Emma is more unpleasant than appealing. Discuss with reference to the first 9 chapters
Essay: ‘Emma’
The first line of the novel ‘Emma’, by Jane Austen, claims Emma to be
‘handsome, clever, and rich’, this sums up Emma’s character completely. It is important to list these first of all, for fear of the reader to immediately dislike her. Indeed, later on-on the first page, Emma’s faults are listed, claiming her to have too much of her own way and herself thinking very highly of herself. Emma’s stubbornness and vanity is mostly the centre of a majority of the novels conflicts, as throughout the novel, Emma attempts to develop emotionally. Austen also portrays Emma’s weaknesses in more subtle ways, she says although
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Apart from feeling upset that Miss
Taylor has left, Emma is also upset for her own sake, she is upset that she has no companion in the house and, believes that her father-the only other person that lives in the house-cannot stimulate
Emma in conversation mainly because he is senile and doesn’t meet Emma at an intellectual level.
The description of Emma in the beginning of this novel can instantly, for the reader, decide whether they are going to like her or not, obviously as her mannerisms are unveiled throughout the first three or so chapters, but the first description of Emma is enough to decide ones mind of her instantly. The fact that she is beautiful, clever and rich leads the reader to image Emma Woodhouse as being fairly high in society, but yet, her real self is not revealed. Emma’s real self however, is described perfectly with the line
‘…did not by any means rank as misfortunes with her’
Here, Austen uses her subtlety to tell the audience that, Emma, for all her graces, cannot see her faults.
Austen’s technique makes comments like the one previously mentioned, seem less vulgar and striking. In stead of saying plainly that Miss.
Smith is simply dim, or thick, Austen will use a much more subtle approach, saying that she is not of an advanced mind or that she was not the cleverest person, this alternative to the direct word would
Clueless is a 1995 film loosely based on the famous Jane Austen’s 1816 novel Emma. Set in Beverly Hills, Cher who is almost 16 is the most popular girl in school as well as rich and pretty. Her father is a lawyer and her mother died from a liposuction surgery when she was a baby. Cher plays matchmaker throughout the film and begins with two nerdy teachers. This starts by her just trying to boost her grades, but she then sees how much happiness she is bring people so she decides to adopt the new girl, Tai, and give her a makeover. She tries to get Tai and Elton who is the most popular guy in school together but that backfires when Elton tries to make moves with Cher.
In eighteenth century which feminist 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, “Young, pretty, rich and clever”, she has whatever she needs. She disdains to have friends with lower levels. However, she is soon reach satisfaction with matchmaking for her friend. Story characterizes a distorted society images and the superiority of higher class status. It
Comparisons of Emma and Clueless pose critical explorations into the importance of context and its role in shaping social values. Heckerling’s appropriation of Jane Austen’s 19thC Emma, provides contrasting social ideals regarding gender and class which can be accredited as a result of their differing contextual settings. Values surrounding the importance of social hierarchy, gender disparities and education are prevalent themes addressed within each text. Due to shifts in social standards during the 2 centuries separating these texts, there are particular distinctions between the mechanisms underlying these themes. However, a key similarity linking these texts are their critiques on the morality behind the actions of those in privileged
“Emma could not resist. Ah! Ma’am but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me- but you will be limited as to number- only three at once”; Emma insults Miss Bates, who is a dear friend, in order to quench her desire for social credit. When Mr Martin’s proposal arrives for Harriet, Emma shakes her head with disdain. Emma has the highest social status, apart from Knightley, and uses this to diminish those of lower class. Chapone asks us to “Observe her manner to servants and inferiors” and whether she treats “them always with affability”, but we know, Emma does not. Emma thinks Mr Martin is a “very inferior creature” and when Harriet asks for advice Emma says “the letter had much better be all your own” but sneaks in “You need not to be prompted to write the appearance of sorrow for his disappointment”. Harriet refuses Martin, and Emma proclaims that Harriet, if she accepted, would have been “confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar” and “could not have visited Mrs. Robert Martin” since she deems the lower class as unsophisticated primitives. Emma would have lost her latest amusement and her chance to prove her intelligence. Emma’s subtle manipulations illustrates the absence of inner morality, and is thus, an ill-qualified mentor.
Emma Woodhouse, who begins the novel "handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition" (Austen 1), suffers from a dangerous propensity to play matchmaker, diving into other’s lives, for what she believes is their own good. Despite this, she is a sympathetic character. Her matchmaking leads only to near-disasters and her expressions of remorse following these mistakes are sincere and resolute. Jane Austen's Emma concerns the social milieu of a sympathetic, but flawed young woman whose self-delusion regarding her flaws is gradually erased through a series of comic and ironic events.
Jane Austen’s Emma can be categorized as a bildungsroman, better known as a coming-of-age tale, in which the reader follows the title character as she comes to terms with her position in the world during the Regency period. However, looking beyond the titular character, one can look at Emma as a satirical work regarding the restrictions and conventions of 19th century society. This satirical element later went on to inspire Heckerling’s interpretation as she adapted the story of Emma into the cult film, Clueless, which goes on to highlight the phenomena of cliques amongst the youth of America. Both works use the element of exaggeration in order to explore the gender stereotypes and expectations placed upon society during their respective eras. Heckerling effectively takes the novel Emma and thrusts it into the world of Beverly Hills, keeping the underlying themes while engaging a more modern audience.
Emma gains her provincial ideals early on in her life. When she receives news at the convent that her mother has died, she weeps for several days as a show of how sad she is (or should be). When her father comes to see if she is okay, she is “...inwardly pleased to feel that she had so quickly attained that rare ideal of a pale, languid existence, beyond the reach of mediocre spirits...she was finally surprised to discover that she felt quite tranquil again and that she had no more sadness in her heart than wrinkles in her forehead.” (Flaubert, 38). Flaubert paints her as a maiden who is obsessed with how romantic she looks to other people at all times of the day in all situations. Even when her own mother dies, she puts on a show to make sure
Emma, a novel by Jane Austen, is the story of a young woman, Emma, who is rich, stubborn, conniving, and occupies her time meddling into others' business. There are several recurring themes throughout the novel; the ideas of marriage, social class, women's confinement, and the power of imagination to blind the one from the truth, which all become delineated and reach a climax during the trip to Box Hill. The scene at Box Hill exposes many underlying emotions that have been built up throughout the novel, and sets the stage for the events that conclude it.
In Emma Jane Austen exposes the limitations of the role of women in her society. Examine Austen’s presentation of what is called in the novel, women’s usual occupations of eye, and hand, and mind. Emma – Role of Woman In Emma Jane Austen exposes the limitations of the role of women in her society.
In the novel Emma, the author, Jane Austen, uses many different techniques to characterize Miss Bates as a woman with no intellect, but a very kind heart. Miss Bates in a humorous character who is loved and loving.
Though at first glance, Emma appears to be a generic romantic novel about virtue and ladyhood, Austen actually challenges what the meaning of “ladyhood” is to the reader. We view Emma’s follies, trials, and triumphs through the eyes of the omnipotent narrator who first describes Emma as a stereotypical, wealthy young lady who is “handsome, clever…with…a happy disposition” (1). Through the use of irony, Austen employs a series of situations in which Emma, a “lady” of high standing within her community, challenges conventional thinking of what it means to be a young woman in the early nineteenth century, particularly her ideas concerning marriage and
Jane Fairfax plays a significant role as a rival towards Emma in terms of intelligence and beauty in the novel Emma by Jane Austen. Jane Fairfax is born to Mrs. Bates youngest daughter and Lieut. Fairfax. Jane’s father Lieut. Fairfax died and Jane was left with a widow mother who also died when Jane was three years old. After the death of Jane’s parents, Jane was took care by Colonel Campbell who was a good friend to Mr. Fairfax where Mr. Campbell believed that Mr. Fairfax has saved his life (p.128). Jane was loved by Mrs. and Miss Bates but if she lived with them, she would have had limited opportunities through her education and her social level. From Campbells kindness Jane was educated at high standards in London by Campbells support
Austen reveals how self-transformation is necessary in maturing and establishing self-awareness. Emma Woodhouse possesses qualities that many would envy: beauty, intelligence, wealth, and youth. However, the positive aspects of Emma are equally contrasted by her personality. The novels begins with a description of the protagonist, "The real evils, indeed, of Emma 's situation were the power of having too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself: these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments."
Emma Bovary allows herself to be destroyed by the people she encounters and her obsession with falling in love. Emma is not happy with herself and her relationship so she looks for other people to fill the void. Emma never really realizes that she is the root of all of the troubles in her life. If she were more in touch with reality, she would realize that she needs to work on herself before blaming her love interests for not being like the men that she has read about in the past. Emma has a very unrealistic perception of love. Emma is unable to fall in love with anyone because she will always be dissatisfied. She destroyed her own marriage before it even started because of her preconceived idea of love. Charles is absolutely in love with Emma and would do anything for her but she does not feel the same way about him due to her fairytale idea of love. It seems as if she is not capable of separating her real life romances from the romance novels that she read when during her time at the convent.
Jane Austen lived from 1775 until 1817, a span of four decades that saw significant changes in English social, political, and economic life. At the time her birth, England was embroiled in a bitter struggle with its American colonies, the loss of which, several years later, proved to be a tremendous blow to English political and military prestige. Under the rule of George III, England's political climate became increasingly unstable with constant struggles between the King and Whig politicians. Ireland received its independence in 1782, although the violence that had long plagued the country continued to rage. Across the Channel, the French Revolution had begun and the English aristocracy watched in horror as royal heads began to roll.