner, his praise, raptures and the laughable “parade in his speeches” (9) as insincere although her idea this “man is almost too gallant to be in love” seems to suggest she sees it. It appears she views his lying about visiting the cottagers as a mere lover’s scheme instead of downright deceitful. Lastly she just ignores her own twinges concerning Mr. Elton’s animation for ladies of fortune when it may suggest vulgar ambition and a collapse of her plans. Where did Emma learn that silly gallantry a la Mr. Elton is a sure sign of love? Surely not from the men in her family circle so I wonder if it was from the bits of novels she read. (:D)