. . . I leap to my feet, do a fist pump then exclaim, "YES!"

I agree that the contrast to the Fanny Jane Austen has shown us up until this moment is nothing short of breathtaking. David Gates (who wrote a brilliant introduction to S&S) speaks of Jane Austen allowing the tension in her stories to build and build until you almost feel like---well, like yelling.

Up until this moment, Fanny has swallowed the unkindness of Obnoxious Norris, the injustice from Sir Thomas, the lack of consideration from Maria, Julia, and Tom. She has had to watch Edmund making a ninny of himself over a black-hearted trollop {calm down, girl] over a woman of small morals and questionable virtue. [Okay, I admit it, I don't much care for her.] Fanny has tried to brush off the unwanted attentions of Henry "Boa Constrictor" Crawford---all fo this without venting.

So when this internalised soliloquy occurs, we are past due for an explosion. During my first reading of this novel, I thought that Ms. Austen had fired all of her guns. Whoa, Nelly! Keep reading. It gets even more cathartic!