While much of "Emma" centers around the heroine's attempts at matchmaking, it seems the real matchmakers are the Knightleys -- Mr. Knightley, John and Isabella! Interesting how Mr. Knightley just happens to send Robert Martin to John with some papers, while Harriet just happens to be staying with the John Knightleys. I have to wonder just how Robert came to be invited to dinner and then to a family outing the following day. John and Isabella obviously think as highly of him as Mr. Knightley does, or else Isabella would never have allowed him and Harriet to take charge of one of the children. I wonder just how John and Isabella contrived to leave the couple alone so the proposal could be made.
It strikes me, too, that John and Isabella don't have the same rigid notions of social class that Emma has. They apparently show no hesitation in inviting Mr. Martin to dinner and to Astley's. I wonder if John's profession, along with their life in London, makes them more open to various classes of people. Emma, living in a secluded place with her rather old-fashioned father, isn't obliged to mix with people outside of her own group, and so she tends to look down on them somewhat. It's only after Robert and Harriet are engaged that Emma even considers inviting Robert to Hartfield. Before that, she admittedly had no interest in getting to know him.
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