From Emma
Jane Fairfax
Quiet musical niece • Dignified and mysterious
Miss Bates’s quiet, graceful niece, who plays the piano beautifully and guards a secret.
Who is Jane Fairfax?
Jane Fairfax is Miss Bates’s quiet, graceful niece, who comes to stay in Highbury and plays the piano beautifully. When a fine piano arrives for her with no note attached, the whole village wonders who sent it. Jane is polite and gentle but keeps her feelings tucked away, and she often looks tired and worried, because she is guarding a secret of her own.
Jane Fairfax is a character in Emma, the 1815 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Jane Fairfax like?
- quiet
- graceful
- talented
Jane Fairfax’s story
Jane Fairfax is an orphan, the only child of Miss Bates’s younger sister. She was raised by Colonel Campbell and his family, who gave her an excellent education, but she has no fortune. Her future is to work as a governess, so each year she comes home to Highbury for a visit before that life begins.
Everyone admires Jane, and Emma secretly feels a little jealous of her. During this visit Jane seems reserved and often unwell. She is actually trapped in a secret engagement to Frank Churchill, and his teasing and careless behavior hurt her. At last she decides to accept a governess job and break the engagement.
Mrs. Churchill’s death frees Frank to tell the truth, and the two marry. Emma, who once held back from befriending Jane, wishes her well and admits she should have been a kinder friend.
“Jane Fairfax was an orphan, the only child of Mrs. Bates’s youngest daughter.”
A moment to remember
When a shining piano arrives from London with no name on the crate, Jane blushes and softly touches the white keys.
Family and friends
- Miss Bates: her aunt
- Frank Churchill: her secret fiancé
- Emma Woodhouse: a neighbor who envied her
- Mr. Knightley: a family friend who admires her
Talk about it
Jane was quiet, so people did not always know how she felt. How can you be a good friend to someone who is shy?
Questions about Jane Fairfax
- Who does Jane Fairfax marry?
- Jane marries Frank Churchill, the man she was secretly engaged to. They are free to marry after his aunt, Mrs. Churchill, dies.
- Who sent Jane Fairfax the piano?
- The piano comes from Frank Churchill, though he lets Highbury think it might be from Colonel Campbell. Emma wrongly guesses that Mr. Dixon sent it.
- Why was Jane Fairfax going to become a governess?
- Jane is an orphan with no fortune, so she needs to earn a living. Governess work was one of the few respectable jobs open to a woman like her.
Read the story in
Emma
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
