Emma is a comic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1816, about the perils of misconstrued romance. The main character, Emma Woodhouse, is described in the opening paragraph as "handsome, clever,
and rich" but is also rather spoiled. Prior to starting the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but
myself will much like."
Plot summary
Emma Woodhouse is a young woman in Regency England. She lives with her father, a
valetudinarian who is principally characterized by excessive concern for the health and safety of
his loved ones. Emma's friend and only critic is the gentlemanly Mr Knightley, her "neighbour" and brother of her sister's
husband. As the novel opens, Emma has just attended the marriage of Miss Taylor, her old governess and best friend. Having introduced Miss Taylor to her future husband Mr Weston, Emma smugly takes
credit for their marriage, and decides that she rather likes matchmaking.
Against Mr. Knightley's advice, she next tries to match her new friend, Harriet Smith (a sweet but none-too-bright girl of
seventeen, described as "the natural (i.e. illegitimate) daughter of somebody" to the local vicar, Mr Elton, first persuading her
to refuse an advantageous marriage proposal from a respectable young farmer, Mr Martin. Her matchmaking scheme goes awry when it
turns out that Mr Elton, a social climber, wants to marry Emma herself— not, as she had hoped, the poor and socially inferior
Harriet. After Emma rejects his proposals, Mr Elton goes on holiday. Harriet fancies herself heartbroken, though Emma does her
best to convince her that Mr Elton (who will reveal himself to be more and more arrogant and pompous as the story continues) is
beneath them both.
An interesting development for Emma is the arrival in the neighbourhood of Frank Churchill, Mrs Weston's stepson, whom she has
never met but in whom she has a long-standing interest. Mr Elton returns with another newcomer--a vulgar wife who becomes part of
Emma's social circle, even though the two women loathe each other. A third new character is Jane Fairfax, the reserved but
beautiful niece of Emma's impoverished neighbour, the loquacious Miss Bates (another comical character who serves to lighten the
scene). Jane, who is very accomplished musically, is Miss Bates's pride and joy; Emma, however, envies her talent and somewhat
dislikes her. Jane had lived with Miss Bates until she was nine, but Colonel Campbell, a friend indebted to her father for seeing
him through a life-threatening illness, then welcomed her into his own home, where she became fast friends with his daughter and
received a first-rate education. On the marriage of Miss Campbell, Jane returned to her relations, ostensibly to regain her
health and prepare to earn her living as a governess.
In her eagerness to find some sort of fault with Jane — and also to find something to amuse her in her pleasant but dull
village — Emma indulges in the fantasy, shared with Frank, that Jane fancied Miss Campbell's husband, Mr. Dixon, and that it is
for this reason she has returned home, rather than going to Ireland to visit them. This suspicion is further fueled by the
arrival of a piano for Jane from a mysterious, anonymous benefactor.
The plot becomes quite complex as Emma tries to make herself fall in love with Frank simply because everyone says they make a
handsome couple. Emma ultimately decides, however, that he would suit Harriet better after an episode where Frank saves her
protégée from a band of Gypsies. During this time, Mrs. Weston wonders if Emma's old
friend Mr Knightley might have taken a fancy to Jane. Emma promptly decides that she does not want him to marry anyone, but
rather than further exploring these feelings, she claims that she wants her nephew Henry to inherit the family property. When Mr.
Knightley scolds Emma for a thoughtless insult to Miss Bates, she is privately ashamed, and tries to atone. Around this time,
Emma is further discomfited when she learns that Jane and Frank have been secretly engaged for almost a year. When Harriet
confides that she thinks Mr. Knightley is in love with her, jealousy forces Emma to realize that she loves him herself. Shortly
thereafter, Mr. Knightley proposes to Emma, Harriet reconciles with her young farmer, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Principal characters
Emma Woodhouse, the protagonist of the story, is a handsome, high-spirited, intellectual, and slightly spoiled woman of
21. People in the community think highly of her, and she also thinks highly of herself. Though vowing she will never marry, she
delights in making matches for others.
Mr George Knightley, aged about 37, is among the very few people to find any fault with Emma. Knightley is highly
respected and considered very much a gentleman, and there is a no-nonsense air about him. He is the standard against which all
the men in Emma's life are measured. He is constantly disputing with Mrs Weston about Emma's spoiled upbringing because of his
long and deep-seated affection for her.
Mr Frank Churchill, an amiable man who manages to be liked by everyone except for Mr Knightley, who considers him quite
immature. Frank thoroughly enjoys dancing and music and likes to live life to the fullest. Frank may be viewed as a less
villainous version of characters from other Austen novels, such as Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice or Willoughby from Sense and
Sensibility.
Jane Fairfax, an orphan whose only family consists of an aunt, Miss Bates, and a grandmother, Mrs Bates. She is
regarded as a very beautiful, clever, and elegant woman with the best of manners and is also very well educated and exceptionally
talented in singing and playing the piano; in fact, she is the sole person that Emma envies. She has no money, however, and seems
destined to become a governess – a prospect she greatly dreads.
Harriet Smith, a young friend of Emma's, is a very pretty but unsophisticated girl who is too easily led by others,
especially Emma. The illegitimate daughter of initially unknown parents (she is revealed in the last chapter to be the daughter
of a fairly rich and decent tradesman, although not a "gentleman"), Harriet has been educated
at a nearby school; Emma takes her under her wing early in the novel, and she becomes the subject of some of Emma's misguided
matchmaking attempts. Harriet initially rebuffs a marriage proposal from farmer Robert Martin because of Emma's belief that he is
beneath her, despite Harriet's own doubtful origins. Ultimately, Harriet and Mr Martin are wed despite Emma's meddling.
Philip Elton is a good-looking, well mannered and ambitious young vicar. Emma wants him to marry Harriet; he wants to
marry Emma. Mr Elton displays his mercenary nature by quickly marrying another woman of means after Emma's rejection.
Augusta Elton is Mr Elton's moneyed but obnoxious wife. She is a boasting, domineering, pretentious woman who always
likes to be the center of attention and is generally disliked by Emma and her circle. She patronizes Jane, which earns Jane the
sympathy of others.
Mrs Weston, formerly Miss Taylor, was Emma's governess for sixteen years and remains her closest friend and confidante
after she marries Mr Weston in the opening chapter. She is a sensible woman who adores Emma. Mrs Weston acts as a surrogate
mother to her and, occasionally, as a voice of moderation and reason.
Miss Bates, a friendly, garrulous old maid whose mother, Mrs Bates, is a friend of Mr Woodhouse's. Her accomplished
niece, Jane Fairfax, is the light of her life. One day, Emma humiliates her at a party when she pointedly alludes to her tiresome
prolixity. Afterward, Mr Knightley sternly rebukes her and Emma, shamed, tries to make amends.
Mr Woodhouse, Emma's father, is always concerned for the health of himself and his friends, to the point of trying to
deny his visitors foods he thinks too rich. He laments that "poor Isabella" and "poor Miss Taylor" shouldn't have married and
been taken away from him.
Criticism and themes
Emma Woodhouse is the first Jane Austen heroine with no financial concerns, which, she
declares to the naïve Miss Smith, is the reason that she has no inducement to marry. This is a great departure from Austen's
other novels where the quest for marriage is the main focus and theme of the story. Emma's ample financial resources are one of
the factors that make this novel much lighter than Austen's earlier works, such as Sense and Sensibility and Pride and
Prejudice. Jane Fairfax's prospects, in contrast, are bleak.
Emma also proves surprisingly immune to romantic attraction and sexual desire. In contrast to Austen heroines like
Elizabeth Bennet and Marianne Dashwood, who are
attracted to the wrong man before they settle on the right one, Emma shows no romantic interest in the men she meets. She is
genuinely surprised and somewhat disgusted when Mr. Elton declares his love for her. Her fancy for Frank Churchill represents
more of a longing for a little drama in her life than a longing for romantic love. Notably, too, Emma utterly fails to understand
Harriet Smith and Robert Martin's budding affection for each other; she interprets the prospective match solely in terms of
financial settlements and social ambition. Only after Harriet Smith reveals her interest in Mr. Knightley does Emma realize her
own feelings for him. Although never outright stated as such, it may be postulated that the reason for Emma's inability to fall
in love with another man is because she has been unconsciously in love with Mr. Knightley for years.
While Emma differs strikingly from Austen's other heroines in these two respects, she resembles Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot, among others, in another
respect: she is an intelligent young woman with too little to do and no ability to change her location or everyday routine.
Though her family is loving and her economic circumstances comfortable, her everyday life is dull indeed, and she has few
companions of her own age when the novel begins. Emma's determined and inept matchmaking may represent a muted protest against
the narrow scope of a wealthy woman's life, especially that of a woman who is single and childless.
Film and television adaptations
Emma has been the subject of many adaptations [1]:
Further reading
- Emma (New Casebooks) by David Monaghan ISBN 0-312-07908-7
External links
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