If you’re new to this Substack, one of the things I’m offering subscribers in 2023 is A Year with Jane. We’re reading through Austen’s six novels this year and Emma is our read for March and April.
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Who Am I?
If a Janeite friend just urged you to join our Emma book club, welcome! I’m an author of books for both children and grown-ups, a Florida native who spent 13 years in Texas, mom of four kids ages 4-14, and wife to a whisky distiller. I’m the Editor of Word on Fire Spark so I like to think of my work as literary midwifery—helping bring new beautiful creations into the world. And for the purposes of this post about Austen, it might be good to know that I wrote a book called Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be.
How will the Emma book club work?
How do I sign up? If you’re subscribed to this Substack, then you’re all set! No need to do anything else.
Does it cost money? Nope! It’s a free Substack. If you’d like to support this effort, please invite a friend to subscribe and order my book Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life.
My vision for the book club is to cultivate a community of readers who want to enjoy Austen’s novels this year. If you’ve never read them before and feel overwhelmed at tackling them, you’re in the right place. If you’ve read them all 10 times and want to nerd out with other Austen fans, you’re in the right place.
We will take two months for each of the Austen’s novels and the corresponding chapters in my book Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life.
We just finished Pride & Prejudice and are now turning to Emma.
Reading schedule:
Week of March 5th:
Gather your books. There are many editions out there, so just grab what’s on your shelf or at the local library. And if you enjoy audiobooks, this is an excellent novel to enjoy with a great narrator. My favorite for this novel is Juliet Stevenson’s audiobook version. Grab Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life from Ave Maria Press (use STEWART20 for 20% off) or from Amazon.
If you didn’t start reading with us in January, you may want to catch up by reading the Introduction and Chapters 1-2 of Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life to set the stage.
Week of March 12th:
Chapters 1-9 of Emma
Week of March 19th:
Chapters 10-18 of Emma
Week of March 26th:
Chapters 19-27 of Emma
Week of April 2nd:
Chapters 28-36 of Emma
Week of April 9th:
Chapters 37-45 of Emma
Week of April 16th:
Chapters 46-54 of Emma
Week of April 23rd:
Chapter 3 of Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life
TBA: Zoom Discussion with special guests, Marcia Lane-McGee and Shannon Wimp Schmidt.
Caveat:
On the reading schedule I have suggested reading the chapter about Emma after finishing the novel. This is because as a reader I hate spoilers. But if you’ve already read the novel or are familiar with the story and want a resource to help you dive deeper as you re-read it, feel free to read Chapter 3 of Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life first.
Okay, does that answer everyone’s questions? Do you have everything you need? I’ll be sending out weekly reflections and discussion questions to consider as you read. If you want to read faster or slower, go for it. This is fun, not homework.
If you know someone who would enjoy reading Austen with us for our Year of Jane, please share this post with him/her!
And coming soon (as soon as I figure out how to embed a video) I’ll share the recording of our live Zoom discussion of Pride & Prejudice with Dr.
!All Jane Austen book club emails and 2023 emails will continue to be available with a free subscription. But this is a reader supported effort. Consider supporting this literary Substack by upgrading to a paid subscription.
And if you know someone who would love this virtual book club, please share with them:
Looking forward to discussion Emma with you! Have you read this one before or is this your first time?
Haley
(Editor of Word on Fire Spark, Author, Former Podcaster)
Haley’s Children’s Mystery Series about Mouse Nuns
Haley’s Book on Jane Austen’s Novels
Haley’s Book about Radical Simplicity
I have read Emma twice and am excited to read it again! TBH Emma is not my favorite heroine, but I love Mr. Knightley, so I am looking forward to getting differing thoughts and opinions on these two literary figures!
I always enjoy discussion of Austen heroines because I love Emma, both the heroine and the story, and I find it interesting how polarizing the character is. Yes, she’s spoiled and insufferable at the start. But is that really so different from so many male protagonists in classic literature, or ANY protagonist in modern fiction? Most of us are spoiled beyond recognition with our choices and the sheer volume of luxury we live in compared to our ancestors, and I’d bet more of us have Emma hearts than would like to admit, so maybe we just don’t like the self reflection.
My least favorite Austen heroine is Fanny, by the way 😅 I still haven’t gotten over how undeserving Edmund was as far as winning her love.