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Emma
by Jane Austen
Emma is a beautiful, privileged, pampered young lady who decides to play Cupid for her friends, but finds that people don't fall in love according to plan.
When Jane Austen created Emma Woodhouse, she did so with the belief that she was “going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” As I read Emma, this evaluation seemed pretty accurate. Emma is a high-handed, overbearing, meddling, self-satisfied, snob of a young woman who dictates, or at least attempts to dictate, the lives of all her friends and family. Who could like such a person, indeed. Yet despite her flaws, or perhaps because of them, Emma has become one of Austen’s most beloved heroines.
This said, I would not recommend Emma to a newcomer to Jane Austen’s works. The language, being nearly 200 years old, is inevitably stilted and verbose in places, and the plot tends to drag at times. This is not to say that the novel is not well-written. Emma sparkles with Austen’s characteristic wit and charm, and many critics consider the work to be Austen’s best. While I must admit that my own vote would be cast for Pride and Prejudice, I can still appreciate Emma’s charm.
In addition to Emma, Austen creates a wide array of memorable characters within the pages of this novel. She introduces readers to Emma’s cautious, querulous father, who is nevertheless endearing. There are also the Westons, Emma’s dear friends who adore her, Frank Churchill, the charming but foolish son of Mr. Weston, and the beautiful and mysterious Jane Fairfax, as well as a host of others inhabiting Highbury.
Austen’s famous wit and sense of irony are prevalent within the pages of Emma. Her examination of 19th century England’s complex and confounding social hierarchies and the interplay between the varying social classes is as adept here as in any of her works. The story centers on the theme of matchmaking. Emma fancies herself to be quite gifted at playing Cupid for her friends. Naturally, her intricate schemes to pair everyone off fall through, and events spiral out of control. But through it all, Emma is a lighthearted “comedy of manners,” and readers are never in doubt as to a happy ending for all. If you’re in search of that warm and fuzzy, happily-ever-after feeling, this novel will deliver.
Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Bantam Classics
ISBN: 978-0553212730
Review written by: Jess Boettger
Reviewer's Rating:7.5
Reader's Rating: 6.00
Reader's Votes: 1
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