Jane Austen discussion
Emma - the Novel 2010
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First Thoughts
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I finished the first volume on Saturday. This is the first time I've read Emma and the first time I've read an Austen novel without knowing what will happen (though I have a pretty good guess). Once again, I have to say how much I love that Austen writes such charmingly funny characters. Emma's father cracks me up and I can't wait to see Michael Gambon play him in the new adaptation. And Miss Bates is pretty funny too with her endless chatter.
I think my favorite thing so far is Emma herself. Emma is the kind of character that I would hate if she were not the heroine. She looks down at people (such as the Martins) and goes so far as to tell her poor friend that she would not visit her if she married a farmer! I understand that this would have been totally normal in that time, but you can't move me from my modern ways. Not to mention that she meddles in things that should be none of her concern. But somehow Austen makes me like her.
At least Mr. Knightley is around to be the voice of reason. I have hopes for his character.
On to volume two!
It's going to be fun to hear your thoughts as you read through Emma for the first time.
Mod
No need for me trying to remain the neutral co-moderator here -- I enjoyed the novel from beginning to end. It just seems that Austen never lets up. Something is developing constantly with all these Highburians and their visitors and the dialog never slows down.
Laura Ashlee wrote: "I finished the first volume on Saturday. This is the first time I've read Emma and the first time I've read an Austen novel without knowing what will happen (though I have a pretty good guess). O..."
Sarah wrote: "Laura is still reading and I am sure others are too, so this is a good reminder about plot spoilers! Everyone do take care. I am so into the language of this story! ha ha
No need for me tryin..."
Very perceptive analysis of the characters. Emma is a character that you have a love-hate relationship with.
She is so intelligent and yet stupid at the same time. She is loving yet arrogant. She doesn't like to admit she is wrong. I started reading Emma for the first time last Thursday and am enjoying it very much. I know some young woman like her and they just need to grow up and it is so much fun to see them get wisdom as they mature.
I talked to an older man about Jane Austen and he doesn't understand the present day fascination with her. It's the characters!!! They are brilliant and very real.
Emma is the only one of Austen's novels to be named after its heroine. (Naming a book after it's heroine (or hero) was well established before Austen started writing -- Pamela, Clarissa, Tom Jones, for examples.)This seems to me significant. Austen's titles are not merely ways to name the book, but seem to me to be almost very brief summaries of the central themes of her books. Mansfield Park is as much a character in the book as the people are, and is central to the development of the Bertram family and its values which infuse the novel. Northanger Abbey is also a dominant ingredient of the novel, which could not have taken place with the same effect in some London townhouse or ordinary country house. Pride and Prejudice lays up out front the two dominant characteristics, at least as they appear initially, of the two main characters, and is a great summary of the theme of the novel. Similarly with Sense and Sensibility. In Persuasion, the persuasion which turns Anne from her initial hope of marriage is the central event leading to the events of the novel.
But Emma is just Emma. And that, too, I think lays out the basic theme of the novel. Whereas the other novels were more centered on the interplay of characters, Emma is unabashedly about Emma and how she affects and,yes, I have to say it, manipulates others. It is the one of Austen's novels which truly deserves to be titled after its main character.
She originally named Northanger Abbey, Susan....just a random fact if you didn't know it!
Everyman wrote: "Emma is the only one of Austen's novels to be named after its heroine. (Naming a book after it's heroine (or hero) was well established before Austen started writing -- Pamela, Clarissa, Tom Jone..."I hadn't thought of that before now. What a great observation.
Mod
I really feel this time around I enjoyed Emma due to the richness of all these different characters also. I think it is the movement of all these characters (countered by the very stable Knightley brothers and Mr. Woodhouse) that brings me to enjoy the book so much. I like the rhythm of it too -- it isn't darkened by a Mr. Wickham or an overbearing Lady Catherine. I also like how this cast comes together for these evening parties and outings and to tea and in the village street.
Sarah wrote: "Even though the focus is on Emma, Austen gave us the other characters with lives are moving and evolving – Miss Taylor is marrying, Jane Fairfax is on the brink of employment and meeting people at ..."Warning -- some spoilers follow.
I agree absolutely, and didn't mean to imply the contrary. There are indeed some wonderful characters; I'm not sure whether Mr. Woodhouse or Mr. Bennet is my favorite Austen male, but it's one of the two. (A very male point of view; almost every female reader would pick one of the male lovers as their favorite.)
But at the same time, don't we see many of these characters, at least in their early stages in the book, through the eyes and lens of Emma? Miss Taylor is introduced initially in terms of her impact on Emma and her father; she enters the story not as herself (in fact, we don't actually meet her for some time), but as Emma's governess and friend, and even the wedding is introduced not with the bride as the focus, which is normally the focus of a wedding, but with the grief that Emma feels on losing her companion as the reason for talking of the wedding at all.
Harriet Smith enters the story not really as a person in her own right, but as a project of Emma's. Jane Fairfax is described in large part, at least initially, in contrast to Emma (and a contrast not entirely to Emma's benefit). Mr. Elton has almost no role in the story, until he goes off and marries, except in as he interacts with Emma -- up to his marriage, do we ever see him outside of Emma's presence?
I can't think of any other Austen book in which so much of the story revolves around one character. If Emma were a play, the character Emma would be on stage in virtually every scene. (Is there any scene of any length in the book in which Emma does not appear?)
This is what I mean when I say that Emma is the major theme of the novel, and therefore very properly the title of the book.
Mod
But I really love what you are talking about -- "Poor Miss Taylor" will be so sad to leave Hartfield. I love that focus on Emma, it really sets the novel in motion.
I know many of us ladies tend to lean toward the romantic male characters of the stories -- guilty! But do you know who I am loving this time in Emma? John Knightley -- in all his opinionated rants. Why does he never get fair treatment in the movie versions?
Emma definitely sees herself as queen bee in Highbury. At the beginning of the story eveyone, with the exception of Knightley, are satellites revolving around her according to her designs. But as the story progresses, these people develop in ways which serve to point out Emma's shortfalls and wrong opinions. It takes a lot to finally open her eyes to who she really should be. So, the story is all about her changing, and growing into womanhood and right thinking.
Jeannette wrote: "Emma definitely sees herself as queen bee in Highbury. At the beginning of the story eveyone, with the exception of Knightley, are satellites revolving around her according to her designs. But as..."A coming-of-age story. I like that take. And so true!
I have started to reread Emma in honor or the PBS adaptions and now I am so happy I will be able to participate in this group discussion! I like the interesting points everyone brought up about the title, I never made that connection. I too love the characters in this book, they are so endearing and have such distinct personalities. If I could live in any Jane Austen novel, it would definitely be Emma.
In my blog I have a poll going asking everyone to pick 3 of their favorite characters from Emma, and surprisingly Emma, "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like," is the most popular! It's nice to know there are a lot of people who don't dislike Emma, afterall!
Mod
Yes everyone, please come and vote! I am interested in seeing everyone's favorite characters.I look forward to reading the other disussions and joining in. Thanks for hosting Sarah and Jeannette!
Meredith wrote: "Yes everyone, please come and vote! I am interested in seeing everyone's favorite characters.
I look forward to reading the other disussions and joining in. Thanks for hosting Sarah and Jeanne..."
Couldn't find the poll Meredith. Didn't see it under "Austenesque Polls". Am I looking in the wrong place?
I look forward to reading the other disussions and joining in. Thanks for hosting Sarah and Jeanne..."
Couldn't find the poll Meredith. Didn't see it under "Austenesque Polls". Am I looking in the wrong place?
Jeannette wrote: "Meredith wrote: "Yes everyone, please come and vote! I am interested in seeing everyone's favorite characters.
I look forward to reading the other disussions and joining in. Thanks for hosting S..."
Found it. Just had to keep scrolling.
I look forward to reading the other disussions and joining in. Thanks for hosting S..."
Found it. Just had to keep scrolling.
Jeannette wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Meredith wrote: "Yes everyone, please come and vote! I am interested in seeing everyone's favorite characters.I look forward to reading the other disussions and joining in. Th..."
Sorry I didn't add it to the sidebar yet. Thanks for stopping by to vote!
Start out in this thread discussing any initial or general thoughts you have on the original Emma.
The 1996 Penguin Classics edition of Emma calls it a novel of pun and allusion, among all the many other things it is. Mary Stolz defines the novel Emma as a story of the effects of love and money on the families of a country village.
I believe Emma has the best characterizations of any of Austen's novels. Austen goes all out to create such a village of characters that I have not seen done better in any other novel. Would anyone like to add to this or the above comments?