While the name Jane Austen may initially bring to mind the words ‘boring’ or ‘dull’, Emma, (1815), is anything but that. Set in the small English village of Highbury, we meet a wonderful range of characters – some are mocked for their ridiculous follies, and others we deeply care about and sympathize with. With the variety of fully-fleshed out characters, the village is really brought to life. The plot is wonderfully chaotic, focusing on Emma’s interferences in the love lives of the villagers and the progression of her own. In the five hundred or so pages, the reader becomes deeply invested in the story and feels close to the characters Austen creates. 

The plot is made up of several different strands, and this adds to the chaos and confusion of the novel. Emma interferes with the marriage prospects of her poor orphaned friend Harriet. Despite Emma’s confidence in deducing other people’s feelings, she ends up creating a tangled web of emotions and misunderstandings, as both Harriet and Emma try to navigate their feelings. Along the way we meet Jane Fairfax, who is visiting her aunt in Highbury. There is lots of mystery surrounding her past, and her relationship with one of Emma’s potential suitors, Frank Churchill. This is only heightened with the arrival of a mystery piano with no note from the donor. Another potential suitor for Emma is the local vicar, Mr Elton, who we follow amidst his desperate quest for love (and money). 

There is lots of game-playing in the novel, further adding to the sense of fun and intrigue. Harriet composes a book of riddles, whose answers are sometimes used to reveal hidden feelings to other characters. Following that, there is a game played with wooden letter blocks, where a secret message is passed between characters, and overseen by others. This playfulness and mystery adds to the reader’s familiarity with the citizens of Highbury, and we become part of this gossipy world, where everyone knows each other’s business. 

For me, the best thing about the novel is the wide range of warm characters which Austen has carefully crafted, so they almost become riends. The reader is bound to lovingly laugh at Miss Bates who does not stop talking. She constantly interrupts herself and goes on for multiple pages about a single letter that she has received. Miss Bates is a hilariously well-formed character, who is loveable despite her follies. Emma’s father, Mr Woodhouse, is another warm but hyperbolic character. My favorite moment of his is when he absolutely refuses to believe that his doctor’s children would eat chocolate cake, because the idea is so completely outrageous to his hypochondriac self. Make sure to count the number of times he mentions draughts as it does become a key part of his characterisation. Of course, a piece written about Emma would not be complete without mention of the charming Mr Knightley. He is a thoughtful, clever and moral character, who Austen shapes to be both honest and kind. Pride and Prejudice’s Mr Darcy has nothing on Knightley in my opinion.

It is worth ending with a consideration of the character of Emma. Through Austen’s use of free indirect discourse, the reader is let into Emma’s mind and we experience a significant portion of the novel through her perspective. While Austen wrote that no one apart from herself would much like Emma, the protagonist grows throughout the novel and although she is flawed, I certainly grew fond of her wit, confidence, and loyalty. Even though she is not the easiest character to sympathize with at the start of the text, most readers will come to love her. 

So, why should you read Emma? 

Apart from the chaotic plot lines, game-playing and many misunderstandings, the variety of (mostly) loveable and nuanced characters creates a lively village which readers will inevitably feel a part of and not want to leave at the end of the novel.