Emma question

I think it depends on what you're trying to take from the book. If your goal is to understand the story Jane Austen is telling, an altered edition would help. Of course, the closer you can get to her actual text, the more you'll be able to interpret her ideas for yourself, but I think it's more important to know the storyline before attacking at the language. And, in this situation, it doesn't matter what other people think. What matters is what you learn :)

I was 12 when I first read Pride and Prejudice, and that was only after seeing a TV movie of it first. Without it, I probably wouldn't have "gotten" the book. But there's still a lot to be said for reading the original. Jane Austen will stretch your vocabulary, no question - but hey, you'll do that much better on the SAT!

I read many classic books as a kid that were edited and retold for children. White Fang, Black Beauty, Treasure Island, etc...
When I got old enough to realize that they had been edited and watered down, I was furious! I felt so cheated, that I determined to read the real ones as soon as I could.
To this day, I hate reading anything that is edited or abridged at all.

However, if you think that you can't handle the originals, there is no harm in reading an edited version to get that exposure to great literature. You can always go back and read the real thing later on if you want to.