Austen's longest, and perhaps most rewarding, novel
Emma Woodhouse has it all. She's the only Austen heroine who doesn't seem to need anything. All the other heroines are either in difficult financial straits or they're going to be, but Emma is actually wealthy. She's the only lady in her home, and since her father is an aging hypochondriac, she makes all the important decisions and has a degree of power and independence. Despite her singleness, Emma has great social standing as the chief well-bred lady of her small town of Highbury, and she's admired and respected by all. On top of that, she's young, smart, and attractive. So what could this heroine possibly need that she doesn't already have? Humility and empathy. Five weddings, a half-dozen major misunderstandings, and 400 pages pass before she gains them, but Emma's ending is as happy and triumphant as the close of Pride and Prejudice.
Most of Emma's plans and notions ultimately tie back to feeding her own ego. She may say--and may fully believe--that she wants Harriet to make a good match simply out of friendship and kindness, but if Harriet, a girl without a dowry or advanced social skills, makes an excellent match, it'll be entirely due to Emma's influence. That's why it's so fortunate that her plans don't work out--it would be bad for Emma's character if she was vindicated in playing God. But though Emma is proven wrong several times, this is a light, optimistic story, so she is never humiliated. She's embarrassed and humbled a little, but the new understanding she gains makes her a better, stronger person.
I've heard that endings in fiction should always be unexpected, but at the same time inevitable, and Emma is a brilliant example of this convention. All the matches that come about are not the ones that Emma expects (it's not just her--Harriet and Mr. and Mrs. Weston also make wrong guesses about who will marry whom), yet at the same time, they are the only suitable and reasonable matches. Mr. Elton is only pretending to be a good-hearted man, so he marries a rich, obnoxious woman who fits better with him than sweet little Harriet would. Mr. Martin is a kind, humble farmer who will never look down on Harriet for her illegitimate parentage, so he's an excellent husband for a girl who has a gentle temperament and good looks, but not much else to recommend her. Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill seem the most mismatched of the group, but they get by since they're complimentary opposites; she has all the wisdom in the relationship and he has all the energy and zest for life. And Emma and Mr. Knightley make the ultimate perfect-yet-surprising match, mainly because they were both totally content to be single. But Emma needs someone who will call her on her occasional rudeness and pride, and Mr. Knightley is almost too self-sufficient and rigid and needs to soften a little and incorporate another person into his daily life.
Emma is longer than Austen's other books, but it's lovely from start to finish. It's a comedy of manners that ends with the heroine not just receiving, but earning, her happily ever after. It's an old favorite of mine and I hope you'll like it, too.
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