I was just defending Emma (the character, not the novel) to someone the other day. I love how much you see her grow over the course of the novel. (I'm also married to a Mr. Knightley, but I did love Emma best long before I met my husband!) I've never thought about this aspect of the novel before, though—the obvious person who helps Emma grow is Mr. Knightley, but yes, the community as a whole is so instrumental in her growth.
I love rooting for Emma throughout this book on the reread. Her gradual transformation is realistic. I also noticed how, as Jen Fulwiler would say, “the point of life is to let people annoy you”. So many times, Emma was taught the best lessons by people and circumstances that were annoying or tiresome.
This is the first time I read through the entire book and I found myself getting so annoyed at Emma! It wasn't until the scolding she received from her intimate friend that I was able to see so much of myself in Emma. If I can't have compassion for Emma then I can't have it for myself and so I will love Emma with all her faults. As for the cure for selfishness, I think before she can receive help from her community she needs to decide to be willing to receive that help. I can't imagine Mrs. Elton accepting she was lacking anything. I loved how Austen showed Emma practicing the piano in reparation for her previous idleness. She was willing to grow in virtue and therefore open to the cure of selfishness .. being part of a community.
I have somehow mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I love and rejoices in Jane Austen's writing, on the other, half of the book was for me almost insufferable. I had a really difficult time in relating to Emma, her prejudice against Robert Martin and the fact of almost ruining Harriet's destiny on a mere whim of her part was hard to swallow. Mr. Knightley's rebuke, to me, was too little of an event to precipitate so much of a change. I understand that the end of book is only the beginning of her new journey, but her insistence on Harriet being below, and not deserving of Mr. Knightley makes me believe that the hold of old habits, in a lesser degree, is still in place. I don't know, maybe I'm too much an egalitarian to put up whith Emma's kind of reasoning. Nonetheless, I loved the book, 'cause I love anything that has Jane Austen for author.
Does anyone have a recommendation for an edition of Mansfield Park that has useful notes in it? I like when there are notes to explain cultural references and such.
I love Emma -- She’s just like me! 😂😅 on the first read I gave her the benefit of the doubt because I believed (and have told myself...) the lie that being constantly focused on other people (which she is!) means you can’t be selfish. But there’s a big difference between being invested in someone else’s good out of selflessness and being a busybody out of vanity. (I am often the latter because I, like Emma, am right about everything.) Thank God we both found our Mr. Knightleys!
I was just defending Emma (the character, not the novel) to someone the other day. I love how much you see her grow over the course of the novel. (I'm also married to a Mr. Knightley, but I did love Emma best long before I met my husband!) I've never thought about this aspect of the novel before, though—the obvious person who helps Emma grow is Mr. Knightley, but yes, the community as a whole is so instrumental in her growth.
I love rooting for Emma throughout this book on the reread. Her gradual transformation is realistic. I also noticed how, as Jen Fulwiler would say, “the point of life is to let people annoy you”. So many times, Emma was taught the best lessons by people and circumstances that were annoying or tiresome.
This is the first time I read through the entire book and I found myself getting so annoyed at Emma! It wasn't until the scolding she received from her intimate friend that I was able to see so much of myself in Emma. If I can't have compassion for Emma then I can't have it for myself and so I will love Emma with all her faults. As for the cure for selfishness, I think before she can receive help from her community she needs to decide to be willing to receive that help. I can't imagine Mrs. Elton accepting she was lacking anything. I loved how Austen showed Emma practicing the piano in reparation for her previous idleness. She was willing to grow in virtue and therefore open to the cure of selfishness .. being part of a community.
I have somehow mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I love and rejoices in Jane Austen's writing, on the other, half of the book was for me almost insufferable. I had a really difficult time in relating to Emma, her prejudice against Robert Martin and the fact of almost ruining Harriet's destiny on a mere whim of her part was hard to swallow. Mr. Knightley's rebuke, to me, was too little of an event to precipitate so much of a change. I understand that the end of book is only the beginning of her new journey, but her insistence on Harriet being below, and not deserving of Mr. Knightley makes me believe that the hold of old habits, in a lesser degree, is still in place. I don't know, maybe I'm too much an egalitarian to put up whith Emma's kind of reasoning. Nonetheless, I loved the book, 'cause I love anything that has Jane Austen for author.
Does anyone have a recommendation for an edition of Mansfield Park that has useful notes in it? I like when there are notes to explain cultural references and such.
I love Emma -- She’s just like me! 😂😅 on the first read I gave her the benefit of the doubt because I believed (and have told myself...) the lie that being constantly focused on other people (which she is!) means you can’t be selfish. But there’s a big difference between being invested in someone else’s good out of selflessness and being a busybody out of vanity. (I am often the latter because I, like Emma, am right about everything.) Thank God we both found our Mr. Knightleys!