Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Comedy, Social satire, Romance
Pages: 519
Publishing house: Helikon
Language:1 Bulgarian
Format: printed, paperback
Emma was born from the creative mind of the English writer Jane Austin in 1814. Similar to the author’s other work, she published it anonymously in 1815, with a special dedication to the Prince Regent. Miss Austin’s identity remains a mystery until her death, yet even while still living, her novels have enjoyed a great popularity. Pride and Prejudice is a novel so well-received by readers that it got second and third editions in 1813 and 1817, respectively.
You probably wonder what all these facts have to do with Emma? It’s very simple. Publishing that novel was an incredibly bold move and Austin risked alienating her audience. By her own words, she wanted to create a heroine “whom no one but herself will much like”.
I’m sure that the majority of contemporary readers don’t fully grasp how brave her decision was. Nowadays, the antiheroine is much better accepted. The audience generally doesn’t expect the female character to be faultless or a role model. However, in Jane Austin’s era, among all those flawless heroines on pedestals, a character like Emma was truly ahead of her time2.
Personal history: Until recently, I was more familiar with Jane Austin’s echo in literature, pop culture, and media rather than her writing. Austin’s creative work focuses on a very specific historical period and social class. Nevertheless, her topics and archetypes remain up to date, even today. Therefore, there are so many versions of her books that have been adapted for the modern era. Many credit her as the creator of the romantic comedy model. (I’m not sure if she’d have appreciated the degradation of that genre, but that’s a different can of worms.) A great number of writers, from George Eliot to Virginia Woolf, name her as an influence on their work. I was pretty shocked to learn that even Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting and Porn, was a huge fan of Jane Austin and classical authors like her helped in shaping his writing.
I have not read Emma until recently; however, I knew about the plot and its progression from the novel’s multiple adaptations. That included the modern version from the 90s, Clueless, the delightful web sitcom Emma Approved, and the latest movie from 2020, with Autumn de Wilde’s stunning visual style. So, I know her plots and characters, but I have still read very few from Jane Austin’s actual work.
Therefore, I decided it was time to get to know her as a writer. I needed to go back to regular reading, and Emma turned out to be an excellent beginning.
Plot: Emma Woodhouse is beautiful, clever, and witty, but also spoiled, arrogant, and convinced that she knows better how everyone should live their life. She dedicated her life, youth, and multitude of talents to matchmaking and forcing her help, whether someone asked for it or not. Her father worships her, her former governess only feeds her superiority complex and great self-esteem. In the isolated world of the English village, she feels like a queen of her own kingdom and nobody has ever been capable of shaking her confidence.
Mr. Knightley, their neighbor and family friend, spares no critique of all her flaws that linger beneath the surface. Emma only responds by giving him a charming smile, a wave of the hand, or a witty remark.
While I was reading I pictured her as a little girl who treats everyone around her as puppets in her personal dollhouse. She has no bad intentions but her meddling and her matchmaking attempts have unpleasant and painful consequences.
Only once she faces them, Emma is able to wake up from her dream and fantasies, realize the error of her ways and get to know her own heart’s desires.
Characters:
Strenghts:
Weaknesses:
Whom I’d recommend to:
Conclusion: