Jane Austen 's Emma, Madame Chapone 's Paradigms Regarding Women Mentoring Young Girls

A women’s chances of achieving stability is substantially increased through a valuable education. However, due to the constrictions existing in the patriarchal society they were only expected to have a mediocre level of academic and more finer feminine skills in order to be considered “accomplished”. In Chapter 6, Caroline Bingley endorses this attitude of an ideal “accomplished” women through the cumulative listing, “woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages.” High Modality highlights the virtues women should possess in order to be perceived in a better light and increase their marriageability prospect. Furthermore, Mr Collins expresses the male perspective on a women’s necessity for education in Chapter 18, “I consider myself more fitted by education … than a young lady like yourself.” Disdainful tone expresses his condescension of the lack of benefit formal education will have for women as the only reason a women needs education is to improve their marriage possibility. This mindset is due to the expected role of women to be at home. Thus Austen, reflects the zeitgeist of her context in emphasising the value education can have in order to broaden the possibilities in getting

Jane Austen is often considered to have one of the most compelling narrative voices in literature. Blurring the line between third and first person, Austen often combines the thoughts of the narrator with the feelings and muses of the focalized character. Emma is perhaps her most prominent example of free indirect discourse, where the narrator’s voice is often diffused into that of the characters. In the following passage, Emma takes on her role at match-maker between Mr. Elton and Harriet Smith, two naïve and somewhat air-headed characters in the novel.

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

is presenting such a delightful inferiority? And as for Harriet, I will venture to say that

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.

In Austen’s times, social hierarchy was based primarily on one's name, wealth, and family connections. It was highly rigid, and the only way to improve one's situation was to marry up. This was reflected by the fact that while Harriet is deemed to be good company, she is never considered by anyone to be on the same social standing. So by manipulating her to refuse Mr. Martin’s proposal, Emma is doing her friend a huge disservice, for as “the natural daughter of somebody”, Harriet had no better option. Austen critiques the superficiality of the class system by contrasting the views of Mr. Knightley with those of Emma. Knightley deems Mr. Martin an “intelligent, respectable gentleman-farmer”, making an evaluation of his character. Emma, however, always sees a person’s status first and makes a judgment of character around that – and so she is immediately disapproving of Mr

Living in nineteen century England, where women were oppressed victims of a patriarchal society, subordinate first to their fathers and, then, to their husbands, Emma’s wealth and her indulgent father allow her a sense of independence few women had. Therefore, vastly different from most female characters of her time, Emma does not wish to get married and swears to stay by her Father’s side. In fact, Emma’s family situation provides for her a level of authority that is scarcely challenged in her Highbury social circle “The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself”(3).

The fact that the letter showed “delicacy of feeling” is yet another eye opener for Emma. Could the lower class be capable of feeling? Could it be true that a 'crude' farmer such as Mr. Martin could actually have feelings of such a delicacy and not be part of the gentry? Emma first dismisses the fact that he even wrote the letter: “'so good a letter...that everything considered, I think one of his sisters must have helped him. I can hardly imagine the young man whom I saw talking with you the other day could express himself so well, if left quiet to his own powers...”(pg. 50) and yet she comes to the realisation that the letter is not written in “...the style of a woman.”(pg 50). Thus Emma comes to the conclusion that he may “...have a natural talent for... his thoughts naturally...”(pg. 50) finding the proper words to put into a letter.

Emma, is the story of the education and growth process of Emma. Throughout majority of the novel, Emma involves herself in bad situations in which she misconstrues facts and blinds herself from the truth, at the expense of others. After Emma has discovered that she has been terribly wrong about Mr. Elton, and she was mistaken to encourage Harriet's affection of him, Emma says, "It was foolish, it was wrong to take so active a part in bringing two people together, it was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious- a trick of what ought to be simple!." Emma

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.

Emma becomes a likeable character through her marriage to Mr Knightley. Mr Knightley is someone which everyone respects and agrees with. Whenever he visits Highbury he is “always welcomed” (p41). Austen portrays Mr Knightley as a knowledgeable character who is not afraid to confront Emma; when Emma boasts about her match between the Weston’s, Mr Knightley tells her that she has done more harm than good by meddling and when she tries to match Harriet with Mr Elton Mr Knightley is furious that Emma has selfishly set Harriet up for disaster.

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

(Austen 1). Having a conceited nature, she only tolerates following her own advice, as well as frequently acting upon her instincts regardless of the consequences, especially when it comes to match-making. Emma believes that she is able to match any two people whom she deems compatible. Even though Emma is self centered, she ironically refuses to tend to her own feelings. Speaking to her father Emma states, “I promise you to make none for myself, papa; but I must, indeed, for other people.

Her relationship with the wealthy, charming Rodolphe Boulanger is a diversion from tedious country life as well as an intentional subversion of the establishment of marriage and an attempt to undermine her husband’s authority. After her first conjugal transgression, Emma distinctly feels “the satisfaction of revenge” and “savoured [sic] it without remorse, without anxiety, without worry” (161). Though her husband Charles is guiltless of cruelty or vice he is representative of a patriarchy that is entirely neglectful of the emotional, psychological, and intellectual needs of women and assertive of its superiority and power. She is expected to fulfill the duties of a simple-minded, submissive, and sexless creature who is devoted to the comfort of her family and upkeep of the home. By pursuing a sexual relationship with Rodolphe, Emma invalidates the authority of the prohibitive government institution over her actions and demands autonomy in the face of a banal provincial life.