Resumo de Emma - Jane Austen

Emma, by Jane Austen, was one of the most enjoyable books I have readrecently. I chose to read Emma because, having read and loved Pride andPrejudice by the same author, I wanted to explore her other books aswell. The characters in Austen's stories are both intriguing andcomical and her description of the era in which they take place createsa clear view of society in those times I was enchanted with Emma because Austen beautifully blendstogether a simple story of a girl and a documentation of the societalbehaviors of the time. It provides insights into the life and socialcustoms of a lady living in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One of the book's principle topics is marriage. The maincharacter, Emma, approves of matchmaking for marriage and, through her,the reader gets a view into the different motives for marriage. Forsome people, marriage was simply a way to advance in social status; forothers, marriage was for love. In Emma's time, marriages had to bematched according to social status. One could not marry below theirstatus. Marrying too far above one's status could end up disastrously. The book tells the story of Emma Woodhouse who is a pretty,wealthy, poised, and clever young woman. Her mother died when she wastoo young to remember or miss her and was raised mainly by hergoverness, Miss Taylor. Miss Taylor behaved like a best friend ratherthan a governess due to her mild temper and love for Emma. Therefore,Emma grew up without any firm rules or structure. This freedom causedher to think quite highly of herself and of her opinions. It was herexcessive self-confidence that led her to often make mistakes creatingmisfortunes for others and embarrassment for herself. Jane Austen, by the style of her writing, creates somewell-defined character while including other character that are leftmore open to the reader interpretations. For example, while Emma'sfaults are very apparent, I found her innocence to be charming and itcreated sympathy for her character. Other examples of characters likeEmma are Jain Fairfax, Harriet Smith, and Mr. Elton. In contrast thecharacter of Mr. Knightly, the family friend is set in stone. Withinthe first few pages of the book he is established as the moral rolemodel of the story. Mr. Woodhouse, Mr. Weston, Mrs. Weston (the formerMiss Taylor), Frank Churchill, and Miss Bates are all other charactersthat give off a particular feeling, the feeling that Austen intended.These characters all have good and bad qualities, all of which are leftup to the interpretation of the reader. The novel is written in thirdperson, however the detached narrator often sees through Emma's pointof view. Having the effect of a not so neutral bystander. I highly recommend Emma to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted,witty book that captivates and enchants. While reading this book youwill find yourself captivated in the pages of one of Jane Austen'smasterpieces.

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