NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Emma

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." Emma may refer to: // Emma, novel by Jane Austen Emma (play), play by Howard Zinn Emma Bull, science fiction and fantasy author whose best-known novel is War for the Oaks Emma Goldman, Kaunas, Lithuania-born anarchist known for her writings and speeches Emma Lazarus, American poet born in New... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 376 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (457 Ã— 729 pixel, file size: 52 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Title page of the 1909 edition of Emma, illustrated by C. E. Brock. ... Charles Edmund Brock (1870 - 1938) was a widely published English line artist and book illustrator, who signed his work . ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Year 1816 (MDCCCXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN redirects here. ... For other uses, see Mansfield Park. ... For films named Northanger Abbey, see Northanger Abbey (1986 film) or Northanger Abbey (2007 TV drama). ... A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... This article primarily discusses philosophical ideologies in relation to the subject of romantic love. ...

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. The English Regency, or simply Regency, is a name typically given to a period from 1811 to 1820 in the history of the United Kingdom. ... Category: ... A governess is a female employee from outside of the family who teaches children within the family circle. ... Matchmaking is any process of introducing people for the purposes of dating and mating, usually in the context of marriage. ...

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. Languages Romani, languages of native region Religions Christianity, Islam Related ethnic groups South Asians (Desi) The Roma (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom) or Romanies are an ethnic group living in many communities all over the world. ...

Principal characters

Emma Woodhouse, the protagonist of the story, is a beautiful, 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. She seems unable to fall in love, until jealousy makes her realize that she has loved Mr. Knightley all along.

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 and love for her.

Mr Frank Churchill, Mr. Weston's son by his previous marriage, 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. For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ... For other uses, see Sense and Sensibility (disambiguation). ...

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. For other uses, see Gentleman (disambiguation). ...

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.

Mr Weston, a recently wealthy man living in the vicinity of Hartfield. He marries Emma's former governess, Miss Taylor, and by his first marriage is father to Frank Churchill, who was adopted and raised by his late wife's brother and sister-in-law. Mr Weston is a sanguine, optimistic man.

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.

Henry 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. 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... For other uses, see Sense and Sensibility (disambiguation). ... For films named Pride and Prejudice, see Pride and Prejudice (film). ...

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. Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ...

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. Elizabeth Lizzy Bennet (sometimes referred to as Eliza or Lizzy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. ... Anne Elliot is the protagonist of Jane Austens sixth and last completed novel, Persuasion. ...

Film and television adaptations

// Top grossing films The Godfather Fiddler on the Roof Diamonds Are Forever Whats Up, Doc?, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan ONeal Dirty Harry The Last Picture Show A Clockwork Orange Cabaret, starring Liza Minnelli The Hospital Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex Academy Awards Best Picture... Jane Austens novel Emma (1815) was released on British television in 1972. ... The year 1995 in film involved some significant events. ... Clueless is a 1995 comedy film loosely based on Emma by Jane Austen, but set in a Beverly Hills high school. ... Alicia Silverstone, (born October 4, 1976) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. ... Emma is a 1996 period film based on the similarly titled novel by Jane Austen. ... Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (born September 27, 1972[1]) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. ... The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. ... Jane Austens novel Emma (1815) was released on British television in 1996 and was directed by Diarmuid Lawrence. ... Kathryn Bailey Kate Beckinsale (born July 26, 1973) is an English actress, known for her roles in the films Pearl Harbor (2001), Van Helsing (2004), and Underworld (2003). ...

Trivia

The novel Emma features in the film Naked (1993) by Mike Leigh, in which the character Johnny (played by David Thewlis) humorously gets the title and the name of the author mixed up. Naked Naked (1993) is a British film directed by Mike Leigh. ... Mike Leigh OBE (born February 20, 1943 in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire) is an award winning English film and theatre director. ... David Thewlis (born March 20, 1963 as David Wheeler) is an English film, television and stage actor. ...

Contents

Plot summary

Principal characters

Criticism and themes

Film and television adaptations

Trivia

Further reading

External links

Contents

Plot summary GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Principal characters

Criticism and themes

Film and television adaptations

Trivia

Further reading

External links

Plot summary