They are ignored by the characters, not by Jane Austen. Harriet actually lives in a school, but is portrayed as intellectually inferior to almost all of the other characters. Mr. Knightley says, "But I have stopped expecting any kind of constant reading from Emma," yet Emma is described as one of the smartest characters in the book. This contrast is, of course, because book intelligence is not the kind of intelligence valued at Hartfield. Jane Austen emphasizes how high society people prefer wit to education by including an entire chapter on Emma and Harriet's decision to make a book of charades rather than read books (57-69). Riddles are fun and intellectually stimulating, but they have nothing to do with the kind of education you would get at a higher level