Emma

The novel Emma was penned by Jane Austen way back in 1815, though it didn’t actually get printed until the following year. Austen was British, and Emma is considered one of her major works. The story mainly follows Emma Woodhouse, who at the start of the book is 21 years old. Austen makes it clear that Emma is a total beauty who’s also really smart and loaded.

Recommended for: Readers interested in classic English literature, particularly the novels of Jane Austen. This is one of Austen’s most acclaimed novels, known for its insightful social commentary, complex characters, and witty dialogue. It is suitable for both general readers and students of 19th century literature.

You will:

Immerse yourself in the world of early 19th century English gentry
Explore the themes of social status, marriage, self-discovery, and the perils of misconstrued romance
Encounter a cast of memorable characters, including the well-intentioned but meddlesome heroine Emma Woodhouse
Appreciate Austen’s masterful storytelling and her keen observations of human nature
Gain insight into the conventions, values, and social dynamics of Regency-era England

Plot

The setting is a little town called Highbury about 16 miles outside London. Things kick off right after Emma’s friend Miss Taylor gets hitched to a Mr. Weston. Since Emma introduced the couple in the first place, she decides matchmaking should be her new hobby.

First up is finding a man for her young pal Harriet Smith. Emma picks the local Vicar Mr. Elton, figuring he’d make a better husband than Harriet’s other suitor Robert Martin. She talks Harriet into saying no to Robert’s proposal, even though Harriet actually wanted to accept. But twist, turns out Mr. Elton has the hots for Emma this whole time. So Harriet’s hopes are crushed and Emma feels awful about the misleading advice she gave her buddy.

Not long after, a couple of visitors show up in Highbury – Miss Bates’ niece, Jane Fairfax, and Weston’s boy, Frank Churchill. Jane keeps to herself a lot; she’s talented, good-looking, and popular, which stirred up some jealousy in Emma. Jane was staying with her aunt for a few months before getting started as a governess, while Mr. and Mrs. Weston had singled out Frank as Emma’s future husband.

Sure enough, Emma tried to fall for Frank, since people figured they’d make a fine couple. After the dance, Frank rescued Harriet from a band of gypsies and so Emma decides maybe he’d be better for her protege instead. But then they find out Frank and Jane have already been engaged for months. Emma feels bad for Harriet all over again, but then Harriet admits she’s got feelings for Mr. Knightley. This confession sets off Emma’s own jealousy, making her realize she’s in love with Mr. Knightley too.

Licensing

Jane Austen. Emma. Publisher: John Murray (London), 1816. Originally published in 1815. This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Text from Wikisource: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Emma_(Austen)
This digital edition is provided by Ebooks-net in 2024 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. The full text of the license is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.