Emma by Jane Austen

"The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself: these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments." - Jane Austen in Emma

Overview

(overview is going to be a lengthy summary of the novel but also where I share some personal views and opinions in between)

The story of Emma Woodhouse is one that entails themes of social class, marriage and love, misinterpretation, conceit and many other relevant themes. I think it would be fair to say that Emma is a novel that paved the way for modern society, well one of the many novels. Modern society for females nowadays focuses on education, mindset, and freedom and not so much on looking at marriage through the social class mirror. That your life as a female should be stable and independent without marriage.

Emma, first published in 1815 during the literature Romanticism Era, is Jane Austen's fourth published complete work and the story is set in Highbury, England. Matchmaker, Emma, loses one of her dearest friends, Miss Taylor, to a marriage in which she made by bringing the two parties together by playing matchmaker. Miss Taylor, now known as Mrs. Weston, expresses her "greatest pleasure" in the newfound companionship between Emma and Miss Harriet Smith. However, Mr. Knightley, a principal character, is not in agreement with Mrs. Weston and believes that the two will do each other more harm than good.

"You saw her answer! - you wrote her answer too. Emma this is your doing." - Mr. Knightley

Throughout the novel we see the development and dynamic of said friendship and how much of a negative influence Emma has on Harriet, but also the positive. We also see Emma's declaration that she will never marry. Volume one is mainly an introduction to some of the characters that we will come across and a glimpse into their dynamics.

"I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall." - Emma Woodhouse

Cross into volume two and we begin to see Mr. Knightley admire Emma more openly but we're also introduced to two very important characters, Mr. Frank Churchill and Miss Jane Fairfax, one noble in the eyes of Emma and the other viewed for her inferiority in society. Volume two has a lot to do with Mr. Knightley and his character. However, due to Mr. Frank Churchill's departure, many are disappointed because it puts an event they had planned at a halt and Emma discovers a shocking realization.

"Then it can be no argument to prove that he is in love. But I do not think it is at all a likely thing for him to do." - Emma Woodhouse

The plan is then revived at the beginning of volume three and it takes place at the Crown. With the many social gatherings and outings taking place, we see great development in Emma's character as she begins looking at people differently and is influenced greatly by the opinions of those dearest to her. This continues towards the end where we are met with so many changes it's nothing like you'd expect.

Beige Notes

(beige notes are gonna be things that I liked, whether it involves plot, characters, themes or anything relevant)

Let's start with the leading lady, Miss Emma Woodhouse. What's not to love about her? She's the superior of her gender; beautiful, intelligent, rich, and quick-witted, but she's also cunning, self-interested and a bit delusional to say the least. Emma's growth throughout the novel is more evident in volume three and we see her go from never wanting to marry to wanting to be the sole person of a certain mister's attention! What I love is how her father never left her mind during all the changes. She continued to put him above herself and this made me so happy to see.

Mr. Woodhouse! What a funny character. Mr. Woodhouse amuses me without even trying. He is a very odd old man. The way he views certain changes as a tragedy is quite refreshing. You'd often hear him say, "Poor Isabella" or "Poor Miss Taylor", assuming or at least refusing to believe that they had both married happily! I think it had more to do with losing people he held so dearly close to him, I mean he really didn't want to see Emma marry and leave him behind. There's a selfishness to Mr. Woodhouse, it's like what he says must be otherwise you're in for a dreaded experience. He's nervous, frail, and prone to hypochondria but his childlike behaviour is so humorous that you just have to love him!

The relationship development between Emma and Jane Fairfax was so unexpected because I figured that Emma would eventually be more accepting at some point, but I never would have guessed that what brought them closer was Emma being in a similar situation. Oh but while we're on Jane can I just say her aunt, Miss Bates, is also quite the character. I've never heard someone go into so much detail at once. I think Miss Bates character gave us a glimpse into life without marrying during those times. She wasn't really well off and she had to take care of her mother and this reality was kind of heartbreaking to see. I mean I'm not saying get married but maybe if she was a governess or something of a sort, maybe she would have been occupied by something else than to constantly be on watch of her mother. She was one of the many people who looked up to Emma and her father. Her character was awfully charming and even though there were some moments I got lost in her words, I love how true to herself she was.

My favourite thing that kind of made me cringe but also smile so big is how Mr. Knightley's name is revealed in chapter 12 and also in the later chapters. From my understanding, it was a sign of respect. That people beneath your stature were referred to by their first names. I mean I think both Emma and Mr. Knightley were superior than most and he was sixteen years her superior, yet he called her by her first name. They both explain why they call each other what they do but for me, it's kind of weird but also so sweet! I think you'll understand the sweetness in the later chapters.

Black Notes

(now black notes are gonna be the opposite of beige notes)

My first black note has to be the ending. Well not the ending ending but the last few chapters leading up to it. Just when things are looking up in the story, the novel becomes extremely anticlimactic. Not only does it kind of get boring but then there are some time jumps that had me so confused. It definitely wasn't as big of a time jump as I had initially thought though. The reality is the last few chapters happened within a few months: like 4 months really, and it took me doing research on the book to find that out. What I'm talking about is the surprise arrival of a child, a newborn baby girl! It had me shocked but only because there was no earlier mention of it, or so I thought. If you pay close attention to earlier moments in volume three, you kind of see the giveaways.

Anyway, my second black note is the character of Miss Harriet Smith. I just don't like the character. She has a high need for validation from others and it really drives me crazy. It was like she had no sense of her own direction and had no backbone. Don't get me wrong, the character was well written and well portrayed but she was just a dull character. Another thing about her that was maddening was her need to get married and her falling hopelessly for any man who paid her attention. I can understand how society was back then and the views of women needing to marry but I feel like it was more about social class than love. One thing I can say I appreciate about her is that she contributed to helping Emma's character grow and also their friendship!

Recommendation

My rating: 9.5/10

If you're a slow reader or very attentive, love romance and/or enjoy a great classic then yes. Emma for me wasn't a hard read the first time around but then again I wasn't too attentive to the periodic English used. This time around I noticed how easy it was to get your words muddled up because of the arrangements and specific "old" words used. I would highly recommend this book for someone who wants a perspective into olden-day marriage that doesn't focus on "owning women". If you love a happy ending then please read this book!