Have you ever met a smart, pretty young thing who, thanks to her presumptuous and patronizing ways can’t stop grating on your nerves, despite having her heart in the right place? And no, I am not talking about any young lady lawyers here. I am just describing Emma – the lady as well as the book.
Emma is supposed to be the story of a spoilt, rich 22 year old girl who learns to grow up. It should ideally have been a peppy, fun read. However despite being penned by Jane Austen, one of the most prolific authors in English literature, it is quite a let down. To be fair, Emma the character does create an impression on your mind, though it’s difficult to believe that the she is the creation of the same Jane Austen who created the perfection of Elizabeth of Pride and Prejudice.
As its title conveys, the story revolves around Emma Woodhouse, a well-meaning but conceited young girl, who in her cocksure and irritating manner assumes that she has the perfect talent to find life partners for the people around her. This stems, not so much from experience (she has one match to her credit, which too is more thanks to providence that Ms. Woodhouse), but from her general assumption that she has more sensibility and understanding of the situation than people around her. How her foolish conceit leads her to mess up her friendships and almost lose the man she discovers she’s in love with forms the premise of the book.
Initial part of the book is quite entertaining. Emma as a character has been sketched quite well. Her pride, her class-consciousness and a very general superiority complex is abundantly seen. That she has her heart in the right place is evident from her caring affection towards her father or her love of her old governess. Somehow as a busybody young lady lawyer, I can associate with Emma (To an extent mind, mind you!)
Mr. Knightely who is the hero to Emma’s heroine, cuts an impressive figure, a relief among insipid people like Emma’s hypochondriac father Mr.Wodehouse, the mean social climber Mr. Elton or the bimbette Harriet. With Mr. Knightely, Ms. Austen has evidently stuck to her prototype of the perfect leading man – authoritative, influential, gentlemanly. Even his physical attributes are similar to her epic hero Mr. Darcy (There. I just committed blasphemy!). The conversations are witty, the book looks like it’s headed somewhere fun. That he is the only one who can keep Emma in check only adds to his charm.
However the latter part of the book disappoints and how! The introduction of the second lead couple, which is supposed to add some element of variety and spice, just ends up being drab. Jane Fairfax is a quintessential Miss Goody Two Shoes. And Frank Churchill Weston, who is supposed to be an affable, charming rascal is neither. He just comes across as a silly child-man.
The story, which at the start of the book promises to be perky and rich with happening, disintegrates into isolated incidents set at a dull pace.
The end of the book is quite predictable. While Frank Churchill is redeemed in our eyes a little and Jane Fairfax made more human, Emma is humbled. Mr. Knightley of course, keeping in line with Ms. Austen’s usual practice, is proven right and wiser than anybody!
I have always believed that the essence of Jane Austen’s books lies in the poignant, colorful portrayal of her all characters. Most writers do justice by their leads, but leave the peripheral characters half baked. Ms. Austen, however, gives due standing to every character, even the inconsequential ones. However, while Emma too is rich with a throng of very different characters, somehow most of them are portrayed as ridiculous, turning more into caricatures than characters.
The story, if not exactly path breaking, is quite relatable for most female who’ve at some point in time, tried to set people up, to a disastrous end. (yours truly is guilty as charged!)
The book is fun to read, if you have some time on your hand and are in the mood for a laces n eyelashes kind of romance! I’d give it a 3 – 3.5.
Fair Warning to the men followers of this blog – READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!
Deepika Divekar, Guest blogger
Nice post! I tend to agree with you. Emma is a Jane Austen book I couldn’t really warm to. I love the various BBC TV versions though …
But it’s still a Jane Austen book and she will always be a legend in my eyes 🙂
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She is amazing, isn’t she? One Jane Austen I could never stomach (even more than Emma, believe it or not) was Sense and Sensibility. My only distinct recollection of that book is the endless crying over some man! Sigh…
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I feel exactly the same. I could never get into Sense and Sensibility – not even the movie version with Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson. There was a lot of crying!
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Right? I read the book aeons ago and my only recollection of it is the crying! That’s not good!
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I don’t suppose she was just having fun, creating those caricatures of characters.
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THAT would have certainly been fun! And Jane Austen did know how to do that. Unfortunately, Emma doesn’t bear witness to that.
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I love austen but have to say this is probably my least favourite
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I would have to agree…Emma is so irritatingly righteous, I’m certain if she was real she would have gotten slapped a few times in her life 😐 heart in right place be damned
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nice review – I may have been like Emma a long time ago – maybe we were all like that in youth–we think we are so darn smart
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🙂 It’s one of the most humbling lessons, isn’t it?That you’re not as smart as you think you are.
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Nice to see a review like this. Why is it the movie versions of Austen are always more entertaining than the books? I want to like them, really, but I grow so bored.
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🙂 It does require patience to read a classic. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea. I, predictably, prefer the books.
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Thanks for that warning!
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I never read Emma in HS, and never sat through an entire presentation of any of the various versions shown on PBS. Then I saw Clueless and enjoyed it enough to download Emma as an audiobook to listen to while commuting to work. Your excellent review sums up what I remember as my reaction. I was pulled in during the setup, but by the end, I was glad it was over.
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I don’t know what I would have done if mine was an audiobook too. Probably let my mind wander and missed half the story!
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