Monday, January 10, 2011

Book 68: Memories of Reading Emma.

I think there are two reactions to Austen's Emma. You either love the character of Emma Woodhouse, or you hate her. There doesn't seem to be a a middle ground for her character.

I have fond memories of the first time I read the novel back in high school. It was for my senior English class as one of my selections from the AP reading list. When I was a little younger, maybe 13 or 14, I went through an insanely giggly, boy-crazy stage. My friends and I were intent on finding the loves of our lives (oh boy...the embarrassment of writing this). We were obsessed with those silly little kinds of flirtations and the idea of love as something we had yet to discover for ourselves.

So when I picked up Emma as a senior in high school, it took me back to those moments. I had grown up from that giggly obnoxious kind of girlhood into someone who was in a "real" relationship for the first time ever (and that relationship turned into my marriage with Matt 7 and a half years later).

But the novel brought me back to what I had been and what I used to believe in. It made me laugh and giggle in the right spots. I enjoyed it and liked Emma, even though I had no desire of ever being like her again.

And this time, it is no different. While Emma does have its depth as you move further into the story, it is frivolous and fun on a surface level. It is hard not to love the cast of characters whose lives seem to controlled by love and relationships. Emma certainly plays the part of mastermind, believing she knows everything about everything that goes on around her. And so convinced that she knows best, she seems almost ruthless in her quest to have things just so.

The beginning of the novel starts off with Emma using her match-making skills in the aid of her friend, Harriet Smith. Harriet come from unknown parentage, but Emma is convinced that she must make a good match. So, she has Harriet turn down a perfectly good proposal from a man she likes in hopes of something more suitable. And of course, there is a man in mind who is simply perfect and miscommunications ensue.

From what I can recall, the novel continues from here, showing us how Emma continuously tries to fix those around her up, but misinterprets what is right in front of her face. I think this is where that dividing line between lovers and haters begin. Some see Emma as manipulative, silly, and selfish. I see her as silly, yes, but I also see her as someone who hasn't grown up in that way. She seems like a girl who secretly writes "Mrs. Emma *****" in her notebooks, but never tells anyone and hides them away so no one will ever find them. I see her as a girl who has yet to undergo that transformation of real love with another person.

I can remember being like that (a little. I swear I was never that bad). And this novel brings me back to that time and place.

So yes, this time I am still loving Emma. She reminds me of when love was simple, and when Matt could do no wrong. :) And she reminds me that at the core, romance can still be simple and fun.

I hope this feeling continues as I move forward, that I continue to see Emma Woodhouse as what, I think, Austen intended: young, naive, and inexperience. She appears to be a foil to the other Austen heroines in many way, but undeniably, she is still an Austen girl, silly or no.

13 comments:

  1. I love Emma too. It's silly and fun but has depth. Great review :D

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  2. I liked Emma (the character) a lot, and would have really liked the book a lot except I got tired of the same jokes being told on repeat. I ended up giving it a middle-of-the-road sort of review, but of the six Austen novel I've read, this one ranks third.

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  3. Emma sees how to grow up at the end of the book. And she helped me go from that silly girl trying to set everyone up to someone who was ready for a real and challenging relationship with a person who helps me grow--just like the one she finds.

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  4. The first time I read Emma, she rubbed me the wrong way. I gave her a second chance and I enjoyed it more. I agree that Austen's point was to make her well-meaning but naive. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

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  5. I'm afraid my first memories of reading 'Emma' are terrible. It was one of my set A level texts and we had a really bad teacher. She made it all so boring it took me (an avid reader) almost a year to finish. It became a family joke. I've never really taken to the book since.

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  6. I've always preferred P&P and Persuasion over Emma but after reading it a few months ago with my co-bloggers, it now rates right up there with the others.

    I like Miss Woodhouse, just fine. Austen's study of character and social foibles fascinates me and it isn't too hard to find people in today's world that resemble her characters.

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  7. I never went through a boy-crazy phase, but I appreciate Emma for other reasons. :)

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  8. Excellent review, Allie! "Emma" is one of my favorite Austen novels; and maybe for reasons not similar to yours. I like "Emma" for the onion-skin layering of mystery and character development that exists in the novel. This novel is one of Austen's most complicated, in my humble opinion, she has nested mystery upon mystery in this book; and invites, in fact, dares the reader to tease it apart, and figure out what is actually going on. This is a book that I try and read every couple of years or so. It illustrates that the power of the spoken and written word is very, very important, and that we need to take responsibility for it. Well done, I loved reading your assessment of "Emma". Cheers! Chris

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  9. After your review of the character, I wonder if I would have liked the movie version better if it had been played by an actress less mature than Gwyneth Paltrow--someone that I could have believed was simply silly and naive.

    I have a horrible confession to make--I've never read an Austen book. I've watched every possible movie or televised version because of my college roommates, but have never picked up a book. It's on my to do list for this year.

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  10. I still love P&P the most of Austen's novels. If you liked Emma, you should watch the movie "Clueless", which is a modern take on Emma and is pretty amusing.

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  11. Emma rates some where in the middle of the pack as far as my Austen favs are ranked, but I have grown to appreciate the book more with time. I think the key is understanding that she isn't ever intentionally cruel, just oblivious. I loved the recent BBC remake with Romola Garai. It was perfect.

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  12. It's been too long since I've read Emma, as I cannot distinctly remember either loving or hating her! I do recall that I enjoyed the book and found it amusing. Maybe it's time for a re-read.

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  13. Emma It is a comedy about Emma Woodhouse, a rich young lady growing up in the fictional community of Hartfield, in 19th century England. both movie nor book i love it!

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