Emma
(Jane Austen)
Emma Woodhouse is the youngest daughter of a well-to-do widower. The story opens at the wedding of Emma?s governess, Mrs. Weston, a match Emma herself managed, according to her good friend Mr. Knightly, by lucky coincidence. Emma, not having a mother, compensates for the lack of feminine nurturing in her young life by setting out to match-make and orchestrates the lives of her friends and family. She feels she has a particular gift and calling in this area, when in truth she does so with disastrous and hilarious results. Ultimately, she finds herself caught in a web of her own misguided altruism.
This novel brilliantly captures the confusion, desires and desperate need of a young adolescent girl to find both her place and purpose in her family and in her society. Emma lived at a time when a wealthy young woman?s future was entirely determined by the skill and quality of her social maneuvers and more importantly by her matrimonial match. Emma has for the time being, elected to remain a respectable single-woman of good fortune, loyal and committed to the needs and care of her elderly father. Emma subconsciously projects her desire for the fortunate match on a socially disadvantaged young friend, named Harriet Smith and the village vicar, Mr. Elton. Her good friend, Mr. Knightly, cautions Emma on her well-meaning interference in others lives, suspecting that her youth and enthusiasm blind her to the realities and personalities she?s dealing with. Their regular conference on Emma?s plans and strategies provide a delightful portrait of each of their characters and a foundation for the relationship that will inevitably blossom between them.
Though the story was written in the eighteenth century, it's delightful exposition on the preoccupations, emotions and machinations that drive a young adolescent girl, remain timeless and relavent for any age. In addition, the story is an excellent reminder that no matter how fine our intentions, if we have not mastered our own emotions and desires, we must not presume to guide the intentions and desires of another.
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