Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Published by: Penguin Books
Published on: 1816
Pages: 367 pages
If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.
Chapter 49
Wait, did I say Lizzie Bennet was my favourite Jane Austen's heroine? Do scratch that. Emma Woodhouse takes the cake!
Quite literally
My first brush with Emma is actually with the movie Clueless. Cher grabbed my attention the moment she tiptoed her way into the screen with that 90's mix 'n match software (which we still don't have in the year of our Lord 2021 smh). So it was a very pleasant surprise when I found out that the movie is basically a modernized version of Austen's Emma.
Emma Woodhouse was a bratty, rich, and spoiled girl from a landed gentry. Only 21 years old, she lived with her aging father who was always concerned with his health -- which become sort of a running gag throughout the story. They lived close to Mr Knightley, who was also Emma's sister's brother-in-law. Aged 37, he was very close to Emma's father and often bantered with her.
At the start of the story, Emma's governess, Miss Taylor, just got married to Mr Weston. Emma took credit as their matchmaker and thought she might be good at this, though she herself had vowed to never get married. In her own words,
I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Fortune I do not want. Employment I do not want. Consequence I do not want.
Enter Harriet Smith, a simple girl whose parentage was of mystery. Believing her to be the bastard daughter of a gentleman, Emma immediately took her under her wings and tried to play matchmaker with Mr Elton, an ambitious young vicar. The story took a funny turn when Mr Elton was attracted with Emma instead and paid no heed to Harriet, no matter how hard Emma tried to steer the course. Embarrassed for getting Harriet's hopes up, especially after telling her to reject the proposal of Robert Martin, Emma tried to amend her mistakes.
Mr Weston's son, Frank Churchill, arrived in the neighbourhood for a couple of weeks and made fast friends with Emma. They flirted and she felt a slight attraction towards him. The plot thickens when Jane Fairfax also returned, an accomplished girl with whom Emma had always been jealous of. Jane was an orphan and she was adopted by Colonel Campbell. Her abrupt return made everybody wonder, and Emma guessed that there was an affair involved, which she shared with Frank.
But Frank had his own secrets that Emma wasn't totally aware of. And Emma, oh dear Emma, wasn't as bright as she thought herself to be when it comes to love.
EGGLYSIS
Istg I'll file for divorce if my future husband doesn't use this line in his wedding vow
It is said that, right before writing Emma, Jane Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." -- which is an interesting take because, indeed, Emma is different than all the other Austen heroines. At a glance, with those qualities, she could easily become the antagonist. Sort of like Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice. However, Austen wrote her in such a way that all those qualities become endearing instead.
Emma, at heart, is comedy with a romantic tinge. Austen imbued each character, even the supporting ones, with distinct characteristics that makes it easier for us readers to picture them in our minds. Miss Bates and her nonstop chatter, Emma's father and his constant concern over health, even opportunistic Mr Elton. I've got to say, though, the latter gained much prominence thanks to Josh O'Connor's portrayal in the 2020 movie.
Dat "For in tHY SIGHT!" still cracks me up
Emma is such a flawed heroine, and I think that is why so many people love her and singled her out as one of, if not the, best Austen protagonist. She started out very sure and confident of herself, thinking she could do no wrong. Thinking she knew how the world worked. Only to have everything fall apart in her face. That through it all she managed to learn and be humbled made her even more adorable -- in which Mr Knightley also played a part. He realised her true potential and helped her be more mature, not realising he'd fall in love with her in the process. I love the contrast presented between Mr Knightley and Frank Churchill as Emma's potential love interests.
Overall, Emma...
Hozzászólások