Jane Austen Week: Emma

In which I discuss Jane Austen's Emma.
Emma: / 6969.emma
ITV 2009 adaptation: www.imdb.com/ti...
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[@tessat338]

Our Mr. Knightly, George Knightly, is the older brother, hence his living at Donwell Abby. He inherited the family home. George the elder brother is "Mr. Knightly" and Mr. John Knightly is the younger brother, distinguished from his older brother by the constant use of his given name. So John and Isabella are closer in age to each other than are Mr. (George) Knightly and Emma.

[@lw3646]

Maybe the problem with Emma is that there weren't enough personal stakes for her in the story? When you start off a novel with a character who already is wealthy, happy and has no intention of marrying, its hard to develop a good conflict for her. Her actions do have some bad effects which she feels a little guilty about, but she remains pretty much on top of things the whole novel.

[@mysticmouse7261]

I think Emma was Jane Austen' s favorite. " I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like."

[@katiejlumsden]

I do love that quote from her.

[@tamarabellinger6731]

Emma is the first and only Austen book I have read so far and I LOVED it!!! I’m guessing by what you are saying that I am going to love her work!

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm sure you'll love the rest.

[@lw3646]

Love the setting, the characters, the fact there's no out and out villain which is refreshing and mature I often find because people are complex. Maybe Knightly was a bit too perfect and plain (sorry). I liked how Emma reacts to Mrs Elton, suddenly having this new rival to deal with and not liking it one bit. I appreciated having a flawed female protagonist, and she does grow over the course of the story, she's more mature and understanding by the end, even though the worst and meanest thing she does is quite near the end of the book. Its a little idealised both in terms of the setting and how nicely and neatly everything ties itself up and how the characters all are given a nice ending. I guess we don't read Austen for gritty details. I know these are meant to be characters from a certain kind of background but I'm sure even for them back then life was more than just costumes and balls.

[@booksandquestions9135]

That adaptation is PHENOMENAL. I love how much it ties together the three young people (Emma, Jane, and Frank), and I love how well it shows how much she loves her dad. Other versions don't bring that out as much, and I think it's really important so she doesn't seem like she only cares about herself.

[@katiejlumsden]

+BooksandQuestions Agreed! It's very well done and it's nice to see so much of dear Mr Woodhouse :)

[@katehowereads]

I agree that the 2009 version is the best, Johnny Lee Miller is the perfect Mr. Knightley! I think there's not that much middle ground with Emma Woodhouse, people seem to either like or dislike her. I really like her so hence my love of the book. I love that Austen kept a tally of who liked and disliked Emma!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Kate Howe Oh, Johnny Lee Miller is just perfect for Mr Knightley. I do enjoy that when Austen wrote Emma she decided she'd written a character that only she would like.

[@r.msphonics7201]

I love this story and I have watched the movie. I loved it!!!! You explained her so well!

[@siddheshbalshetwar3869]

This was my first Jane Austen book and honestly I didn't like it ...I literally laboured through the other half(it had no flow) and it was really really slow for my liking... And now this has got me thinking if other Jane Austen books are worth my time

[@katiejlumsden]

I would recommend trying Pride and Prejudice before you give up on her!

[@BohoBookworm]

Happy birthday Jane Austen!!

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

I'm heading over to that blog now, top -5 JA characters here I come! X

[@katiejlumsden]

+Lauren And The Books Hoorah :)

[@mayomayomayonaise6521]

Holy shiiiit i could relate to emma soo much and loved her personality even with her flaws but shiiiiiiit i might be fuckin snob cuz i didn't notice her snobbish behavior but i did notice she is carefree and gullible...... oof

[@EmilyHornburg]

That version of Emma is my favorite too! Although I also really love Clueless... which is but isn't Emma.

[@EmilyHornburg]

oh no! I meant to reply to your comment but my clumsy fingers pressed "report" instead on my dumb smart phone. I'm sorry!!!!!

[@katiejlumsden]

Ha oh dear! Ah well, don't worry. I don't think it matters if you've just been reported once. Apparently my channel is still 'in good standing' so all is well.

[@EmilyHornburg]

Books and Things okay cool! I didn't want to get you in trouble with KZbin ☺

[@rachelport3723]

I like the Romola Garai adaptation, but you might also like an earlier one with Kate Beckinsale which is also excellent.

[@katiejlumsden]

I have seen that one and do really enjoy it, though it's been far too long since I last watched it!

[@caraxkins]

I haven't seen your favorite adaptation, but based on pictures I knew that it definitely had the best George Knightly lol. I found myself seeing Cher Horowitz/Alicia Silverstone a lot more than Anya or Gwenyth in the character lol. I'm curious what you think of Emma 2020.

[@catherineelizabethhallahan9446]

I'm actually thinking of reading Emma first! But i don't know what to read next. Hmmmmm :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Enjoy :)

[@catherineelizabethhallahan9446]

Thank you! :)

[@LethoHali]

Pride and prejudice next!

[@brendagallagher5409]

Ayyyyy, i clicked on this vid and it just happened to be a quienkidink that THIS is the 16th of December when i watch this

[@katiejlumsden]

Good timing :D

[@rearadmiraldoublezero8473]

Wonderful! I agree with you about Mr Knightley and about Emma '09. When I visited Box Hill, I actually quoted Jonny Lee Miller from that adaptation..."It's the same county, it's not the moon"(video alas gone)...or something like that. Sadly I don't care for, nor enjoy the bad characters much. I love love love the way Romola says the "Emma rant" against Mrs Elton. I have a Mrs Elton in my Austen book club. Truth be told....it can rightly be said I occasionally act a bit like Emma..."This location and book is best because I've decided it's so"....that's not an actual quote but might be accurate to my thinking...on an occasion. I rate it 4th, although mostly because the romantic stakes aren't as important. How do you feel about the Emma/Mr K age gap/closeness while she was growing up things? I wrote a blog about that for Sarah Emsley's Emma in Snow series. While my post was very dull indeed, there certainly were more than three responses.

[@katiejlumsden]

+rearadmiral doublezero Ah, it's such a brilliant adaptation! I'm not sure how I feel about their age difference - I often think of Knightley as younger than he is, and it seems to me that Emma maybe benefits from a more mature man, and their relationship, while possibly brotherly-sisterly previously, is never father-daughterly at all. Anyway, can I have the link to your blog post? I'm curious :)

[@rearadmiraldoublezero8473]

+Books and Things I like your comment about thinking Knightley as younger than he is....Gulp....here it is.....sarahemsley.com/2016/02/24/why-do-readers-object-to-the-romance-between-emma-and-mr-knightley/

[@katiejlumsden]

How curious! I've always been quite fond of Mr Knightley, and quite like their relationship. I'm surprised so many people don't. It's hardly that uncommon in 19th century novels - it's a smaller difference than between Marianne and Brandon or than between Jane and Rochester in Jane Eyre and between various Dickensian couples. Interesting.

[@jakobtanner2523]

It's all about Cluelesss!!!!!! On a side note, have you read Tony Tanner's book of essays on Jane Austen? It's one of my favourites even though Sedgwick a good decade later skewers and illuminates how much pomposity riddles his writing haha

[@katiejlumsden]

+Jakob Tanner Yep, all about Clueless :P (I do love Clueless) And no, I haven't read those essays - perhaps I should! I love reading about Jane Austen.

[@jakobtanner2523]

If you have any of the penguin classics editions of her books, Tony Tanner's essays might be included in the back. I know some of them were with mine!

[@katiejlumsden]

Ah, I've only got the Collector's Library editions and a few older copies, no penguin. But I'll have to look the essays up!

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

I mean 15!!

[@AmandaQuotidianBooks]

I think Emma will be the last Jane Austen work I read. I REALLY don't like Emma from what I've seen of adaptations of her (Gwenyth Paltrow and the Pemberly Digital web series).

[@katiejlumsden]

+Amanda Center (IntrovertX) I can see what you mean, but even though I don't like Emma as a character that much I still do enjoy bits of the book - well, namely, Mr Knightley...

[@AmandaQuotidianBooks]

Books and Things I'll get to it eventually and remember it's for the sake of Mr. Knightley.

[@booksandquestions9135]

+Amanda Center (IntrovertX) I think you might like it more than you think. Austen is hard on her characters, but good to her readers, so you needn't like Emma (the character) to love Emma (the book).

[@AmandaQuotidianBooks]

BooksandQuestions Hmmm... I won't knock it til I try it (anymore)!

[@booksandquestions9135]

:)

[@danil.6667]

I'm about 77% into Emma now and sadly, it's kind of boring the shit out of me. I flew through P&P and even S&S, but I keep wanting to put this one down.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'd recommend sticking with it. It's not my favourite Austen, but I do really enjoy it.

[@danil.6667]

I'm almost done! :)

[@Alpha-qz8wj]

❣

[@CJ-uo5cl]

But not greedy...too romantic and snobbish