&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&REmma&&</I&&R, by &&LB&&RJane Austen&&</B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&</I&&R&&LI&&R &&</I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&</I&&R: &&LDIV&&R- New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate
All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&</I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.&&</DIV&&R&&</DIV&&R&&LP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt&&R &&</P&&R&&LP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt&&REmma Woodhouse is a wealthy, exquisite, and thoroughly self-deluded young woman who has lived in the world with very little to distress or vex her.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&R&&LB&&RJane Austen&&</B&&R exercises her taste for cutting social observation and her talent for investing seemingly trivial events with profound moral significance as Emma traverses a gentle satire of provincial balls and drawing rooms, along the way encountering the sweet Harriet Smith, the chatty and tedious Miss Bates, and her absurd father Mr. Woodhouse-a memorable gallery of Austen's finest personages. Thinking herself impervious to romance of any kind, Emma tries to arrange a wealthy marriage for poor Harriet, but refuses to recognize her own feelings for the gallant Mr. Knightley. What ensues is a delightful series of scheming escapades in which every social machination and bit of tittle-tattle is steeped in Austen's delicious irony. Ultimately, Emma discovers that Perfect happiness, even in memory, is not common.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RVirginia Woolf called Jane Austen the most perfect artist among women, and Emma Woodhouse is arguably her most perfect creation. Though Austen found her heroine to be a person whom no one but myself will much like, &&LI&&REmma&&</I&&R is her most cleverly woven, riotously comedic, and pleasing novel of manners.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&R&&</P&&R&&LP style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt&&R&&LSTRONG&&RSteven Marcus&&</B&&R&&</B&&R&&</B&&R is Professor of English and Comparative Literature and George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, and a specialist in nineteenth-century literature and culture. A fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Literary Studies, he has received Fulbright, American Council of Learned Societies, Guggenheim, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Rockefeller, and Mellon grants. He is the author of more than 200 publications.&&</P&&R&&</DIV&&R
Emma Woodhouse is a bona fide matchmaker, playing cupid for all her acquaintances while she claims to never marry herself. Famous last words...
Emma's current assignment is her dear friend Harriet Smith and after a proposal that Miss Woodhouse deems far to beneath her puts in all her efforts to find a suitable husband for Miss Smith. I found Emma to be a buttinski, while cute and charming she was also very meddling, granite that's want a matchmaker does but it started to get on my nerves.
I felt so sorry for Harriet throughout the book, releasing her "true love" due to a friend's persuasion and then to have her heartstrings continually yanked around throughout the whole of the book. So while I did feel empathetic towards her I also found Harriet to be a sweet, innocent push over.
Jane Fairfax plays the sweet natured niece of Mrs. Bates, a neighbor of the Woodhouses and who Emma takes a dislike to but eventually comes around in the end to see the good everyone else sees in Jane.
Then there are the ladies love interests, Mr. Knightly, Frank Churchhill, Mr. Elton and Robert Martin. who all play ring-a-rosies with the girl's hearts but in Jane Austen's classic fashion hearts are broken and mended and eventually married off to suitable gentlemen.
Emma was very quick and witty, along the same ranks as Pride and Prejudice and earns a spot on my bookcase next to this great novel.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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19 March, 2009:
Finished reading
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19 March, 2009:
Reviewed