Alice has asked in particular for advice about
Jane Austen, whose works she is reading for her college courses in English literature. Alice does not see the point of studying Austen, which
Fay attributes to a childhood spent watching television instead of reading. Fay reflects on the copy of Austen’s novel
Emma that she finds in her hotel room, noting that the book is not as worn as the thrillers and romances also present. Fay suggests that although these often-read genre novels are more popular, they are ultimately “interchangeable” and lack
Emma’s depth of meaning.