Teenage girls and Emma

[TeeJay12513]

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 =)

[Quark]

That's funny that your female classmates didn't go for Austen. Although, I think the writer somewhat anticipated that reaction. Austen wrote about the novel, "I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like." I don't know if this was the case, but Austen seemed to think that people would have some of the negative reactions your peers did.

Well, at least it wasn't wasted on you.

[Bakiryu]

Strange. I'm a teenage girl (15) and I love Emma. Mrs. Spears and Ms.Lohan are barely human, lest good enough of character to be sound role models. I wonder why your classmates acted so strangely but mostly: I BLAME THE MEDIA! (with their false portrayal of women and such)

[TeeJay12513]

haha thats what I thought too about the media, this really is showing the huge negative effects of the media on girls nowadays.

[Bakiryu]

haha thats what I thought too about the media, this really is showing the huge negative effects of the media on girls nowadays.

exactly. :p I'm going to make a thread about it right now.

[Lioness_Heart]

I think that Emma is a character that readers are supposed to find difficult to empathise with - otherwise, how could people see her flaws so clearly? Having said that, as the book went on, I began to like the character more and more.

There are two separate issues here: not liking the book, and not liking the character; many modern readers will probably be put off the book for some of the reasons that you've jsut discussed, and if people have taken a disliking to the book, they will not like Emma herself.

Although I think it is acceptable to dislike parts of Emma's character, hating the book just because of the cultural differences between now and when it was written is rather unforgiveable.

[happyeverafter]

I think it is very strange that the girls in your class did not enjoy Emma, i loved it! i can understand why they could not epathize with her in the beginning, but part of the beauty of Emma is that she is a different type of heroine than is usually found in books in this genre.

[lefroy07]

ok ye im doin emma for extension english and the language is killing me!!
how did u get thru it??

xx

[meganz]

Just tell them that Cher from Clueless is based on Emma and maybe they'll rethink whether they like her or not.

[JBI]

The thing with Emma, it is assumed the reader knows the ending before reading (even the contemporary audience of Austen did). The real conflict in the book is not really how Emma is going to end up married, like other Austen novels, but whether or not Emma may redeem herself in the reader's eyes so that she is viewed as someone worth marrying. I would think your peers didn't like it much because a) the language is that of proper diction, and b) Emma appears to them to realistic, and therefore they realize fault of their own.

Just stick to the first thing I said, prove your case, and you should be fine. It may help you to get a copy of Bloom's Critical Interpretations of the book.

[RaiT]

Emma is too real for some teenagers today to appreciate. When i first read Emma i was bored but now after studying it in depth for a while i see that she is a heroine who some people won't like because of her bad character traits, but the novel is about her path to self-knowledge and in the end i respect her for her journey. I am in love with Mr Knightley and can't see how people can resist him as he is upright and honest and kind. My friend however felt a bit stifled that he was always the one who was right!
TeeJay 12513 your classmates are ignorant or they don't want to work and have accepted Emma at face value! It is actually quite normal to hate Emma though since you expect a book to be a cushy read that has a plot and that's all... Emma has a moral message - they obviously don't get that! Don't seek ways to understand their reactions just try to educate your good friends so that you have some discussion... Good Luck

[fabulous]

I really love Emma because she isn't perfect, and not even near it. In a way she is very stuck-up and sometimes very unlikeable.
But Austen is brilliant in how she creates a character who doesn't always notice her faults, and its very believable and real because thats something we all do.

[chutty]

its no wonder that the girls in your class don't like Emma.may be they cannot accept an unconventional heroine.EMMA has got her own share of faults.may be they can't accept those .Its sad that they don't find this novel interesting

[k. easterly]

I find it difficult to like Emma's character. A lot of people are turned off by her flaws, but I don't think it's because she's selfish or self-deluding that she is an unlikeable character. Her flaws and strong opinions, though almost always mistaken, make her an appealing character. Though her motivations are misguided, she is a strong character as she maintains her values and self-interest even after repeatedly making mistakes. But she disappears when she marries Knightley. If anything makes Emma a great character, it is her flaws and the moxie with which she adheres to her misjudgments--the strength of her individualism. The last 60 or so pages of the novel aren't even about Emma, really, because she can't retain her interest and greatness as a character after marrying Mr. Knightley and repenting for her mistakes. By the novel's end, Emma may find happiness and right her mistakes, but she's hardly the same intriguing character of Volumes I & II. To me, her character speaks more to a loss of individualism than the happiness of finding love.

[Cultivated]

I love Emma. I have both the book and the BBC adaptation at home. As the book developed I warmed to her character a lot more. As for those role models you've mentioned, I as a teenage girl most certainly do not relate to them.

[art_ish]

Hi newbie here. I perfectly comprehend the hating Emma bit. Most of my friends could not stand her either (and I am from a girls' school). Her actions could be unforgivable actually (what with manipulating Harriet's life just for her own entertainment--its unforgivable) but alternatively, one could view her as a character of sympathy too. Her blunders have impacted people negatively and her self too. Besides, her dismay at the thought of breaking the intelligence of Mr. ELton's true affection could offer a little compensation.



The last 60 or so pages of the novel aren't even about Emma, really, because she can't retain her interest and greatness as a character after marrying Mr. Knightley and repenting for her mistakes. By the novel's end, Emma may find happiness and right her mistakes, but she's hardly the same intriguing character of Volumes I & II. To me, her character speaks more to a loss of individualism than the happiness of finding love.

I don't think Emma could lose her individualism even after marrying Mr. Knightley. After all, he had to move in to Hartfield! besides, Austen takes in pride in writing novels of manners. Her purpose of writing Emma was to warn against the dangers of individualism so her marriage could have been interpreted as a loss of individualism but I thought it was more of a restoration of social stability.