Watch For the Buffoons

Keeping track of what's going on in a world where everyone buries the truth behind social propriety, decorum, and years of class prejudice can be difficult.  So watch for the buffoons to see what they have to say.  In a similar manner, Shakespeare would often send out a Fool or clown to spout off in the face of the main characters and let the audience get some mixture of truth and laughter.  Remember the watchman who rails off in a drunken fashion as he goes to answer the door in Macbeth, directly following Macbeth's killing of Duncan.

Before I introduce this quote, it should be noted that in the 19th century British sense of the phrase "to make love" means to court or date someone.  Admiral Croft, a most ridiculous fellow now living in Anne's house because her father foolishly mismanaged the family fortune, talks with Anne about Louisa's unfortunate faceplant off the stairs on the beach.  Croft says to Anne, "A new sort of way this for a young fellow to be making love, by breaking his mistress's head!--is not it, Miss Elliot?--This breaking a head and giving a plaster, truly!" (Ch. XIII)

The process of the novel is to steer Anne clear of likely, but imperfect suitors, such as her cousin Mr. Elliot, and also, slowly but surely find ways for Captain Wentworth to lose his chances with other women like Louisa.  Admiral Croft follows with some nonsense about how they no longer keep the umbrellas in the butler's pantry before dropping an Austen UM (universal message):  "One man's ways may be as good as another's, but we all like our own best." (Ch. XIII)  

The ways of the upper class, laid bare by Austen's writing, demonstrate for her largely middle class readers that the few wise ones among the advantaged class have the same sense and sensibility as the middles, who earn their way through life--either the middle class or the middle children like Anne.