Book Review: Jane Austen's Emma

So I just finished reading Emma by Jane Austen for the first time. I mentioned so to Casey and she suggested I review it on the blog. Really, lest we forget, this blog was intended for literary purposes, so it makes perfect sense! I submit this post as a plee and an example to be followed: when we read a book, whether it be for the book club or for our own enjoyment, we should post a review on it! (on a side note: Allison - this can help us start to formulate a collective book database with which we can ultimately create the most comprehensive and accurate book suggestion quiz on the internet! Our dreams are such lowly ones :).) Except maybe I make this addendum - when we finish a book for the book club maybe we shouldn't go so much into it so we don't spoil anything if others haven't read it yet.



So without further ado, my humble thoughts on Emma.


So first of all, I would like to say that in looking for images that pertain to Emma, I found it extremely annoying to have to wade through so many pictures of Emma Watson. Second of all, looking through my little book of books that I have read from 2007 until now, I found it shocking that until 2007, the only Jane Austen book I had read was Pride and Prejudice. Even though I had read P&P like 10 times, it was still totally unexcusable for someone who claimed to love Jane Austen so much. But I am pleased to say that since the beginning of 2007 I have added Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and now Emma to my Jane Austen list. I think that Emma would probably rank third, or maybe tied second - first being P&P and second being Northanger Abbey.

Jane Austen is always amazing at creating realistic, sympathetic, and often hilarious characters, but Emma I think had a real abundance of them. Emma was just so relatable in all of her faults, Mr. Knightly just so sexy in his older and wiser "I will teach you" kind of way, Mrs. Weston so lovable, the Eltons so abominable. It was all just amazing. Every character seemed so real, and every character ellicited exactly the kind of response that I think Jane Austen intended. That is good character writing I think. Also I loved how every character had their faults, but they could always be forgiven, especially in the cases of Emma and Frank Churchill. (Not the Eltons, they're just unforgivable, but in that way where you think of all the good bonding that Emma and Mr. Knightly will share for many years to come in the ranting that will undoubtedly be directed at them.)

Jane Austen is just so genius at creating a world that you are transported to. You are invited to become her heroine and as I always accept unquestioningly, the emotions you feel are as potent and true as if you actually were the heroine. Like seriously, I could not for the life of me get over how disgusting Mrs. Elton was. Yuck. What made this book so great was that I would totally like to live in Emma's world.

I also really related to Emma. I think the fact that she was able to recognize her wrongs in the end and felt so much shame from them is just something that we all can connect with. Haven't we all felt that emotion before that's like - God I suck as a person right now. But Emma was so good at learning from her mistakes which was very heartening. Also I just loved that Emma had no intentions of getting married ever - so modern of her, even for now (which is the sad thing). Just think, still today people feel like they HAVE to get married, and often by a young age. As Mr. Knightly noted (very wisely I think) "So early in life - at three and twenty - a period when, if a man chooses a wife, he generally chooses ill." Mr. Knightly says 23 is way too young to get married and I trust Mr. Knightly - so I take this for validation in thinking it's good to wait awhile to "settle down". :) Seriously though, I just think it's amazing and cannot get over the fact that this book was written in 1816, but it still is so relatable and holds many valuable lessons for readers today - almost 200 years later.

Also, I feel like Jane Austen snuck in a lot of early feminism into this one. I don't have particular examples at the moment - but they are totally there. I also think it's interesting that 200 years later we are still dealing with a lot of the disparities between treatment of men and women that Emma noted (I am thinking particularly of her thoughts on Jane Fairfax when she thinks she is going to go be a governess and her easy forgiveness of Jane when she learned of the secret engagement noting that she could not blame her being a woman of lower fortune wanting to secure a more stable position in life - there, I DID have a specific example - look at that). I wonder what Jane Austen would think of our world now. I think there is just as much fodder for criticism now as there was in her day. But then I there always have been and always will be ridiculous things to laugh at, so I guess that's not saying much.

So I feel like that as a whole that review was very convoluted and may not have made much sense. But I am a poor editor and do not feel the desire to go look through it to make it coherent. So make of that what you will. A+ Miss A. Really, job well done with this one. Seriously though, I do rate this book a good solid A+. But then it's Jane Austen, what do you expect?