Cla5
王一多
200802070132
Emma
－the most special one of Jane Austen’s novels
Abstract: Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance.Emma is the first Austen heroine with no financial concerns, and she has no inducement to marry.This is a great departure from Austen\'s other novels, in which the quest for marriage and financial security are often important themes in the stories.Emma\'s ample financial resources make this novel much lighter than Austen\'s earlier works.A wide array of memorable characters and Austen’s famous wit and sense of irony are created and expreed within the pages of this novel.
Key words: marriage; financial security; departure; memorable characters; differ
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance.The novel was first published in December 1815.As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively \'comedy of manners\' among her characters.
Emma is the fourth, longest and last of Jane Austen’s books to appear in print during her lifetime.Written almost 200 year ago, it’s inevitable that the dialogue may feel a bit stilted at times.However, this adds dimension and depth to the story which focuses on 19th century social hierarchies and the interaction between various social claes.
Mi Emma Woodhouse is a shining example of a 19th century socialite, beautiful, clever and wealthy.Although convinced that will never marry, she imagines herself to be naturally gifted in conjuring love matches.After self-declared succe at matchmaking between her governe and Mr.Weston, a village widower, Emma takes it upon herself to find an eligible match for her new friend, Harriet Smith.Though Harriet’s parentage is unknown, Emma is convinced that Harriet deserves to be a gentleman’s wife and sets her friend’s sights on Mr.Elton, the village vicar.Meanwhile, Emma persuades Harriet to reject the proposal of Robert Martin, a
well-to-do farmer for whom Harriet clearly has feelings.
Harriet becomes infatuated with Mr.Elton under Emma’s encouragement, but Emma’s plans go awry when Elton makes it clear that his affection is for Emma, not Harriet.Emma realizes that her obseion with making a match for Harriet has blinded her to the true nature of the situation.Mr.Knightly, Emma’s brother-in-law and treasured friend, watches Emma’s matchmaking efforts with a critical eye.He believes that Mr.Martin is a worthy young man whom Harriet would be lucky to marry.He and Emma quarrel over Emma’s meddling, and, as usual, Mr.Knightly proves to be the wisest of the pair.Elton spurned by Emma and offended by her insinuation that Harriet is his equal, leaves for the town of Bath and marries a young woman there almost immediately.
Emma is left to comfort Harriet and to wonder about the character of a new visitor expected in Highbury—Mr.Weston’s son, Frank Churchill.Frank is set to visit his father in Highbury after having been raised by his aunt and uncle in London, who have also adopted him as their heir.Emma knows nothing about Frank, who has long been deterred from visiting his father by his aunt’s illnees and complaints.After Frank saves Harriet from Gypsy beggars，Emma soon dismies Frank as a potential suitor and imagines him as a match for Harriet.But Frank and Jane have been secretly engaged, and in fact, Frank loves the girl all the time.Emma worries that Harriet will be crushed, but she soon discovers that it is Knightly, not Frank, who is the object of Harriet’s affection.Harriet believes that Knightly shares her feelings.Emma finds herself upset by Harriet’s revelation, and her distre forces her to realize that she is in love with Knightly.Emma expects Knightly to tell her he loves Harriet, but, to her delight, Knightly declares his love for Emma.Harriet is soon comforted by a second proposal from Robert Martin, which she accepts.The novel ends with the marriage of Harriet and Mr.Martin and that of Emma and Mr.Knightly, resolving the question of who loves whom after all.
When she began the novel, Austen wrote, \"I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like.\"[1] In the very first sentence she introduces the title character as \"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich.\" 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.
Emma Woodhouse is the first Austen heroine with no financial concerns, which, she declares to the naive Mi Smith, is the reason that she has no inducement to marry.This is a great departure from Austen\'s other novels, in which the quest for marriage and financial security are often important themes in the stories.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.
In contrast to other Austen heroines Emma seems immune to romantic attraction.Unlike Marianne Dashwood, who is attracted to the wrong man before she settles 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—much in the way Elizabeth Bennet singularly reacts to the obsequious Mr.Collins.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 the budding affection between Harriet Smith and Robert Martin; she interprets the prospective match solely in terms of financial settlements and social ambition.It is only after Harriet Smith reveals her interest in Mr.Knightly that Emma realizes her own feelings for him.
While Emma differs strikingly from Austen\'s other heroines in these two respects, she resembles Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot, among others, in another way: she is an intelligent young woman with too little to do and no ability to change her location or everyday routine.Though her family loves and her economic status secure, Emma\'s everyday life is dull indeed; she has few companions her own age when the novel begins.She determined though 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 childle
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 neverthele endearing.There are also the Weston’s, 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 claes 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.
Notes:
1.Austen-Leigh, James Edward.A Memoir of Jane Austen.1926.Ed.R.W.Chapman.Oxford: Oxford University Pre, 1967.p.157
Emma Watson\\x27s Speech in UN
