Emma

(1815)

Emma is the story of Miss Emma Woodhouse, a well-to-do young woman in a small English town. After her governess, Miss Taylor, marries and becomes Mrs. Weston, Emma is left with her hypochondriac, hyper-concerned father as her sole companion. She therefore takes the poor, unconnected, yet gentle Harriet under her wing. Emma's love of matchmaking leads her to meddle in Harriet's love life, and to set up some romantic misadventures of her own! A humorous, satirical work, where the plot is often secondary to the characters themselves. From the garrulous Miss Bates, to the querulous Mr Woodhouse, to the gallant Mr. Knightley and erratic Mr. Churchill, a fascinating and highly readable example of Jane Austen's prowess with the English language.--Submitted by Caitlin.

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Recent Forum Posts on Emma

Beckinsale has inspired me to read 'Emma'

I'm an old fart who still has an eye for the ladies. I saw the Masterpiece production of emma the other night, (OK, precisely 5 nights ago),and thought it wondrous. I've been a Beckinsale fan since 'Serendipity' one of the all-time great romantic movies, so I tuned in for her. I'm not a great Austen fan, SF, Fantasy & mystery more, but I really really really liked this movie. I recall seeing the Paltrow version shortly after it came out and all I can recall about it is she was a matchmaker who wasn't very good at it. Surprisingly, both movies were made the same year, 1996. Anyway I downloaded 'Emma' from project gutenberg, (googlize it, you won't be sorry), and couldn't put it down or rather turn it off. There's a very good etext reader called etr, (I'm running linux, but I think there's a windows version for you poor benighted windows users), that will unzip a zip file on the fly. To the book -- some of the previous posters were very irritated at Emma's character, spoiled, rich, vain, not very intuitive. Austen herself says so in the first paragraph. But she changes doesn't she? The reverses that she meets with cause her to slowly revise her opinion of herself downward, with the not inconsiderable help of Knightly; near the end of the book she says to herself she's not sure she could have changed without the help of Mr Knightly. I would be more annoyed at her reliance on the help of a strong 'superior' man if it weren't for the opposite case of Jane and Frank Churchill. In the latter case, it's hoped that Frank's character can be strengthened by his conjugation with Jane. Of course the sense of class permeates the book, the servants don't have any lines. One of the funniest scenes in the movie shows the servants carting furniture up to the top of Box Hill for a picnic. All those characters without a sense of their own natural superiority strive to marry above themselves; money is often involved. Those Americans who slam the English for their class consciousness should look at their own small towns. I grew up in a small town, the son of a dentist and was always aware that I was a different class from the farm kids who were bussed into our consolidated school. There are no classless societies, but in many of them an individual can join the upper classes; given money and time and a lot of both. It's late and I'm tired, and terse, so... your thoughts?

Posted By mrmusic23 at Sat 5 Apr 2008, 2:41 AM in Emma || 1 Reply

Emma and Pride and Prejudice

Hey guyss! i need help with this A-level essay!!! 'To elizabeth it appeared that her family made an arangement to expose themselves as much as they could during the evening. it could have been impossible for them to play their parts with more spirit of finer success.' Compare and contrast the ways in which the writers of your two texts make use of the relationships between indicidual family members. I rele need help :( i duno wat to ryt..wud rele appreaciate it if sum1 cud tel me where to go with this essay! thankyooooou!!! X :)

Posted By Yasmineeeeee at Wed 26 Mar 2008, 2:31 PM in Emma || 2 Replies

Teenage girls and Emma

Hey all, im a 15 year old boy(Parents are both wealthy white South Africans of the British Commonwealth, we are now living in NY in the USA, im attending a public school) with a slight problem; im in love with Emma! I had to read it for my advanced english class and I thought it was going to be really bad, but it was just amazing! Ok onto the real problem though,I was asked to write a paper on the book Emma, about how it was applicable as a "novel of manners" if thats a term anyone knows. Anyways, im in a class of 24 girls and 4 guys so I assumed that the girls would adooore the book, but I was wrong. All my peers found her to be "Rude, annoying, ugly, just plain boring" which is the exact opposite of what I think. So anyways in this paper I got really sidetracked, and I started to attack my peers in writing, trying to define why they dident like Emma. I came to the conclusion that they found her unappealing because of their role models (i.e. Mrs Spears and Miss Lohan), who like to party and do drugs and such. I also pondered the fact that they may have just not understand the actions commited by the characters, or the speech. In the end I added in that it could have just been their social class limiting their point of view, but that was a weaker point. Anyways, I wana hear what you all think on the subject of teenage girls hating Emma, and not swooning over Mr. Knightly??? haha Its just so out of the ordinary. Thanks, sorry for making your eyes sore from reading so much =)

Posted By TeeJay12513 at Fri 11 Jan 2008, 11:30 PM in Emma || 11 Replies

compare and contrast the film and the text of emma

hi ! i need a comparison between the text of emma and the movie acted by Gwyneth Paltrow. any ideas on that issue ? please comment on it ! thanks in advance!

Posted By clarissa_f at Mon 7 Jan 2008, 5:06 PM in Emma || 0 Replies

Emma

Hello, I am new to the Literature Network Forums and have chosen this particular sub forum to introduce myself because Emma is what I am reading and re-reading now. I think Emma is a good balance between the overconfident feminist and the simpering beauty queen. I invite your thoughts on her....

Posted By sabe35 at Tue 23 Oct 2007, 5:10 AM in Emma || 0 Replies

"Compare and Contrast the Film Emma (Gwenth Paltrow version) with the Novel"

"Compare and Contrast the Film Emma (Gwenth Paltrow version) with the Novel" Also, things to consider like: Eg. Character development with Mr. Elton. How is he presented in the film vs the book. Why did the Elton's got omitted in the scene of Box Hill? What about the setting in the film. Is it a good novel setting? Thanks In Advance

Posted By Tap123 at Fri 21 Sep 2007, 1:28 PM in Emma || 1 Reply

The Essence of Emma

Jane Austen's statement, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”, gives us an indication of the importance of Emma for the author. It is a clue that Edmund Wilson explores in the essay A Long Talk About Jane Austen. He lays out an audacious argument about Emma as well as possibly illuminating a character trait of the author herself. It seems timely to review these arguments in view of the currently released film Becoming Jane. Wilson does not, explicitly warns against, a Freudian analysis. He gathers together family treads and weaves them into a cloth where certain patterns emerge. In this hypothesis Emma “is one of her novels in which the author's own peculiar 'conditioning' is most curiously and clearly seen.”. “Jane Austen spent all her life with persons related to her by blood – her parents, her five brothers, her single unmarried sister – and the experience behind relationships imagined by her in her novels is always an experience of relationship of blood, of which that between sisters is certainly the most deeply felt.”. The examples Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, of Jane and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice and of Anne Elliot and the stand in role of sister and mother, of Lady Russel in Persuasion, are examined to develop the argument that this woman to woman sensibility is fundamental in the novels. There is a peculiar detachment in Austen, a coolness and leisure that allows writing for its own sake, that makes for a great artist. Only in Persuasion does Austen gives us a glimpse of a personal emotion, of a sadness at a woman's self-fulfillment missed. Emma does not have sister, she substitutes Harriet Smith. “Emma, who was relatively indifferent to men, was inclined to infatuation with women;”. “Emma is not interested in men except in paternal relation.. Her actual father is a silly old woman: in their household it is Emma herself who, motherless as she is, assumes the function of head of the family; it is she who takes the place of the parent and Mr. Woodhouse who becomes a child. It is Knightly who checked and rebuked her, who has presided over her social development, and she accepts him as a substitute father; she finally marries him and brings him into her own household”. “The comedy of the false sister-relationship of Emma has turned into something almost tragic.” Edmund Wilson echoes the comparison of Austen to Shakespeare in “Emma ... is with Jane Austen what Hamlet is with Shakespeare. It is the book of hers about which her readers are likely to disagree most; they tend either to praise it extravagantly or find it dull, formless, and puzzling. The reason for this is, I believe is that, just as in the case of Hamlet, there is something outside the picture which is never made explicit in the story but which has to be recognized by the reader before it is possible for him to appreciate the book.”. It is this quality of woman to woman sensibility, which is an insight into Jane Austen herself.

Posted By Newcomer at Thu 16 Aug 2007, 9:03 AM in Emma || 4 Replies

Emma's character?

Can you explain Emma's characters in five words or more but less than ten.I need to draw her character sketch with the help of these points.Also if you can provide quotes from novel proving your point.Thax!

Posted By booksbuddy at Thu 2 Aug 2007, 7:13 AM in Emma || 3 Replies

For those of us who dont like Emma

I am a big fan of Jane Austen but in reality being a fan doesnt mean one is going to like every book the Author has written. For me this book is Emma. I find most of the characters are flat, selfish disagreeable, unlikeable and a bit boring. And to make matters worse the main character is just iritating. If there are others out there who also didnt like this novel and would like to join me in a discussion about it, please feel free to post your opinion!:D

Posted By Niamh at Mon 9 Apr 2007, 3:05 PM in Emma || 26 Replies

Hanging with Emma Woodhouse

Despite the length, subject, and pace, Emma is enjoyable reading. Jane Austen writes beautiful, elaborate prose that flows. And in addition to her talent for insight and subtlety, the characters are memorable and real, and some, like Emma and Knightly, are ones that you like spending time with. Technically Austen is masterful. Her narrative style in Emma - what has come to be called "free indirect style" - was groundbreaking. It has been used in later novels to much acclaim by Tolstoy, Flaubert, and Joyce - Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, Ulysses , respectively.

Posted By Marlow at Wed 7 Dec 2005, 2:21 PM in Emma || 7 Replies

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Emma

(1815)

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