Product Description

Considered to be Austin's most accomplished work. Set around the daughter of Mr Woodhouse,Emma is left to entertain herself after her governess leaves and involves herself in the lives of Harriet Smith and all those around her.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8994 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
"I should like to see Emma in love, and in some doubt of return; it would do her good," remarks one of Jane Austen's characters in Emma.

Quick-witted, beautiful, headstrong and rich, Emma Woodhouse is inordinately fond of match-making select inhabitants of the village of Highbury, yet aloof and oblivious as to the question of whom she herself might marry. This paradox multiplies the intrigues and sparkling ironies of Jane Austen's masterpiece, her comedy of a sentimental education through which Emma discovers a capacity for love and marriage.

Synopsis
Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

About the Author
Stephen M. Parrish is the Goldwin Smith Professor of English Emeritus at Cornell University.

Customer Reviews

An Exquisite Novel
"Emma" by Jane Austen is easily one of the greatest novels ever written. Simple yet subtley multi-layered, it tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, the daughter of a rich landowner who finds herself living alone with him when her Governess marries and moves out of the family home of Hartfield. As a result, most of the day she is confined to staying in the house and looking after her Father and as there is precious little to do in the evening, finds herself desperate for amusement.

It is revealed very early on in the novel that Emma likes to match people up together and see how things turn out. She is a self proclaimed imaginist, although her playful games sometimes get out of hand, causing problems and hurting those involved. Soon after Miss Taylor - her former Governess - leaves, Emma meets Harriet Smith, a girl of unknown parentage and decides to take the girl under her wing, with hopes of improving her class and chances of finding a good husband. It is in these moments with Harriet that Emma's character is at her most unappealing, often seeming snobbish and rude and shocked that Harriet would be interested in marrying a farmer of all people. However, due to Austen's all seeing narrative, the reader discovers that Emma does not know as much as she thinks she does and that many events are taking place which she is completely unaware of.

Perhaps the first novel which requires a re-read in order to fully appreciate Austen's intricate plot, "Emma" is a wonderful novel. It is filled with Austen's formidable wit and humour but is also a brilliant romance which will enchant its reader. Austen herself felt that no-one but her could like the character of Emma, which may or may not be true, however it is easy to empathise with her, especially on a second reading.

One of my favourite novels, "Emma" is filled with memorable characters, wonderful descriptions of setting, excellent dialogue and a brilliant central heroine. A truly timeless novel with a story which will engross and enchant the reader, "Emma" is a book never to be forgotten.

Penguin Classics 2003/4/5 - paper, print and text quality.
I've just treated myself to Penguin's latest editions of Jane Austen's novels. I needn't review the novels themselves, trillions have already done that! But I thought it might help to tell others: the paper quality is excellent (lovely to touch and ... smells good too!), the text is clear (no burrs, light patches or 'bleeding') and of a good size (not that awful off putting dead weeny size. It's the size of an 'Arial 10'. Very easy on your eyes). Hope this helps. These things make a big difference me!

Read something else!
I HATED this book the first time I read it. And the second time. The third time, however, I began to quite like it.
The way I feel about Emma is this (and I know that this is contreversial): it's trivial. The whole thing is a very long book based around who loves who in a tedious upper class village in Surrey. To me, this book deals with very little that is important or even interesting in the world, or in history. I am sure that Austen lovers (and there are many) would tell me to "look at the irony"- well, I have. She's really good at using irony- but to me, that somehow doesn't fill up the whole book. The reason I liked this book the third time around, was because I found it comforting. It's rather like the famous five: full of silly little quips and upper-class twits, it doesn't talk about any of the issues of the day (in Blyton's case WW2, and in Austen's the French Revolution among others), and one feels that any comments that readers have picked up on social class are imagined. I once had the misfortune of reading some of Austen's letters to her sister Cassandra. In these she rambled on, and on, and on about plum trees, petticoats, Aunty Maud's stitching and the weather- perhaps Miss Bates is autobiographical?
Read it if you want to have read it. If you have any blood in your veins don't pick it up for the pleasure of reading. Neither thought-provoking nor intellectual, this book is, however, a fun little foray into the world of a selfish little girl of the Regency period who is seemingly trapped in a Hugh Grant Rom-Com.