I am currently working my way through all of Jane's novels and writings. This is my 6th foray into her world, and I was again not disappointed. Jane writes with such wit and humor and brilliance that one cannot help but be sucked into her stories. I have very much enjoyed all of them so far, and count myself among Jane's devoted following. On the back of my edition, Jane is quoted as saying something to the effect of "Nobody but I will like Emma." I have to admit, I found this to be true... to start with. Emma is fairly spoiled and meddlesome, has a high opinion of herself and of propriety, class and station in life, acquaintances befitting said class or station, etc. She lives a rather sheltered existance, in a small parish in the country, where, by all accounts, her family is among the highest respected. She has a worrisome hypochondriac father, who finds that gruel (yes gruel, as in "Please sir, may I have some more?" gruel) is the most wholesome meal one can eat, and who feels that marrying off his female housemates is one of the most unwelcome aspects of a father's life. I found him quite hilarious and tiresome at the same time.
Emma's sense of etiquette is the main focus of this one. From Emma being insulted at being invited to a party given by a "lower" family, to her trying to finagle a better match for her illegitimate friend, to her being offended by the familiarity and vulgarity of a new acquaintance using nicknames, or even just a person's first name, as opposed to their proper title, I found it quite entertaining.
I said before that I did not initially like Emma. (Spoiled and meddlesome, remember?) But I must admit, that by the end of the story, I was quite impressed by how she had matured and grown. She seemed to be actually more concerned with people's true happiness than with the appearance of propriety, which is commendable.
This was a fun story, if a little long. Although a good chunk of that length is attributed to Miss Bate's soliloqies. Somehow, she never finishes a thought, but just rambles on and on and on! Seriously though, this is Jane's longest book, and I do think that given her talent for showing quite a lot of action in what feels like just a few words, that this three-volume tome could have been slimmed down a tiny bit.
But, I am happy that we actually got to see a little interaction between lovers in this one. --Really, get your heads out of the gutters!!-- I simply mean that Jane's books usually end with the romantic relationship's beginning, and we see nothing more than the final realization of love and a proposal before the end. Aaaaaand Scene! In this one, we get to see Emma interact with her intended and see how well they get along, where they will live, etc.
Anyway, I did enjoy this overall... It's not my favorite Austen, but so far, I have loved them all.