I don't know if any novelist before Austen had written about a completely positive female protagonist while so openly and frankly revealing her selfishness, superficiality, pride, and self - importance.

Watching Emma's snobbery unfold throughout the book is sometimes unbearable. She encourages Harriet to reject Mr. Martin's proposal and foolishly tries to match Harriet with Mr. Elton, simply because Mr. Martin is from a farming family and of a lower social status. Even if he were a man of high character and good manners, in Emma's eyes he would be a nobody. Mr. Elton, on the other hand, is a clergyman and therefore considered a gentleman. However, when she discovers that Mr. Elton is actually pursuing her, she is both angry and humiliated, because she feels that with Elton's status and position, he dares to pursue her, the mistress of Hartfield, Miss Woodhouse with her dowry of 30,000 pounds - it's like a frog trying to eat a swan. In Emma's mind, what matters most is everyone's birth and wealth. The fact that Elton is a despicable and shameless person is a secondary consideration. I wonder, how can Emma, who claims to care so much for Harriet, ask her to 'climb' towards a man who is, in Emma's own opinion, unworthy? This kind of condescending and lofty friendship, based on a sense of superiority, is truly chilling.

When a wealthy merchant family in Highbury was planning a ball, Emma assumed they wouldn't dare invite her family or other prominent local families. Even if they did invite her, she would refuse. The ridiculous thing is that she felt sorry about it because everyone knew her father was a homebody and her refusal would not carry the importance she desired. I think this 'importance' refers to letting the merchant family understand that they are of a different social class and are unworthy of associating with people like her. If they dared to invite her, she would consider it an insult. In the end, all her close friends received invitations and were going to the ball, but she did not. She was very upset about this, and later when she did receive an invitation, she pretended to be reluctant through her friends before finally attending the ball.

This part really made me laugh and gasp at the same time.

There's no indication in the book that the Coles, the hosts of the ball, are morally, intellectually, or culturally inferior. Yet, in Emma's eyes, they are something less. I can hardly imagine where Emma's sense of superiority comes from, or what the so-called elegance of the upper class is like.

From the perspective of an ignorant reader like me, if this group of country gentry can be considered the upper class, then what should we call the circles of the court and nobility? Moreover, in Emma's life, what remarkable people has she encountered who could be considered members of the upper class?

The Elton couple's beauty is undeniable (read it from some experts in GR), the Westons are very kind, but Mr. Weston, already wealthy, adopted his brother-in-law's only son for more wealth and status. Frank Churchill flirts with Emma in front of his fiancée, showing no gentlemanly demeanor. Mr. Woodhouse is a timid, whiny fool, and the only capable and caring person is Mr. Knightley. The marriage of a certain gentleman or the arrival of a newcomer becomes their topic of conversation for months, revealing how impoverished their spiritual life is. Poor Mrs. Churchill, most people here have never met her, let alone interacted with her, but based on rumors and speculation, she is considered a bad-tempered and irritable woman in the minds of the locals. Emma lives in this harmonious atmosphere, interacting with only a few families. Fortunately, she is still relatively modest and well-mannered, and her snobbish thoughts are mostly kept to herself. Otherwise, what would be the essential difference between her and Mrs. Elton, who constantly flaunts her sister and brother-in-law's wealth and vanity?

Emma claims she will never marry, but as soon as Frank Churchill appears, she becomes eager, believing he is the one for her.

Later, she is foolishly deceived. Emma's jealousy of Jane is both laughable and subtle.

Emma hopes that Mr. Knightley will never marry so that she can monopolize his friendship and also allow her sister's son to inherit Mr. Knightley's property. Later, she falls in love with Mr. Knightley herself. When she discovers that Harriet is in love with Mr. Knightley, Emma is truly agitated, filled with the thought of "You're not worthy!" and finds an opportunity to send Harriet away. Fortunately, Harriet miraculously reconciles with Mr. Martin. What if our respectable Mr. Martin had been so discouraged by the rejection that he never tried again? What would have become of Harriet?

I've said a lot of bad things about Emma above, but in fact, she's not a hateful character.

The reason she's portrayed this way is that Austen didn't idealize her character but gave her the flaws that naturally accompany her status and position. Therefore, Emma's character is written extremely realistically and naturally.

Emma is not without her virtues. She is very honest with herself and never deceives herself. When she makes mistakes, she reflects on them. Although she "puts on an air of condescension towards those of lower social status," her nature is kind and she is willing to help and care for others. She loves her life and eventually finds her happiness. Although at the end, I didn't feel the natural joy of seeing a female protagonist find happiness as I do when reading other romance book.

Mr. Knightley, as the male protagonist, is quite charming. He doesn't usually keep a carriage, but in order to take the Bates family to the ball on a cold day, he specially purchased one.

At the ball, when Mr. Elton disdainfully refused to dance with Harriet, Mr. Knightley, who was not originally dancing, specially asked Harriet to dance. This scene moved me. His care and affection for Jane and Harriet are genuine. His love for Emma, as an older man with more life experience and a wiser head, watching this beautiful girl grow up, getting close to her and her family, and frankly pointing out the flaws and mistakes in her character, is also quite touching when carefully considered.

To sum up, although it's not my favorite genre and there aren't any particularly exciting characters or stories, reading Emma is still enjoyable. After reading 3 of Austen’s novels, I always feel cheerful and the endings are always satisfying.

3.4 / 5 stars

my favorite pastime: rereading my favorite novels from my favorite authors.

wymęczyłam tę końcówkę

IF I LOVED YOU LESS I MIGHT BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE

if you see me rereading jane austen all year...leave me alone. it's a rough year. my depression slump is hitting. jane austen is the only scientifically proven cure.

Although using this trite doesn't mean that the fact is any less true, it is still at the risk of sounding cliché when I say that Jane Austen's classic, Emma, is like a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed to the miasmal novels in the publishing market today; especially for someone who has been on a YA binge of late.
You see, the reason why I went for Emma as my first Austen read is because my mother has seen the latest movie adaptation, and she claims it to be her very favorite. Mind you, she hasn't read any thing of Austen's—but she loves the movie so very much that she kept pestering me to watch it (I suppose I'll have to pester her to read the book now, won't I?). To which I continually said that, no, no, I will not watch the movie until I've read the book; I positively hate to watch the movie adaptation before reading the book; it virtually cancels out any chance of me ever finding enough interest in reading the actual book to its completion.
So, after picking up Emma at least ten times in the past year, reading the first few chapters, only to sit it back down again, I finally—the other day—decided I wanted to read something of quality and something that is truly written well. Well, that is definitely Emma.

Emma, herself, is, for me, just as stunning as she is flawed; I started out thinking her a walking vexation, but somewhere in the 400+ pages I began to warm to her like you would with any inevitably lovable—albeit, at times, antagonising—character. Emma's devotion to her father is also very admirable. And by the end, Emma seemed so much more humble and less meddling that I couldn't help but be very pleased with her character.
My thoughts on Mr. Knightley are not as easily expressed; in the beginning I found him merely interesting, but somewhere in the middle he began to hold my interest as much as a mother would hold her infant (if that isn't too much of an odd metaphor); by the end he managed to surpass virtually all of the other male characters of which I've been exposed to. Granted, Mr. Knightley isn't in Emma nearly enough for my satisfaction—but when he is, the aforesaid is all too true.
I can't quite place my finger on what it is, exactly, about him that made such an impression on me—other than that I've always had a strong fascination with a true gentleman, being as that sort of thing is practically extinct in this day and age; also, I've grown very jaded with the often monotonous male characters of today.
And I do believe that my reaction to Mr. Knightley has left me at a wonder as to just want my reaction will be upon meeting the famous Mr. Darcy. I'll doubtlessly swoon just as countless other lasses have since P&P debuted in 1813.

I really think that my hesitation in reading this—as well as Austen's other works—has nothing to do with the writing, or the story, or the pacing; because, and I know this will sound strange, but, I've always loved a book that is just about people going about their daily lives and doing things—little trivial things, even—and simply living; people say that Emma doesn't have much story and is really just people planning balls and Emma interfering in peoples' lives—but I loved all of that! I'll take everyday living over complex plots any day. No, I think the reason for my waiting so long is that I psyched myself out of reading something like this; I kept thinking that it would be too long or too boring or too archaic or too something or another, but in reality this is the very type of thing that I love to read about. Regency, Victorian, etc. . . . I love to read about all of the historical periods, and I'm so very glad that I stopped procrastinating.

So, I enjoyed this a great deal and I've set a goal for myself to read all of Austen's works by this time next year (although I kindly ask you not you hold me to it ;)). I plan to continue with her other slightly lesser known titles, and finish with what appears to me to be the most well known and highly esteemed, Pride and Prejudice. In a summary, I plan to save the best—or what is often said to be the best—for last.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other."

Although I have many favorite quotes from this (the rest can be read below), that particular quote stood out the most because it is so very true. Expect to see it in my future reviews.

I highly recommend Emma to everyone; both lovers and reluctant readers of classics.

Emma a young woman in Regency England lives with her rich, but eccentric widowed father Henry Woodhouse, in the rural village of Highbury, always concerned about his health (hypochondriac, in the extreme) and anybody else's , Mr. Woodhouse constantly giving unwanted advise to his amused friends and relatives they tolerate the kindly old man. Miss Woodhouse ( they're very formal, in those days), is very class conscious a bit of a snob ( but lovable) and will not be friends with people below her perceived rank, the Woodhouse family is the most prominent in the area, she likes matchmaking... her friend and governess Miss Taylor with a little help from Emma, married Mr.Weston a close friend of their family, later regretted by both father and daughter as her presence is greatly missed. And older sister Isabella, earlier had left to be the wife of John Knightley and moved away, she is ... in a lonely place. Then Emma surprisingly chooses a protege Harriet Smith, a seventeen year old girl with an unknown background, ( illegitimate? ) lives in Mrs. Goddard's boarding school for girls, hoping to groom the unfortunate young lady and raise her to a higher position in society. Besides the slightly spoiled Miss Woodhouse , even her friends call her by that name, will have a companion to talk to. Mr.Woodhouse's company lacks stimulation understandably, how much talk about illness the devoted daughter, or anyone else take? Emma believes she can discover people's emotions by watching them, know who they love, not true but that fact doesn't stop the lady from trying to marry off Harriet, thinking her own beaus really want to marry Miss Smith instead of her, big mistakes follow hurt feelings, embarrassing situations ironically the clueless Emma encouraged Harriet to turn down Robert Martin, a farmer with an excellent reputation but a lowly position in the world. George Knightley a nearby neighbor, the older brother of John, rents the farm to Mr.Martin, he thinks very well of the young man ...Another neighbor , good Miss Bates a spinster, never lacks words ...too much so, for many, but her friends allow it, ( most of the time) her niece, the pretty Jane Fairfax, her late sister's daughter, comes to visit her and her mother, the grandmother is happy also to see their beautiful relative. She plays the piano quite well and sings delightfully too, better than Emma and the envious girl, becomes a rival, Miss Woodhouse has long been the local leader of society here, what there is of it...The prodigal son of Mr. Weston and his late first wife, returns, mysteriously (some secrets are hidden), Frank Weston Churchill, adopted by his rich aunt and uncle. Emma and Jane are attractive to the charming gentleman , but the wise George Knightley doesn't feel he is a serious man, a bit of a fop, more interested in his appearance than anything more. A wonderful book about manners, class rank and country society of the landed gentry, in old England, that doesn't exist anymore...

Hablemos de mi clásico favorito: Emma.
Jane Austen era muy consciente de las imperfecciones de su protagonista, a tal punto que describió a Emma Woodhouse como “una heroína que nadie, excepto yo misma, querría”. Y aunque, en parte, esa afirmación puede ser cierta, hay algo en Emma que realmente enamora. Yo, por ejemplo, me convertí en una de sus más fieles admiradoras. Se ganó rápidamente el lugar de mi protagonista clásica favorita, tal como Austen probablemente deseaba. A diferencia de Orgullo y prejuicio, donde el amor por Elizabeth Bennet crece lentamente, con Emma me enamoré de la protagonista desde el primer capítulo.

Es cierto que Emma tiene un comienzo difícil: su engreimiento y esnobismo son bastante pesados en los primeros capítulos. Pero, paradójicamente, esa arrogancia es precisamente lo que hace tan fascinante a Emma como protagonista. Desde el principio, Austen nos ofrece una protagonista que, lejos de ser perfecta, tiene una personalidad multifacética. No se trata de una heroína intachable, sino de alguien llena de defectos, que crece y se enfrenta a sus propias equivocaciones a lo largo de la novela. Cuando los sucesos empiezan a desmoronar sus planes y confundirla, comencé a disfrutar de la historia de manera completa, porque allí es cuando Emma se convierte en una verdadera heroína, imperfecta pero profundamente humana.

Como siempre, los personajes de Austen están maravillosamente bien construidos. Cada uno tiene una personalidad y una función dentro de la historia, desde la dulce pero algo insignificante señorita Bates hasta el ridículo y pretencioso Mr. Elton, cuya esposa es aún más ridícula cuando aparece más adelante. Sin duda, Austen tiene un don para crear personajes memorables, incluso en sus figuras secundarias. En cuanto al interés romántico de Emma, no es difícil adivinarlo. El Sr. Knightley es, en muchos sentidos, el clon de Darcy: taciturno, atractivo, con una bondad que traspasa las páginas y una sabiduría profunda. Desde el primer momento, su relación con Emma está destinada a ser uno de los pilares de la novela. Al final, como suele suceder con las obras de Austen, me encontré completamente convencida de la trama y de los personajes, incluso de la torpeza y el egoísmo inicial de Emma.

Emma es, a simple vista, una novela sobre las pequeñas preocupaciones y los detalles cotidianos de la vida en una comunidad cerrada. Sin embargo, como ocurre en todas las novelas de Austen, hay observaciones mucho más profundas sobre las costumbres sociales y el sistema de clases de la época. En este caso, creo que Austen también está advirtiendo a sus lectores sobre los peligros del exceso de confianza, especialmente cuando se trata de la juventud y la inexperiencia. Emma es un claro ejemplo de alguien que cree saberlo todo, pero que carece de la experiencia necesaria para juzgar adecuadamente el mundo que la rodea. Y en esa falta de experiencia radica su atractivo: a pesar de su autoconfianza, sigue siendo alguien con mucho que aprender, y es esa evolución lo que realmente convierte a Emma en un personaje entrañable.

Cada vez que leo una novela de Austen, siento como si estuviera a punto de subirme a una montaña rusa. El ascenso inicial puede ser lento y un tanto frustrante, porque nunca sabes exactamente hacia dónde va la historia, pero el suspenso es lo que te mantiene enganchado. Y luego, de repente, llegas a la cima, ves el panorama completo y, cuando todo se despliega, te dejas llevar por la historia con una emoción creciente. Emma es una de esas novelas que no solo te hace sentir, sino que te hace conectar profundamente con cada uno de sus personajes. Te hace enojar, frustrarte, pero también te hace reír, emocionarte e incluso sentir mariposas en el estómago con los momentos más simples. ¿Quién hubiera pensado que una simple acción como tomarse de las manos podría ser tan romántica, e incluso tan cargada de emoción? Esos pequeños toques de Austen son los que hacen que el corazón lata un poco más rápido.

Al final, lo que más me encanta de Emma es que me hizo comprender incluso a los personajes que inicialmente me parecían insoportables.

I'm pretty impressed with this busybody know-it-all. :)

As a character novel, the entire thing is extremely dense and interesting and oh-so-convoluted.

As a plot novel, it's not so much of anything. :)

Fortunately, I was in the mood for something that would lift individual silly characters from the realm of the opinionated and silly and and arrogant to the level of real humanity with eyes flying open.

Honestly, Austen is great at this kind of zinger. It's all about the self-realizations and the growth as a person. Sometimes there's marriages, too. Um. Wait. There's always marriages. :) This silly little girl is entirely about being a matchmaker, but doesn't have enough self-knowledge to make anything but a lucky shot work. :)

So now we have an entire novel about her misadventures and misunderstandings and her amazing talent at making a hash out of everything... but wait! Emma is very, very good at putting the blinders on, too, so she's pretty much a master at ignoring the facts and making all of her mess-ups feel perfectly rational and reasonable.

This is comedic gold for a certain type of reader. :)

Of course, if you're like me, you might get seriously annoyed at all the reaffirmations of gender roles, the horribly snide and prejudicial stratification of Regency England, and the general blindness of the self-satisfied and selfish people everywhere.

Even so, this novel is pretty fantastic. :)

This was the perfect book to reread during my Christmas break. I am a devoted fan of Jane Austen's work, but even so, I find "Emma" to be particularly charming and insightful.

The story of the "handsome, clever and rich" Emma Woodhouse, who is determined to be a matchmaker among her friends but is constantly making blunders, is one that always makes me smile when I read it. I especially like the descriptions of Emma's neighbors and of Highbury. Indeed, the novel is so vivid I feel as if I could walk to the village and buy some fabric at Ford's, then call on Miss Bates and Miss Jane Fairfax — perhaps I will see Mrs. Elton there — and I shall return to Hartfield for a visit with Mrs. Weston and Mr. Knightley, which will be the first time I will have heard any sense spoken all day.

I admit I get irritated when people write off Austen's novels as mere romances, when there is so much social commentary going on. What struck me anew as I read this book (I think for my fourth time) is how well the idiosyncrasies of each character are observed. So many traits remind me of people I actually know! This novel was published in 1815, but the egos, presumptions, shrewdness and foibles of each person are just as real today. The endless, silly chatter of Miss Bates, the duplicitous dealings of Mr. Frank Churchill and the snobby arrogance of Mr. Elton are so authentic that I frequently paused to laugh at who I was reminded of.

And every time Mrs. Elton spoke, I was terrified of ever seeming like her: "self-important, presuming, familiar, ignorant and ill-bred. She had a little beauty and a little accomplishment, but so little judgment that she thought herself coming with superior knowledge of the world, to enliven and improve a country neighborhood."

Luckily the story also has the wisdom of Mr. Knightley and the friendly counsel of Mrs. Weston to keep us grounded. Some of my favorite lines in the book are from Mr. Knightley:

"Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief."

"Men of sense, whatever you may choose to say, do not want silly wives."

"A man would always wish to give a woman a better home than the one he takes her from; and he who can do it, where there is no doubt of her regard, must, I think, be the happiest of mortals."

"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am. You hear nothing but truth from me. I have blamed you, and lectured you, and you have borne it as no other woman in England would have borne it."

"My Emma, does not everything serve to prove more and more the beauty of truth and sincerity in all our dealings with each other?"

I give this novel 5 stars for its keenness, beauty and delightfulness.

Update
I want to address some of the comments from GR friends. I think it's true that a fair number of readers do not enjoy "Emma" as much as Jane Austen's other novels because of frustrations with the main character. Emma thinks she knows better than everyone else, she makes some foolish decisions, she is filled with self-importance and she can be vain. All true, and yes, those are unlikable qualities. But I like Emma in spite of that, because I enjoy laughing at the situations. Emma reminds me of so many young people who do think they know everything and who refuse to take the advice of their elders. It also helps knowing that Emma does learn from her mistakes and that she is making wiser decisions by the end of the book. Some character growth and a happy ending make me like her more.

Jane Austen anticipated that Emma would be a "character whom no one but me will much like.” Well, I like her. I do understand why Emma is not be considered a favorite of the Austen heroines, but I will continue to find her amusing.

i aspire to be one of those cool people who just casually read jane austen in a park so this is me trying to accomplish that!!
also heard this was one of her easier to read novels so that might make it easier :3

Jane Austen does it again!!!
I absolutely loved this book so much! I think we can all agree that Jane Austen was and remains to be a genius!! She writes characters in the most unique ways; where they feel more like caricatures than real people.
I think my two favorite character's were: Mr. Woodhouse because I have a weird affinity for elderly men (probably because I used to work at a nursing home) ...and of course Mr. Knightley or should I say Mr. Knight-in-shining-armor, because he was the real savior of this book.
Which leads to my one and only gripe with this book...
I wanted more Mr. Knightley and less Mr. and Mrs. Elton. Although, I do think they were essential to the plot. Since each unlikable or disagreeable character enhances the characters that we as the readers are meant to root for.
Something Jane Austen is known for, which I absolutely love about her books, is that even though her books are third person omniscient the narrator takes on the essence of the character being spoken about. Meaning that although her books are usually in third person, they almost feel like multiple first person point of views!
I could go on and on!! But the last thing I have to say is that I adored Emma Woodhouse! Her faults were so distinct, that I couldn't help but love her anyway!
Can't wait for my next Austen!

emma is the personification of meaning well but causing calamity and i love her for it