A matter of some curiosity to me, given his dislike of all change and marriage in particular during the time of Emna.

We are told that he didn't marry young, so presumably his family didn't just organise him into it. And we're also told Emma's mother was the only person able to cope with Emma's personality, unlike Miss Taylor.

I'm inclined to think Mrs Woodhouse brought money of her own into the marriage, given that Emma has a dowry of £30,000 that everyone knows about, and I understand that marriage settlements like that were designed to protect the wife's family money from going to benefit another family's children but I don't know, maybe the marriage settlements made Mrs Woodhouse the main inheritor in the absence of a son and the dowries were to protect some of the Woodhouse family fortune.

Maybe Mr Woodhouse was more flexible in his thinking when he was younger? Also more mobile, to get out and meet people?

I'm just having a bit of trouble imagining someone with Emma's personality, and an independent fortune, wanting to marry Mr Woodhouse as we see him. Perhaps she was in a miserable earlier marriage (without any surviving children) and eager to jump into a match with a kind, easily-led, man?

What are your thoughts?