Emma, a novel by
J.
Austen
, begun
1814
, published
1816
.
Emma, a clever, pretty, and self-satisfied young woman, is the daughter, and mistress of the house, of Mr Woodhouse, an amiable old valetudinarian. Her former governess and companion, Anne Taylor, beloved of both father and daughter, has just left them to marry a neighbour, Mr Weston. Missing Miss Taylor's companionship, Emma takes under her wing Harriet Smith, parlour-boarder at the school in the neighbouring village of Highbury. Harriet, a pretty, pliant girl of 17, is the daughter of unknown parents. Emma's active mind sets to work on schemes for Harriet's advancement, but her interfering and injudicious attempts lead in the end to considerable mortification. She first prevents Harriet from accepting an offer of marriage from Robert Martin, an eligible young farmer, as being beneath her. This tampering greatly annoys Mr Knightley, the bachelor owner of Donwell Abbey, who is...
[The entire page is 473 words long]
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