Emma is a novel by the English author Jane Austen. The novel was published in 1816. The title character is Emma Woodhouse. Emma is a rich, charming, intelligent, and self-satisfied young woman who is overly involved in the emotional lives of her friends and even in the lives of those who make claims on her friendship.
Emma lives in the village of Highbury at Hartfield, the estate of her elderly father, a widower, in the county of Surrey. Emma has few responsibilities other than caring for her father. To occupy her time, she concentrates on matters that would have been better left to those who suffer the consequences of her meddling.
One of Emma’s projects is 17-year-old Harriet Smith, a boarder at a school in the village. Emma persuades Harriet to reject the marriage proposal of Robert Martin, a farmer in the area. She encourages Harriet to seek instead the affection of Mr. Elton, a local clergyman. But Mr. Elton, to Emma’s embarrassment, is not interested in marrying Harriet. Rather, he proposes to Emma, who refuses him.
Emma also interferes with the courtship between Jane Fairfax, the niece of Miss Bates, an elderly woman who lives in the village, and Frank Churchill, the son of a neighbor. All of Emma’s meddling leads to embarrassment and misunderstandings and almost ruins her chances for her own happiness.
By the end of the novel, Emma recognizes the folly of her misguided involvement in the lives of others. She agrees to the renewed courtship of her friend Harriet and Robert Martin, and she accepts a marriage proposal from her longtime friend and adviser, the wealthy landowner George Knightley.
Many critics consider Emma one of Austen’s most engaging comic novels. It has been praised for its sharp character portrayals. Like other of Austen’s novels, Emma provides shrewd insights into ideas of class and proper behavior in English society during the early 1800’s.
See also Austen, Jane.
