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Emma · Chapter
Dedication explained
Jane Austen dedicates her work to the Prince Regent with formal respect and humility.
What happens
Jane Austen dedicates her work to the Prince Regent with formal respect and humility.
Key passages
“To His Royal Highness The Prince Regent This work is, by His Royal Highness’s Permission most respectfully dedicated, by His Royal Highness’s dutiful and obedient humble servant The Author”
Jane Austen respectfully dedicates this book to the Prince Regent with his permission, signing as his obedient servant.
This dedication reflects Austen's formal acknowledgment of royal patronage, though her personal feelings toward the Prince Regent were reportedly ambivalent.