Something close to reversal begins to occur in these two chapters. Emma obviously has not ended her propensity to manage others and can even shift her own feelings for Frank into another possible "management" for Harriet. Marriage, of course, is still the focal point for her scheming. Now a new character, Augusta Elton, is introduced as one who also likes to manage things. In a sense Augusta combines the worst characteristics of both Emma and Miss Bates. Like Miss Bates, she is an inveterate and domineering talker; but unlike the spinster, she seems lacking in genuine goodwill and in any compensating self-effacement. Like Emma, she has an overriding urge to manage; but unlike her new acquaintance, she obviously is wanting in good breeding and taste and apparently is ready to pass judgment on and manage any and everything that comes into view. We are never told directly that Emma sees something of herself in Augusta; but the rector's new wife will be another major factor in Emma's gradual maturing into self-knowledge, for Augusta is a flagrant example of how far one can go in self-importance and in "management."At the moment, concentrating upon the vulgar reference to George as Knightley, Emma can analyze the newcomer only to the point of calling her an insufferable woman because she is crude and brash.
At this point in the story Emma is beginning to get over another crisis: her feeling that she is in love with Frank Churchill. The practical and reasoning side of her nature is starting to reassert itself. Interestingly enough Augusta, in addition to being a revelatory foil for Emma, serves her in another psychological way. Since something or someone is needed to replace the diminishing personal significance of Frank, Augusta will allow her vent for both emotion and reaction. The "insufferable woman" helps her get over the involvement—such as it is—with Frank.
