Jane Austen’s fifth novel is a comedy of manners that satirises middle-class English lifestyle of the early 1800s. It tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a beautiful, confident young woman, who has decided she never wants to get married. Unlike most women at the time, Emma doesn’t need to be dependent on a husband because she has a lot of money of her own. But despite her personal opposition to marriage, she loves trying to matchmake for her friends.
“Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of.”
“La natura umana è così ben disposta verso coloro che sono in situazioni interessanti, che di una persona giovane che si sposi, o che muoia, non si dirà sicuramente altro che bene.”
Unfortunately, her advice on relationships often leads to misunderstandings and hurts the people she loves the most. Emma is so busy trying to organise marriages for other people that she doesn’t notice she has an admirer of her own, her good friend Mr. Knightley.
Lovable but flawed
Emma Woodhouse is one of Jane Austen’s best-known characters. She has many positive qualities. She’s witty and sociable, devoted to her elderly father, and concerned for her friend Harriet. But Emma has many flaws, too. She’s a snob about class, which leads her to give Harriet some terrible advice. And she doesn’t stop to think how her words might hurt people. Perhaps it is Emma’s good fortune that makes her unable to empathise with people who are less fortunate.
“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. She was the youngest of the two daughters of a most affectionate, indulgent father; and had, in consequence of her sister’s marriage, been mistress of his house from a very early period.”
“Emma Woodhouse, bella, intelligente e ricca, con una casa confortevole e un carattere allegro, sembrava riunire in sé il meglio che la vita può offrire, e aveva quasi raggiunto i ventun’anni senza subire alcun dolore o grave dispiacere. Era la più giovane delle due figlie di un padre estremamente affettuoso e indulgente e, in seguito al matrimonio della sorella, aveva assunto molto presto il ruolo di padrona di casa.”
Class divides
Social class is an important theme in this novel, as in all Austen’s work. When Harriet receives an offer of marriage from the respectable and kind farmer Robert Martin, Emma tells her to reject him because his position in society is too low.
“We will not be parted. A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter.”
“Non ci troveremo separate. Una donna non deve sposare un uomo solo perché riceve una proposta, o perché lui nutre affetto per lei e sa scrivere una lettera accettabile.”
Instead Emma persuades Harriet that she should to aim to marry Mr. Elton, the vicar, who has a higher social status. The plan ends in disaster.
Social observation
The novel’s humour comes from Austen’s detailed observation of everyday life and some very amusing characters. There is Miss Bates, the neighbour who never stops talking; the awful Mrs. Elton, who is always boasting about the size of her brother-in-law’s house; and Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s father, who is terrified of people getting ill. Here, Mr. Woodhouse warns a guest to take great care with what she eats:
“Mrs. Bates, let me propose your venturing on one of these eggs. An egg boiled very soft is not unwholesome. [...] you need not be afraid, they are very small, you see— one of our small eggs will not hurt you.”
“Signora bates, vi suggerirei di arrischiarvi con una di queste uova. Un uovo bollito morbido non può far male. […] non dovete aver paura… sono così piccole, vedete, uno di questi nostri ovettini non potrà nuocervi."
Escaping boredom
Life for middle-class women of the period was pretty boring, and Austen captures this in her novels. Emma spends most of her time at home, embroidering, painting or receiving visits from neighbours. There are a few social highlights in the novel —a picnic, a dinner, a ball— but in general Emma is bored by the limited social possibilities of the village where she lives. This is why she amuses herself by matchmaking although she knows it’s dangerous.
“The first error and the worst lay at her door. It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together. It was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious, a trick of what ought to be simple.”
“Il primo errore, e il peggiore, era da imputare a lei. Era una stupidaggine, era un vero e proprio sbaglio darsi parte così attivamente al tentativo di mettere insieme due persone. Voleva dire avventurarsi troppo oltre, presumere troppo, prendere alla leggera quello che doveva essere serio, giocare d’astuzia su ciò che doveva essere semplice.”
Over two hundred years after it was written, Emma is still a great read. It’s been adapted for cinema and TV many times, including the 1996 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, and the latest film version (2020) starring Anya Taylor-Joy. The movie Clueless (1995), about matchmaking in an American high-school, is also based on the novel.