Emma - by Jane Austen

US/UK Kindle Classic

It is always a pleasure to write about a Jane Austen book.  “Emma” is her novel from 1816.  Let me share some passages I love. (US Edition)  (£0.77 UK Edition)

"I do not understand what you mean by 'success,'" said Mr. Knightley. "Success supposes endeavour. Your time has been properly and delicately spent, if you have been endeavouring for the last four years to bring about this marriage. [The marriage of Emma’s former governess.]  A worthy employment for a young lady's mind! But if, which I rather imagine, your making the match, as you call it, means only your planning it, your saying to yourself one idle day, 'I think it would be a very good thing for Miss Taylor if Mr. Weston were to marry her,' and saying it again to yourself every now and then afterwards, why do you talk of success? Where is your merit? What are you proud of? You made a lucky guess; and that is all that can be said."

Here is Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse.  Anyone who has had an elderly parent can relate to this conversation. . .

"My dear, how am I to get so far? Randalls is such a distance. I could not walk half so far."

"No, papa, nobody thought of your walking. We must go in the carriage, to be sure." 

"The carriage! But James will not like to put the horses to for such a little way;—and where are the poor horses to be while we are paying our visit?"

"They are to be put into Mr. Weston's stable, papa. You know we have settled all that already. We talked it all over with Mr. Weston last night.

There are many who read “Emma” and loved it the first time.  It took me a time or two to warm up to the book. And I can see from the Amazon reviews, there are others who share that experience.  The important thing is to get there.  Some of us had to read the book first for the plot and then come back for the nuance.  I don’t know that that says much for me as a younger reader – but now I love “Emma” and I hope you will too.

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