Jane Austen's Emma

Emma is a rich comedy which in my opinion (and most peoples to be honest) Austen’s best novel as it blends charm and wit alongside the novels serious intensions. We follow the heroine, Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who has a superiority complex believes she has hardly any imperfections – in summary, she is an unbearable snob. After finding her governess a husband she believes herself to be a matchmaker and wants to bring her powers to the local community. Plenty of characters are put into romantic entanglements that Emma has weaved, and this eventually forces Emma to learn a lot about her own heart while attempting to sway others.

The novel provides a portrait of rural life in the 19th century and the difficulties in finding the perfect match. While Emma is making matches, the importance of status becomes crystal clear. Emma has a very good standing within the community.

Emma is an amazing character: she is funny, opinionated, headstrong, meddlesome (but with good intentions) and this makes for her character development to be beautiful. I believe her to be one of Austen’s most complex characters due to her character arc and progression throughout the text. Wealthy and independent in her own mansion she believes she does not need a man.

Unlike most heroines in romantic novels, Emma is a character who believes the concept of marriage to be based firmly on economic basis rather than love. This is evidenced by Emma as she doesn’t know her own heart intimately. The novel deliciously exposes the social restrictions on feelings and attraction. Moreover there is the difficulty of marriage for status or out of choice. Emma has inherited wealth and for her marriage is a choice due to her social standing but for the other female characters marriage is a financial necessity in order to secure stability. Marriage creates an odd conflict at the novels centre: Emma is told she has to be educated and ‘tamed’ by her (future-) husband. Emma identifies literary convections of the novel’s insurrection of class-consciousness and patriarchy. This dynamic plot line is superb subtle irony by Austen and a perfect metaphor for describing the radical question on how society is orchestrated and organised.

The community of Highbury is an excellent setting to explore social hierarchy. The mix of the different characters stories is rather believing and makes for enjoyable reading. In this fictional world, the characters who don’t pull their weight are criticised by Austen as she believes participation in society is essential. There is a sweet notion that there are important things in society and that is the ability to rely on people; their humility and wisdom is greater than class distinctions. There is also the beautiful discussion on ideas of womanhood too.

The novel is one I honestly recommend everyone to read; it contains a wholly English plot: its setting, plot, humour, romantism and concerns while addressing societal complications and demonstrating feminism and the idea of a strong independent woman.