Emma

Emma Review

I read Emma by Jane Austen. In this case, the title Emma means snobby, rude, and self centered. This meaning portrays itself throughout the book because of the way the main character, Emma, acts. This story takes place in the small town of Highbury, England in the early 1800's. This is significant because the story would have been very different if it took place in Draper, Utah in 2010. Manners and social standing would not have been as important as they were back in the 1800's. The language, dress and customs were so different back then but human nature is still the same. The protagonist of this book is Emma Woodhouse. She is a wealthy, snobby, clever girl who is content with the way her life is. The antagonist is Mr. George Knightley; a trusted friend of the Woodhouse's and is the only person Emma knows who is openly critical to her. Emma lives with her father at their estate called Hartfield. She was not interested in marriage because she feared that if she did marry, her life wouldn't be as wonderful as it was at the present time. Miss Taylor, Emma's governess however, did want to marry. Emma's father, Mr. Woodhouse had a friend named Mr. Weston. Emma encouraged his visits and introduced him to Miss Taylor. After long talks and numerous dinners, Mr. Weston proposed to Miss Taylor. Emma decides she needs another project and puts her sights on her friend Harriet. Emma, over proud of her match making skills, tried to match Harriet with a man named Mr. Elton. He showed signs of really liking Harriet, but in the end he was in love with Emma instead. Emma finally realized she needed to end her career as a matchmaker after hurting many people along the way.
The style of Emma is a satire of social class. Jane Austen makes fun of the importance of social propriety with her characters. For example, Emma felt that the Cole family was beneath her and wasn't willing to dine with them until she found out she wasn't invited to a party they were having, and then she wanted to go. Also Mrs. Elton was constantly made fun of because she was too informal. Jane Austen does a really good job of describing the characters and the scenery. I have a very vivid mental image in my mind of what everybody and everything looks like. The theme is "Love is complicated and doesn't always go as planned." Emma had to learn this the hard way. I would recommend this book because it is unpredictable and even though it is set in a different time period people are essentially the same regardless of time and place. Human nature is ageless.

Emma Overview

This delightfully fun and lighthearted comedy is based on the story that inspired the hit movie CLUELESS! Dazzling Gwyneth Paltrow (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) shines as EMMA, a mischievous young beauty who sets up her single friends. Funny thing is ... she's not very good at it! So when Emma tries to find a man for Harriet (Toni Collette -- THE SIXTH SENSE, ABOUT A BOY), she makes a hilariously tangled mess of everyone's lives. You'll enjoy all the comic confusion ... until Emma herself falls in love, finally freeing everyone from her outrageously misguided attempts at matchmaking.

Emma Specifications

Most people didn't mind Gwyneth Paltrow's English accent in this charming, 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel (which also inspired Clueless). But even if it doesn't sound quite right to you, there are plenty of authentic and wonderful Brit thespians in this film by screenwriter-turned-director Douglas McGrath (co-author of Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway), including Juliet Stevenson (Truly Madly Deeply), Alan Cumming (Buddy), Phyllida Law (Much Ado About Nothing), Ewan McGregor (the Scots star of Trainspotting), and Sophie Thompson, outstanding and finally heartbreaking as the chattering Miss Bates. Paltrow plays Austen's benign busybody, Emma Woodhouse--so busy trying to arrange the lives of others that she is sidestepping her own. McGrath brings a kind of pretty and light touch to the production, his best move the wise delegation of creative authority to the actors themselves. --Tom Keogh

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