 "Tedious, Simply Tedious" | 2009-07-24 |
| - Reviewed By gmayer@sfasu.edu |
I'm an older guy with a Ph.D. in English. For the last month or so, I've been trying to read "Emma," and I believe I lack only 50 pages. I'm determined to finish. Actually, I started reading it about a year ago. If I can suffer through 10 pages a day, I think I'm doing well. I plan some type of celebration once I'm done.
One of my graduate students used the word "tedious" to describe Jane Austen. I agree 100%. Sometimes you must read a sentence a dozen times; then, maybe, you have an inkling of what Ms. Austen is trying to say. Maybe not. She simply goes on and on and on.
Personally, it's novels like "Emma" (or any other novel by the outdated Ms. Austen) that turn kids against literature. When I was in the 10th grade, we had to read "Silas Marner," a totally painful experience. I reread it years later, thinking maybe I had misjudged it as a teen. I had. It was even more painful.
i'm really thinking about beginning a Website, "Real Men Don't Read Jane Austen." But that's sexist, isn't it? I can only hear Ms. Austin responding, "Do you mean to say if real men don't read me, unreal men do? What's an unreal man? Are there both real men and unreal men in the world? Is 'unreal' the opposite of 'real'? But what's 'real'? Is it the opposite of 'unreal'? Oh, my. My my. What's 'real'? What's 'unreal'? Oh my fur and whiskers!" |
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 "Emma-she is very wity" | 2009-06-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A397XA82DZDQR5 |
| I am currently reading Emma for my book club. I had to watch the movie to understand who certian people were but the book is even better. She is wity and funny. I would recommend this book. |
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 "Another Great Jane Austen Classic" | 2009-06-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3LBVYSIVE93X0 |
| When commenting about the brilliant Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice is the most commonly discussed. Though I must admit that Pride and Prejudice is my undisputed favorite from among those novels I have read by Ms. Austen, she does have many other great works. Emma is yet another example of her unparalleled skills as a writer. Most people find Austen's themes of romance most interesting but her novels, Emma in particular, are peppered with a great deal of satire. Austen manages to not only create an engaging story but also to criticize the ridged society in which she lived. In all of the Jane Austen novels that I have read she has created a humorous character who seems to talk far too much and make herself ridiculous to everybody; that character in this story is Mrs. Bates. Though Mrs. Bates long speeches did often get annoying they were not without humor and it seems obvious that Austen was poking fun at many of the women in her society. Though it took me a while to get through this book I did thoroughly enjoy it and was further convinced of Jane Austen being one of the greatest writers to ever live. This novel rather contrasted both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility in the fact that the heroin was not an underprivileged young woman who was lifted up from inferior circumstance. Instead, Emma was born into a high circle of society and a great deal of money. It was not her who was looked down on but she who looked down on others and while she was generally well meaning she was not without her pride and sense of superiority. I had a bit of a difficult time relating to Emma's character as opposed to those of Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood who were both more level headed and loveable. I always enjoy Jane Austen's novels and I am very glad that I read Emma. I would most certainly suggest it! |
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| "Jane Austen's Fourth Novel" | 2009-05-16 |
| - Reviewed By blupenguin18 |
Emma was the first Jane Austen book I've ever read &, originally, I liked it much more than Pride And Prejudice but I've since changed my mind. While I love this book, it's not my favorite anymore.
Emma is such a fun character because she is so sure that what she's doing is right when all the while she's just making a mess of things. The best part about her is that when she sees that she is wrong, she can laugh at herself & learn from her mistakes.
Mr. Knightly is one of my favorite Austen characters. His name says it all, "knightly." He is the perfect gentlemen...possibly moreso than Mr. Darcy, even.
The characters in this book, as in all Jane Austen books, represent both the follies & goodness in human nature, which is what I love about her writing. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend for anyone new to Jane Austen.
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 "A single woman in possession of a good writing talent must be in want of an editor..." | 2009-03-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3PI6O5RQF35OA |
While this novel is certainly a cut above most modern fiction, Emma is not Austen's best work. In contrast with Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey's tight narrative structures, Emma is long and rambling. The narrative presents many insignificant details even as it leaves out more important scenes. For example, we are privy to several examples of Miss Bates' idle chatter, but Harriet's capture by the gypsies and Robert Martin's proposal happen offstage. Although Miss Bates is supposed to be a lovable character, I found myself putting the book down during one of her conversations and not returning to it for several months (which is unusual, as I read Northanger Abbey in a day).
Nevertheless, the novel does have its redeeming features. Several people have noted that they disliked Emma's snobbishness, but we're not meant to adore her, and the author gently pokes fun at her elitism. Prior to the book's publication, Austen wrote that she feared no one else would love Emma as much as she did, so the protagonist is not intended to be a likeable character. Her flaws balance out her good traits, such as her wit and liveliness. Her dialogues with Mr. Knightley and even Harriet contain subtle zingers that may not be readily apparent to a 20th century reader the first time around. If you think you didn't like this book, you will appreciate it more on a second reading (and you can always skim the boring parts, like poor Miss Bates!). You will learn a great deal about the classist ideology lurking beneath Regency Britain's prim veneer. And if nothing else, reading with the intent to pick up on the characters' oblique but witty repartee will help you sharpen your own wit and social skills. |
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| "The first Austen I ever read..." | 2009-01-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: AWMNKX4SD57BZ |
| ...and still my favorite (yes, even over Pride and Prejudice). It a good one to start with if you've never read one of Austen's novels before. |
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