Essay on Jane Austens Emma - 1813 Words

Jane Austens Emma Beautiful dresses, passionate romances, elegant parties, a general state of leisure and happiness – these are only a few of the idealistic views of the nineteenth century. In her novel, Emma, Jane Austen paints a much more realistic picture of the ins and outs of high society in England of the 1800’s. Through the presumptions and pride of the characters of heroine, Emma Woodhouse, and secondary character, Mrs. Elton, Austen presents a stark critique of the social assumptions and diplomatic maneuvering so common of the society of her time, however, by the end of the novel, Austen’s critique is made clear by a subtle foil of these two characters – Emma having been the only one of the two to learn her lesson.†¦show more content†¦This concept of Harriet being Emma’s toy is made even clearer when Emma paints a likeness of Harriet. Austen tells that Emma embellishes the painting â€Å"as she meant to throw in a little improvement to the figu re, to give a little more height and considerably more elegance† (55). In doing this, Emma completes her re-creation, for now she has formed Harriet’s demeanor and given her a new physical image as well. As if this were not enough, Emma also reigns over Harriet’s love life. After Harriet is proposed to by Mr. Martin, whom the reader is left to assume that she actually does love, Emma talks her into refusing the proposal and denying her feelings for him. It may be said that Harriet is too submissive in all matters with Emma, but certainly Emma’s class superiority to Harriet’s demanded respect. But this is the very thing that Emma takes advantage of as she tells Harriet that in marrying Mr. Martin, she would be forfeiting Hartfield, Emma’s home, because Emma could not stoop so low as to be in acquaintance with a farmer and his wife. This near dictatorship over Harriet is a constant theme of their relationship for the majority of the novel . The relationship between Emma and Harriet is in many ways paralleled in that of Mrs. Elton and Jane Fairfax, who, like Harriet, has no roots to claim, and is viewed by Mrs. Elton as being in great need of a superior lady to guide her. Of Jane’sShow MoreRelated Jane Austens Emma Essay869 Words   |  4 PagesJane Austens Emma Jane Austen does indeed present a picture of a community who look to each other for entertainment as well as support, and are content with their limited outlook. The story never leaves the close surroundings of Highbury and there is no desire to do so. When the party goes to Box Hill, away from Highbury, there is tension and the trip is not enjoyed. It is interesting to note that the three characters that come into Highbury, are those which have the potential to ruinRead MoreJane Austens Emma Essay1958 Words   |  8 PagesChantal Fauconier This essay shall explore Jane Austen’s novel, Emma. Jane Austen’s writings were greatly influenced by the society she came from. She grew up in the Victorian era whereby the status of women was very limited. Women could not vote, they received inferior education to their male counterparts and were limited to domestic occupations (Williams in Marshall Williams 2002:5). This is the context in which Emma was written. Emma highlights the idea that women have only two goodRead MoreEssay about Emma in Jane Austens Emma731 Words   |  3 PagesEmma in Jane Austens Emma For the greater part of the book, Emma is allowed a much greater level of social and moral freedom than any other character in the book. As the opening chapter has it, the real evils of Emmas situation were having rather too much her own way. For Austen, the use of the word evil is not as a throwaway term, it is meant to give a very strong impression of how the heroine is trapped by her freedom into becoming arrogant and interfering. Read MoreEssay Feminism and Jane Austens Emma1151 Words   |  5 Pagesfeminist in social status was not popular by that time, author can only through literature to express her thought and discontented about society. Jane Austen’s Emma advocates a concept about the equality of men and women. Also satirizes women would depend on marriage in exchange to make a living or money in that era. By the effect of society bourgeois, Emma has little self-arrogant. She is a middle class that everyone could admire, â€Å"Young, pretty, rich and clever†, she has whatever she needs. She disdainsRead More Views of Marriage in Jane Austens Emma Essay954 Words   |  4 PagesViews of Marriage in Jane Austens Emma The dominant theme that constantly runs through this novel is that of marriage. All of the important activities of the novel are focused around various attempts from Emma, to arrange them, prevent them, or hinder them; this idea is empathized in both chapter 1, where Emma replies in discussion to Miss Taylors marriage I made up my mind on the subject. I planned the match from that hour, and in chapter 7 when Emma is told by Harriet of Mr MartinsRead MoreJane Austens Emma - Character Analysis of Protagonist1656 Words   |  7 PagesEmma Woodhouse: Awake or Dreaming? A dream. A world where ideas run wild and imagination is the primary mode of thought. Reality is a faraway distance. Eventually, the dream comes to an end as reality creeps into sleep and the fantasy finishes. The story of Jane Austen’s Emma is one of a similar account. Emma Woodhouse, the main character, has an active imagination that causes her to loose sight of reality like getting lost in dreaming. Her imagination and â€Å"disposition to think a little too wellRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Emma in Jane Austens quot;Emmaquot; Essay867 Words   |  4 Pages `Emma was written by Jane Austen in 1816. In all her novels, she is primarily a moral writer, striving to establish criteria of sound judgement and right conduct in human life. In Emma she presents her lesson so astutely and so dramatically, with such a minimum of exposition, that she places extreme demands upon the readers perceptiveness. Emma was her fourth novel. Lord David Cecil described it as `Jane Austens profoundest comedy. It has frequently been applauded for its `engaging, dearRead MoreJane Austens Emma - Character Analysis of Protagonist1665 Words   |  7 PagesEmma Woodhouse: Awake or Dreaming? A dream. A world where ideas run wild and imagination is the primary mode of thought. Reality is a faraway distance. Eventually, the dream comes to an end as reality creeps into sleep and the fantasy finishes. The story of Jane Austen’s Emma is one of a similar account. Emma Woodhouse, the main character, has an active imagination that causes her to loose sight of reality like getting lost in dreaming. Her imagination and â€Å"disposition to think a little too wellRead MoreEssay on Hierarchy of Language in Jane Austens Emma6386 Words   |  26 Pages Jane Austen writes social novels. Her societies are microcosms of relative stability in a rapidly changing world. Within these restricted realms, class structure is rigid; however, members of this society participate in one common activity: discourse. Due to the vagaries and incompetencies among the characters, not all conversations in Emma conform to the ideals of communication, and in fact, contribute to the promulgation of t he central conflict. Henry Fielding proposed in his Miscellanies, thatRead More Societal Authority in Jane Austens Emma Essay2054 Words   |  9 Pagesthan in Jane Austen’s Emma. In Emma, Austen uses narrative style, characterization, and the plot device of word games to illustrate the ever-present power of hierarchical control. Emmas plot seemingly hovers around the superficial theme of strategic matchmaking. But while this is an important aspect of Emma, it serves primarily as a catalyst to illustrate the much bigger idea of societal authority present in the novel. Word games play a huge role in the plot development of Emma. . . . Emma is itself