Emma (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Jane Austen
- First Published: 1816
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Romance
- Time of Work: The early nineteenth century
- Setting: Highbury, a village in southern England
- Principal Characters: Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Taylor, Mr. Knightley, Harriet Smith, Mr. Weston, Frank Churchill, Jane Fairfax, Isabella, Mr., Robert Martin
- Genres: Long fiction, Fiction of manners, Bourgeois fiction
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Love or romance, Nineteenth century, Social issues, Marriage, Villages, Friendship, Class consciousness, Manners or customs, Social life, England or English people, Women’s issues, Farms, farmers, or farming, Small-town life, Gossip, Wealth, Eccentrics or eccentricities
- Locales: London, England, Surrey, England, Bath, England
Form and Content
Emma, a romantic comedy of manners, paints a sparkling and amusing picture of genteel village life in Great Britain during the brief Regency period preceding the Victorian period. Marriage and social position are the primary focus of this work as the women characters, faithful to the social dynamics of the time, seek financial and social security through advantageous marriages. Of the many genteel women in the novel, only Emma can choose to stay single without serious financial and social sacrifice. The other unmarried women of the story are either...
[The entire page is 2359 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
