ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by establishing the related themes of invalidism and leisure through a brief consideration of an argument between Mr Woodhouse and Isabella Knightley over healthy holidays. This is followed by a more extended examination of the culture of the watering place that pays particular attention to Weymouth. The conflict between the values of the watering place and those of the village is then explored more specifically around the representation of Mr Perry, the apothecary. His ambiguous social status is set first of all in the debates that surrounded the Apothecaries’ Act of 1815. It is then argued that, although there is one text that appears to support Perry and the other rising professionals in the village, this may be in conflict with another one which remains fascinated by the mentality of Frank Churchill, an unemployed young dandy associated not just with Weymouth but also with French attitudes. The next section continues the discussion of rivalries between the watering place and the village by considering the politics of transport and other forms of communication such as letter writing. There is, finally, a summary of the points that have been made about Emma herself.
