I don't think it's that ambiguous

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I don't think it's that ambiguous Written by Barbara (9/28/2006 5:14 p.m.) in consequence of the missive, Is height a beauty standard?, penned by Mary Ellen

Jane Austen equates tall with striking in this same novel. In Ch. 6, Lady Middleton is described : " her figure tall and striking".

Therefore, even if we don't want to trust the grammatical construction of the sentence, which does, indeed, point to Marianne being the taller of the two, if we agree that the 'striking' part is referring to Marianne, then the taller part is also.

Also, Marianne declares in Ch.3 that Edward's "figure is not striking". Then, in the last chapter of this section, when she sees a man approaching on horseback and hopes it's Willoughby, Elinor says "Indeed, Marianne, I think you are mistaken. It is not Willoughby. The person is not tall enough for him, and has not his air."

It turns out to be Edward, not Willoughby. This again points to tall=striking.

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JA's way with words teri-mc (9/25/2006 1:37 p.m.)

'His name was good', Mandy N (9/28/2006 9:36 a.m.)
- The Particular Spirit of Marianne Robbin (9/28/2006 3:22 p.m.)
  - Willoughby's name Maisy (9/28/2006 7:18 p.m.)
    - Clement Willoughby Barbara (9/28/2006 8:12 p.m.)
      - Thanks again! nfm :D Robbin (9/29/2006 7:41 a.m.)
      - Thanks! -nfm Maisy (9/29/2006 6:40 a.m.)
My personal opinion Mary Ellen (9/26/2006 1:51 p.m.)
- But... Barbara (9/26/2006 2:21 p.m.)
  - Is height a beauty standard? Mary Ellen (9/27/2006 6:22 p.m.)
    - I don't think it's that ambiguous Barbara (9/28/2006 5:14 p.m.)
      - Great points, Barbara Maisy (9/28/2006 6:48 p.m.)
    - I don't infer so; who's taller; plumpness Tom P2 (9/28/2006 3:31 a.m.)
L&T: What was considered a "correct" form? Line (9/25/2006 7:15 p.m.)
- I read this as Marianne being taller than Elinor Barbara (9/25/2006 8:52 p.m.)
  - Proper height: "a running joke in JA's fiction" Maisy (9/26/2006 1:40 p.m.)
    - Which sister is taller? Maisy (9/26/2006 1:52 p.m.)
      - Does the "in" make a difference?   Ann2 (9/26/2006 5:55 p.m.)
        
        Not only to a foreign ear :-)   Barbara (9/26/2006 8:26 p.m.)
        
        Punctuation   Maisy (9/27/2006 6:58 a.m.)
  - That's how I read it Rae (9/26/2006 9:37 a.m.)
  - Oh! Amy Marie (9/26/2006 7:12 a.m.)

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