Miss Bates is one of my all time favs of JA. There are wonderful nuggets of information/enlightenment and glistening bits of humor nestled amongst a lot of nothing. Gill and Gregory refer to her speeches as the triumph of the book …marked by lucid muddle. Isobel Grundy in her essay calls it a virtuoso performance. I must agree. Also, Miss Bates has got to be one of kindest, most positive persons ever (a few of many examples):

---(3) "…universal good-will and contented temper…She loved every body, was interested in every body's happiness, quick-sighted to every body's merits; thought herself a most fortunate creature, and surrounded with blessings in such an excellent mother and so many good neighbours and friends,…The simplicity and cheerfulness of her nature, her contented and grateful spirit, were a recommendation to every body…"
---(3) "…her middle of life was devoted to the care of a failing mother, and the endeavour to make a small income go as far as possible…" (Still she is a happy woman) I wonder that Emma does not empathize with the caring of a parent.
---(19) When Emma and Harriet stop to visit, they are treated, "with care and kindness, thanks for their visit, solicitude for their shoes, anxious inquiries after Mr. Woodhouse's health,…"

And yet, Emma does not like her (a few instances):
---(10) "…she is only too good natured and too silly to suit me…" (Hunh? for the too good-natured part. I assume it is the lively talking part but…)
---(19) She is negligent in her visits and adding to their scanty supplies. It was "very disagreeable, -- a waste of time -- tiresome women…"
---(23) To Frank, "…no, I'm afraid you will not hear her (Jane) at all, for she has an aunt who never holds her tongue."

And then there's Jane. There is a kind of aura about her, a bit of sadness. At three years old, having lost both her parents, she came under the guardianship of her grandmother and aunt, destined now as an adult to go into governessing, a kind of nether-land between being in the gentry and the class directly below. I think Jane was probably innately disposed to a more retiring personality but either way, imagine how difficult it would be for any toddler to find a voice and an outgoing personality in a home with an incessant talker like Miss Bates despite her and Mrs. Bates' love and warm regards. Even so, we are told that Jane, "growing up with no advantages of connection or improvement to be engrafted on what nature had given her in a pleasing person (and) good understanding…" shows that she managed a nice personality nevertheless and the Campbells were quite taken with her as well and she is a favorite with them. Emma seems to like a certain type of personality as we see when she is assessing Harriet as a friend for herself and mate for Mr. Elton. (3)"…she found her altogether very engaging -- not inconveniently shy, not unwilling to talk -- and yet so far from pushing, shewing so proper and becoming a deference,…" I think Jane is not boring but rather a quiet person when around those she does not have an intimate relationship with, that she may need time to develop such intimate relationships/friendships and has perhaps always been a bit uncomfortable around Emma in sensing her disapproval of her family.

Emma has disliked Jane for some time now and part of that dislike is an unfair spillover from Miss Bate's love of sharing Jane's letters and discussing her poor health along with other things. We get:

---(10) "One is sick of the very name of Jane Fairfax. Every letter from her is read forty times over; her compliments to all friends go round and round again;… I wish Jane Fairfax very well; but she tires me to death." Jane herself has nothing do with this.
---(24) Mr. Knightley thinks it is Emma's envy of Jane's accomplishments but we get this from Emma herself: along the same lines, "…we should have taken to each other whenever she visited her friends. But we never did. I hardly know how it has happened; a little, perhaps, from that wickedness on my side which was prone to take disgust towards a girl so idolized and so cried up as she always was, by her aunt and grandmother, and all their set. And then, her reserve!" Emma is not interested, not that I'm saying she should be, in taking "the trouble of conquering any body's reserve to procure" a friend.
---(20) Emma has come to the conclusion that she does not like Jane because, "she could never get acquainted with her: she did not know how it was, but there was such coldness and reserve; such apparent indifference whether she pleased or not; and then, her aunt was such an eternal talker! -- and she was made such a fuss with by every body! -- and it had been always imagined that they were to be so intimate -- because their ages were the same, every body had supposed they must be so fond of each other." These were her reasons; she had no better.
---(20)Emma was sorry to have to pay civilities to a person she did not like through three long months! to be always doing more than she wished, and less than she ought!

Emma has now spent the last two years depreciating Jane so is surprised to discover that Jane has grown quite beautiful and elegant in the interim. This meets with Emma's approval. I know that beauty and plainness is commonly discussed among people of this era, beauty and handsomeness being greatly appreciated but Emma, I have noticed, seems to use appearance to make judgements on how she feels about people and on her relations with people. Mr. Martin is plain so it's okay to ignore him as a legitimate person with feelings. Miss Campbell is plain and therefore her fiancee/husband could not really love her and must love Jane instead. I can't say that Emma does this all the time but being plain seems to make it easy/okay for her to think ill of that person especially when it suits her needs. She uses it to give validity to her fantasies it seems. Another criteria for friendship is admiration and adulation of herself. John Knightley is not a favorite because he does not flatter and compliment and walk around on eggshells when at Hartfield. I am not necessarily acquitting JK completely (another favorite of mine) but why must the flattery/compliment thing be apart of her decision on how she feels about him?

So, here now is Jane, beautiful to be sure and Emma wants to be friends which in itself is a good thing but immediately things begin to relapse as far as Emma is concerned: The aunt is tiresome and especially as she is expressing her anxiety for Jane's health, then Jane praised and thanked her for her piano playing and this was a bad thing (hunh?), and finally Jane was not forthcoming to Emma's questions. So that was it. Emma has determined this relationship can not go forward based on a conversation designed to get information she wants to know and doesn't get. She has never liked Jane, does not like her aunt or her grandmother. Her aunt talks too much. Jane doesn't talk enough. Does Emma really think that Jane has never felt that the Bates family is not a favorite of hers after so long a time? She may have Miss and Mrs. Bates fooled but I don't think this is true of Jane. Considering their history, Emma could have have made a more appropriate and genuine approach that might have met with a more positive response: "I'm sorry to hear that you have not always been feeling well/Your visit is bringing so much happiness to your aunt and grandmother/I hope your journey here was without too much difficulty", something along these lines, something that was not all about Emma and what she wanted and didn't receive. Besides, Emma could not determine why Jane did not want to talk about her Weymouth connection and the people associated with it. Maybe she did not like Frank Churchill and did not wish to say anything negative about him, especially in mixed company. Maybe, her detachment from the Campbells is hard on her and she needs time before talking about them. I am not commenting about the questions she asks one way or the other at this time but Emma apparently sees Jane's response as not showing the correct deference of a Harriet when Jane is not forthcoming with answers that satisfy her own curiosity.

I am willing to allow some leeway for Emma's youth but she is twenty-one now and:
---It's hard to believe she was never exposed to conduct books by her mother/MissTaylor/clergyman as she was growing up
---Speaking of clergyman, as an adult we know she attends church and hears about duties, responsibilities, how to treat others, etc.
---Mr. Woodhouse is a stickler for doing right by others, adhering to duty even when it is difficult for him, so we know she knows about social responsibility
---Emma has positive models and people trying to point her in the right direction

Emma knows right from wrong and what is expected of her. She loves the power and admiration that comes with her position but is choosing not to take on the complete responsibility that comes with the territory. It's her right not to like anybody she pleases but as first in Highbury, she should not be allowing it to affect the way she treats those whom she dislikes or use it as an excuse to be negligent.

Mr. Knightley after thinking Emma was finally making friends with Jane and then realizing it wasn't true said, "I'm disappointed" which is how I feel too. I can see the assets that Emma has but it is like trying to pull teeth to get her to take positive advantage of them and be the great Emma she could be if her potential is ever realized. As ever, my personal opinions. :)