Emma by Jane Austen

Before she began Emma, Jane Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like."

My husband completely agrees with that assessment of Emma Woodhouse--"She messes up everyone's life, but she still gets the guy in the end."  Still, I have to admit that I like Emma--not that I would want her as a best friend (poor Harriet Smith!).  I like that she has faults and weaknesses, but is determined to always make the best of things.  And she is a regular homebody, much like myself.

I have often wondered why I love Jane Austen as much as I do.  The plots of her novels are in no way thrilling, and there is, as Charlotte Bronte complained, "nothing vehement" in them.  Still she has a way of showing the weaknesses and strengths of her characters--they are so real.  Don't you know people like Mrs. Elton, always bragging and speaking of themselves?  Or someone cute and clueless like Harriet Smith?  And I'm not trying to brag, but I think I'm married to a definite Mr. Knightley (although Seth would cringe if I made that comparison out loud), who grounds me when I'm unreasonably upset or when I forget to think things through.  Just as with Dickens' characters, by reading about them, we can discover similar traits (both good and bad) in ourselves.


I love how George Henry Lewes ("friend" of George Eliot) describes Jane Austen:
"First and foremost let Austen be named, the greatest artist that has ever written, using the term to signify the most perfect mastery over the means to her end. There are heights and depths in human nature Miss Austen has never scaled nor fathomed, there are worlds of passionate existence into which she has never set foot; but although this is obvious to every reader, it is equally obvious that she has risked no failures by attempting to delineate that which she has not seen. Her circle may be restricted, but it is complete. Her world is a perfect orb, and vital. Life, as it presents itself to an English gentlewoman peacefully yet actively engaged in her quiet village, is mirrored in her works with a purity and fidelity that must endow them with interest for all time."

I won't bore you with plot details--doubtless most of you are familiar with the story of Emma.  If you choose to read it (and I strongly suggest you do!), I think you'll find it very entertaining.  I love the way the characters develop, particularly Emma.  By the end of the book you grow to--if not love her, at least to overlook her faults and to give her credit for trying hard to be good.

If you are too busy/lazy/unmotivated to read the book, then you must watch the movie.  My two favorite versions:

the 1996 adaptation featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam.  This version is short, more "Hollywood-ized," but also much more full of comedy.  It isn't as realistic, but I do love it--"I shall call you my Mr. Knightley."  When it came out I was in high school, and we all wanted to wear empire waists and do our hair like Emma's . . .


And much as I love that version, I might like this 2009 version slightly more . . . Romola Garai plays Emma, with Tommy Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley.  It follows the book very closely, and the characters seem less perfect and polished, but more like real people.  It's so good!  I think it's about 4 hours, so be prepared with a lot of time and a good bowl of popcorn.