Jane Austen, critically acclaimed English novelist, is known for her witty and elegantly structured satirical fiction. Born December 16, 1775, Jane Austen was the seventh of eight children, and was closest to older sister Claudia. "Her father was the parish rector in Steventon, and, though not wealthy, her family was well connected and well educated. Austen briefly attended boarding school in Reading but received the majority of her education at home. As a child, Austen was encouraged to write which allowed her to write her first novel Love and Friendship at the mere age of fourteen (“About Jane Austen”). Now, her work marks the transition from something to something else. Although Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s more popular work, her novel, Emma is considered to be Austen’s most carefully crafted written (“Brooklyn Academic Cuny”) However, Austen herself acknowledged that Emma might present a problem for readers, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." (“Jane Austen’s Comedy in Emma). And much about Emma is indeed unlikable; she is snobbish, vain and manipulative yet she believes she is helping people. The novel, Emma is about a wealthy twenty-year old named Emma Woodhouse who lives at Highbury in 19th century, and takes it upon herself to be the resident matchmaker. Believing that she is the underlying cause in her governess getting married, she sets out to find a perfect match for her new friend Harriet Smith. Even though Emma herself is determined to never to marry, she immediately decides to find Harriet a husband. Jane Austen’s novel, published in 1816, Emma is a widely acclaimed novel that criticizes early 19th century social class and marriage through the author’s skillfully use of tone, set...
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...to show the flaws in society as well as that marriage should happen naturally and not forced upon.
Works Cited
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“Jane Austen.” Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. N.p., 26 Jan. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. .
Marcus, Steven, and Victoria Blake. Emma. New York City: Barnes & Noble Classic, 2004. Print.
Austen, Glyn. "Jane Austen's comedy in Emma: high art or mere triviality? Is a novel only worth study if it engages with big issues? Glyn Austen reconsiders a classic tale of '3 or 4 families in a country village'.(Critical Essay)." The English Review Sept. 2005: 2+. Student Resource Center - Gold. Web. 5 May. 2011.
Fowler, Karen J.Introduction. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen: The Complete Novels. By Jane Austen. New York: Penguin, 2006. 211-421. Print.
New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 1979. Le Faye, Deirdre, ed. Jane Austen's letters, 3rd. ed. Oxford University Press, 1995.
Is marriage really important? There is a lot of controversy over marriage and whether it is eminent. Some people believe it is and some people believe it is not. These opposing opinions cause this controversy. “On Not Saying ‘I do’” by Dorian Solot explains that marriage is not needed to sustain a relationship or a necessity to keep it healthy and happy. Solot believes that when a couple gets married things change. In “For Better, For Worse”, Stephanie Coontz expresses that marriage is not what is traditional in society because it has changed and is no longer considered as a dictator for people’s lives. The differences between these two essays are the author’s writing style and ideas.
Austen, Jane. Emma. Norton Critical 3rd edition, ed. Donald Gray New York and London: Norton, 2001.
Shannon, Edgar F. `Emma: Character and Construction', Jane Austen: Emma, (130-147) London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1968.
... But in fact her powers and beauty cannot change the foundation of her society. Emma’s circumscription within the boundaries of her class kept her world under control. This prevents her from considering another society beyond her existence. The confusion from her failed attempts with Harriet due to her guidance, allows her to embrace reality. Jane Austen uses Emma’s character to reveal the quality in the structures of the nineteenth century society. Based on the conclusion of the novel, when Emma is forced to look beyond the limited power and beauty she has and acknowledge the existing order and structure of the early nineteenth century English society.
Austen observes through the female characters of Pride and Prejudice that the perfect woman, by 19th century standards, doesn’t seem to exist, and when she does there is some degree of misfortune in her path. She explores this notion chiefly through satire and irony, as the type of woman the female characters strive for is not always the most desirable. Through indirect characterization and tone, it becomes apparent that each female character is characterized positively or negatively, which allows for each character’s conclusion to be fully explained and understood.
Jane Austen Society of North America, Inc. A Brief Biography. jasna.org. 26 April. 2014.
England, under James 1st rule was a vastly altered period compared to our now modern society. So many of the values held during this time, have now been discarded and forgotten. Jane Austen grew up in the Romantic period and experienced a world which was divided, whether through education, class, status, fashion, abilities, gender and etiquette. Her novel, Pride and Prejudice is counted as one of the great classics of English Literature. Austen engrosses readers to live in her world for a time and experience a society filled with matchmaking, romance, marriage and gossip. Every one of her characters is so distinctive and has a clearly outlined caricature. Each of their diverse values conveys a different thinking of the time. Pride and Prejudice is preoccupied with the gentry and most of the social aspects which consumed these people’s lives. There were so many expectations of how you would behave in public, but of course not all of these were upheld. Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mrs Bennet and Charlotte Lucas are four characters which keep such strong beliefs about the social norms. These characters are expressed so descriptively and through their personalities readers can learn just how the numerous social standards were received.
Austen was raised in an unusually liberal family where her father was a part of the middle-landowning class. They had a moderate amount of luxuries, but were not considered well off. Unlike many girls of her time Austen received a fairly comprehensive education. She received this mainly through the undivided support of her family. Austen and her sisters, like most girls of their time, were homeschooled. Austen’s zealous parents encouraged the girls to play piano, read and write. Her parent’s encouragement led to her interest in writing. Austen’s father housed an extensive library filled with books which kept Austen occupied for years (“Sense and Sensibility” 119). Through her observant nature and passion to read and write, Austen was able to eloquently write of the many “hidden truths” of social and class distinction during her time. They included daily societal changes some of which foreshadowed future societal leniency. Familial support also extended societal norm of marriage. Her parents attempt...
“Biography of Jane Austen.” Critical insight: Pride and Prejudice (2011): 18-31. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Nov 2013.
Within the novel, Jane Austen’s exploits of irony are shown linked throughout Emma’s notions of love and the real within her own society. Emma’s lack of education on the concepts of love is quite evident within her apathy towards Frank Churchill as her opinions are deeply rooted within her own affections, as she states, “Emma continued to entertain no doubt of her being in love. Her ideas only varied as to the how much. At first, she thought it was a good deal; and afterwards, but little. She had great pleasure in hearing Frank Churchill talked of; and for his sake, greater pleasure than ever in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weston; she was very often thinking of him. But, on the other hand, she could not admit herself to be unhappy, nor, after the first morning, to be less disposed for employment than usual; she was still busy and cheerful; and, pleasing as he was, she could yet imagine him to have faults,” (Austen 264). Emma’s sketch of Harriet is another illustration of irony surrounded by Emma’s arrogance as it does not portray an accurate depiction of Harriet as Emma has altered ...
...ied about his intentions during the entire novel, no one truly knows him. Frank’s uncle, Mr. Churchill is inferior to his wife in regards of control. Throughout the novel the reader hears more about his wife than they hear about him. Their relationship represents complete switch of the traditional idea of man being superior to woman. The Knightleys however, John and Isabella, are purely conventional and are ideal couple for Nineteenth Century society’s times. Mr. Elton does not represent true gentility while Mr. Weston too gentle. Although all of these characters have their flaws, Austen finds her perfect figure in George Knightley. His infallible nature is unrealistic, yet it gives society the ultimate gentleman to aspire for. Austen’s Emma is more than a comedic novel of manners but also a quintessential piece that fits perfectly into the lives of today’s society.
...Emma’s voice in order to relate the inside ideology, while simultaneously using a somewhat ironic third-person narrative voice in order to provide critical social commentary on the social attitudes of the Highbury society depicted in Emma. Emma’s voice allows the reader to gain an unadultered insight into the lives of the people of Highbury, providing the narrative with a Austen uses a somewhat similar dichotomous technique in Persuasion, in which she splits the novel into two halves -- one in which advocates for the traditional system of formality, and another that works to eradicate the very same system that she extolled so highly in the first half. Under the deceptive guise of “political inaction,” Austen actually provides commentary on the underlying social and political issues that pervade the novel through the literary technique of heteroglossia (Parker 359).
Fergus, Jan. “Biography.” The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen. Ed. Janet Todd.