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Emma by Jane Austen Book Review, Quotes, Summary, Characters, and Analysis.
EMMA is one of the most influential classic novels of the 19th century, edited by the famous British writer Jane Austen.
The protagonist Emma is a beautiful, intelligent, and wealthy girl, and she is also a visionary. She zealously follows the romances around her, but stubbornly believes she'll never get caught up in them.
She took it upon herself to direct love after love for the orphaned daughter Harriet. When Harriet mistakenly thinks she is in love with Mr. Knightley, the magistrate, Emma realizes that she is also in love with Mr. Knightley.
Although this was contrary to her vow of never marrying at the beginning, she had to give up her innocent vow when she fell in love. The work has been brought to the screen many times.
Book: Emma by Jane Austen
Emma is a novel written by Jane Austen. It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and the surrounding estates of Hartfield, Randalls and Donwell Abbey, and involves the relationships among people from a small number of families. ---Wikipedia
Originally published: December 23, 1815
Author: Jane Austen
Characters: Emma Woodhouse, George Knightley, MORE
Genres: Novel, Romance novel, Fiction, Comedy, Reference work, Comedy of manners, Novel of manners
Jane Austen (1775-1817), was a famous British female writer. This book is one of the author's main works and is considered to be his most mature work.
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, into the family of a parish priest in Steventon Township. Received a better family education, the main teaching material is the father's literary collection.
The Austins loved to read popular novels, mostly vulgar pastimes. Her teenage studies were parodies of such popular novels, thus forming the ironic tone of her work.
Her six novels, "Sense and Sentiment" (1811), "Pride and Prejudice" (1813), "Mansfield Gardens" (1814), "Emma" (1815), and "Northanger Abbey" were published after the author's death (1818), and "Persuasion" (1818), most of which took the daily life of the middle class in towns and villages as the theme, and reflected the style of British society at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century through conflicts in love and marriage.
The works often ridicule people's stupidity, selfishness, snobbery, blind self-confidence, and other despicable and ridiculous weaknesses through comic scenes.
Austen's novels appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, swept away the trend of false romanticism, inherited and developed the excellent British realism tradition in the 18th century, prepared for the climax of realist novels in the 19th century, and played a link between the past and the next. important role.
"Don't be afraid, my Harriet, even if I become an old girl, I will not be poor. Only poor and single women are despised! A single woman, if she has not had enough sources of life, will be Irritating and ridiculed! Be the laughing stock of young men and girls, but a rich single woman is respected, can be as knowledgeable as everyone else, and people will like her! The difference seems It seems to violate the ideology of normal people, but this is not the case! Due to the lack of security in life, people may become petty and eccentric. Some people with just enough income mostly live in very small and belong to the lowest class. and can become both narrow-minded and rude. But Miss Bates is not such a person. To be sure, people like her, although she is single and not rich. Poor. It didn't make her stingy. I'm sure if she only had a shilling she might be able to take sixpence and give it to others. And no one is afraid of her. It's a good thing to have." "Oh! What are you going to do? What are you going to do when you're old?" "Harriet, if I know for myself, I still say this, my beating heart is aggressive. How can I not understand Why can't people in their 40s and 50s do things the way they did in their twenties. What a woman can do with eyes, hands, and wisdom, I will do when I am old. It can also be said that there will be nothing Different. If I draw less, I can read more books! If I don't like music, I'm weaving rugs. And whether there is someone I like, and whether I have feelings for it, this is really a problem that can't catch up with other people. Really, The biggest disadvantage of not getting married is that there is no such person. These are not my problems. I can take care of those lovely nephews. With so many children, I can find the object of sustenance, although they will have various Expectations and all kinds of worries. Even if I don't give these nephews a motherly love, I feel that it can satisfy me with some strong blind love." --- Quoted from page 10
"I have a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman can't decide whether to accept a man's proposal, of course, she should reject him. If she hesitates to say 'yes' If you decide, then she should say 'disagree' outright." --- quoted on page 52
Emma by Jane Austen Summary and Analysis
Emma may be a character conceived by Jane with a little vanity. Jane created the intelligent Elizabeth before Emma, the steady and reserved Elinor, the unrealistic Catherine, and the pitiful Fanny.
These characters have their own There are also many shortcomings that cannot be made up for their outstanding qualities, and the biggest weakness that each of them has in common is that they have neither property nor status.
After fighting for these women, Jane finally couldn't hold back her little extravagant hopes. Why didn't she create a female character who lacks everything, can control her own destiny, and has the ability to influence others?
As a result, a talented and beautiful Miss Emma was born. This character combines the advantages of the four female characters that Jane wrote before humorous, stable and intelligent, independent personality, and beautiful; in addition, Emma has been endowed with an unparalleled advantage, her wealth is quite Feng, it can be said that Emma is the only rich lady who jumped out of the predicament below the middle class and rose to the bourgeoisie.
Jane poured herself into Emma what she could not achieve and achieve. If she also had a prominent family background, what would her life be like?
Jane is also speaking out for all the wonderful, but unfortunately worthless women in the world: we have a good upbringing, good looks, unique ideas, and we have a lot of excellence; but we can't hold a show with Luxurious balls, inability to live in luxurious manors, inability to live a decent life in the upper class, and inability to marry a gentleman whom we admire, just because our property is pitiful.
The length of Emma's book alone shows how much Jane is devoted to the novel and the characters, as it is the longest book outside of Mansfield Park. The content of this book reflects Jane's care and attention to Emma's portrayal everywhere and strives to show her superiority and perfection over other heroines.
Like Emma, Jane Fairfax and Frank Weston (later renamed Frank Churchill), who lost their mother at an early age, had a very different fate than Emma. Soon after their mother passed away, they were sent to other people's homes for foster care because the family could not support them.
Since then, they have lived a life of dependence. Emma, on the other hand, was spared the fate of being sent away because of a father who was worried about everything and overly doting on the child, and there was a Miss Taylor who took care of her like a mother. Year-old lady.
The description in the first paragraph at the beginning of the book is the most direct proof of Jane's love for Emma: Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
To effect: Emma Woodhouse, beautiful, intelligent, rich, with a comfortable place to live and her own optimistic personality, all seemed like she was the luckiest existence; and in nearly 21 years, nothing has caused her pain and distress.
In the middle of a picnic with everyone, Mr. Weston came up with an anagram for everyone to guess. The meaning of the anagram is: Which two letters represent perfection? The final announced answer is M & A, after reading it, it becomes Emma. In the eyes of others, Emma has become synonymous with perfection.
Mr. Knightley scolded Emma after the picnic for her previous rude remarks to Miss Bates, a few of which were: If Miss Bates was of the same background as you and still behaved like that, I wouldn't be right now Blame you for taunting her; the truth is, Miss Bates, she's poor, poor!
She doesn't have the qualifications you have to train herself to be a lady, and you can't laugh at someone from a lower background than you. These scoldings also reflect the superiority of Emma's background.
In addition to the above points, there are many small details that can be seen that Jane's setting of Emma is superior.
For example, Emma's family is the most famous in the area; she can pick and choose from the prom invitations sent; Mr. Knightley of the also famous Knightley family is her family friend; Emma always brings a lot of food to visit the local poor. Emma's appearance is always the most noticed and respected everywhere.
Miss Jane's love for Emma is very good, and she exerts the ultimate influence on Emma influencing the people around her.
The book begins with Emma's passion for matchmaking, and her interference in the choice of the other half of Miss Harriet, whose background is unknown, which has become the mainline of the story.
From Mr. Martin, the "peasant" to who Emma made Harriet refuse to propose to her, to Mr. Elton and Harriet, and finally to encourage Harriet to pursue Frank Churchill (Frank Weston), who is much better than her; Lianchuan's interference behavior reflects Emma's dominance.
Although Emma always believed that Miss. Harriet was a lady with a good life experience, she always believed that she was lower than her status, so she would constantly influence Harriet's decisions.
In addition, Emma belongs to the party of choice when it comes to choosing a mate. It is not a man who chooses a suitable wife, but a woman who chooses a husband who is worthy of her. Emma and Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice) were both proposed by the pastor.
When Lizzy's rejection was understood to be ignorant, Emma had the right and reason to refuse; the reason is very simple, Lizzy and the pastor are Lizzy high, while Emma and the pastor are It is the pastor who has climbed high.
The character Emma represents the phenomenon that, when a well-bred lady happens to have a considerable fortune, she becomes a beloved and respected lady, endowed with many additional powers and advantages, of course.
Being eligible to choose a husband is also one of the powers; and for a well-bred lady with meager property or even no property like Elizabeth, then her situation will be very different from what she was before, no matter how good she is, she can only Marry a "non-gentleman" next.
Emma has everything that no other Jane character has ever had, and such a perfect character can only be created once. In this regard, Emma represents the perfect woman in Jane's mind.
She seems to be a symbol of victory for women who have been disadvantaged for a long time; if there are more of the same Emma, it can only be said that Jane's works are not out of The ridicule and criticism of the secular concept of class at that time was just her escape from reality.
Therefore, it is such a one-of-a-kind, Emma who has everything, everything is good, and has become Jane's favorite character and the first female image in the hearts of many Jane fans.
Book Review of Novel Emma by Jane Austen
The most perfect person in the world is no match for the imagination, and the most perfect imaginary in the world is no match for the girl's reverie of Mr. Right. Austen wrote about the expectations of young girls who are worried about marriage for prom, social interaction, or new arrivals.
This includes her deep appreciation of the longing and self-examination of herself as a female writer when a girl is pregnant. It also eloquently tells how many grievances have been made in a marriage era that depends on blood, property, and family, and how many lovers in the world have been separated.
In her six works, Emma has always been very fond, and the opening of the novel is filled with the enthusiastic laughter of this young, beautiful, intelligent rich lady when the other heroines in Austen's works are worried about what to wear to the prom.
Our Miss Emma professed that she had never considered marriage: her mother died early, her sister was married, her father and governess adored her, and nowhere was she as free to be a mistress as her home in Hartfield.
Emma is so blessed, she "seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence" as written in the book. Of course, she is not perfect, but only one person can see and point out her shortcomings: Mr. Knightley.
Whether in movies or novels, the fictional character I respect and love the most is Mr. Knightly. When I ask my girlfriends what the ideal spouse is, I still think of Mr. Knightley.
Mr. Knightley was thirty-seven or eight years old when he played, sixteen or seven years older than Emma. His younger brother married Emma's sister, he inherited all the family business as the eldest son in the family, and he was highly regarded as the local administrator.
But none of this is what got me hooked on this character. What impresses me is the details of his gestures, and the observation, that every time Mr. Knightly appears, he is so powerful and makes people look at him differently.
He is more kind than Darcy, not only in material support for others; it is also in a kind of spiritual equality. His own well Abbey is rich in apples. When he heard that Jane Fairfax likes to eat it, he took the initiative to send another bag of good ones.
Then we learned from the servant's chatter that he gave Jane all the apples he had stored for winter consumption. none left. This is a small stroke, flanked by Jane's aunt, Miss Beth, and here it conveys the message that Mr. Knightley is not generous to others because he is superfluous, in his belief, the satisfaction of the weak is basic cultivation.
The same thing happened before a dance, Emma's carriage and Mr. Knightley's carriage arrived at the same time, she wondered why he was used to walking this time, he chose to come by carriage this time, after talking with her tutor Miss Taylor, she Understood, because Miss Beth and Jane can only walk in the carriage, and he actually came in the carriage to pick them up.
In this regard, he took into account the fatigue of the journey, and he also took into account that all the ladies who came had carriages, and Jane No, he solved the little problem very gentlemanly.
What is a gentleman? If there is one person who can measure this word, it must be Mr. Knightly. One of the important aspects of whether a man is a gentleman is his attitude and manner towards women.
In this novel, I see Mr. Knightley as a man who behaves reasonably in front of any woman in any situation. The novel tells about three marriages, three young ladies, in addition to Emma, Harriet, a beautiful and gentle boarding school, and Jane, a talented but lowly born.
Harriet is gentle but simple-minded, and Jane is dignified but reserved. Emma wanted to marry Harriet to a priest Elton, but Elton actually took a fancy to Emma; while Jane, Emma was annoyed by her indifference, and on the other hand, she was ashamed of her cultivation and talent.
In the text, we can see that Mr. Knightley has a very high evaluation of Jane, and at the same time gives her care and favor in many aspects, which makes the readers and readers outside the book think that he likes Jane very much.
But no, Mr. Knightley is Such a very unique man, he will not cloud his rational judgment because of emotional impulses. He loves Emma and has always loved Emma, but what we see is that he keeps accusing Emma of mistakes and shortcomings.
There are some It's cold, but it can really help a proud and conceited girl like Emma. And he took care of Jane because he thought that Jane would be better than Emma if she had the same wealth and status as Emma.
This inequality of origin hides the luster of this webbed jade, and he wants others to see the dazzling beauty of this precious jade. This kind of praise and praise is not because of emotion, but because of sincerity.
In fact, in British novels, many gentlemen have more or less a reputation for hypocrisy, but he is synonymous with sincerity from beginning to end.
If the care for Jane is the intermittent highlight of the novel, the depiction of Harriet and Mr. Knightley is a dramatic conflict at its peak. Mr. Knightley began to think poorly of the girl, he thought the friendship between her and Emma was not good for each other, because the girl revolved around Emma all day,
"She doesn't know anything about herself, but she thinks Emma knows everything "Especially over the fact that Mr. Knighltey had a conflict with Emma over the fact that Emma wanted to make her and Elton's marriage possible, but gave up her original suitor.
He pointed out that a shrewd man like Elton would not marry a penniless girl like Harriet, and Emma's instigation directly ruined the girl's happiness - she gave up her original suitor. Later it turned out that Mr. Knightly was right.
For such a prophecy, he did not feel complacent about his own brilliance but came to help this girl find the lost happiness that she deserved. This is a very valuable quality. Most older gentlemen are very conceited.
They may not look down on people with poor minds, but they will definitely look down on people who fall for their own stupidity. But Mr. Knightley was an exception.
At one dance, Elton, in retaliation for Emma's refusal, turned his ire on poor Harriet, blatantly refusing to ask her to dance. At this time, Mr. Knightly, who never entered the dance floor and usually stood by to watch, was provoked. He got up and asked Harriet to dance.
I can imagine why Harriet would fall in love with him later. He saved her with a knightly demeanor. , let her get out of her humility, yes, there is no honor that can compare with a gentleman like Mr. Knightley to dance to a song, not to mention the gentleman who once spoke poorly of her and later said, This girl had advantages he hadn't seen before.
He was a man who never wanted to put himself in the position of savior to solve the plight of others. Likewise, he knows which faults are forgivable and which virtues are at the same time illusory.
Next, I want to say candidly. When Darcy fell in love with Elisabeth, he was still not honest enough, and his self-confidence made him feel that it was a difficult thing to court such a girl; in "persuasion", when Frederick faces his love again after eight years.
Anne, he was also not candid. His feigned indifference and neglect seemed to hold a banner of "I don't love you anymore". And in other chapters, there is just too much dishonesty.
Here, the frankness I emphasize is not that the hero has the courage to say frankly to the heroine: I love you. But as a man, he was able to say frankly: I don't love the woman you're talking about.
Only Mr. Knightley, only he did it when everyone thought he would fall in love with Jane, he said frankly: Yes, Jane is talented and beautiful, I have a high opinion of her and give her special care.
I like to chat with her, but she lacks a kind of temperament, which is a must for the person I love... So frankly telling I can't stop admiring this man's uprightness, everyone will face rumors of Gossip and his attitude toward gossip, but this sensible man's way is: it is better to clarify in a timely manner than to clarify.
Mr. Knightley, such a man, I am afraid that only in the book, there will be. He is rational, mature, devoted, honest, considerate, humorous, wise, and visionary... When Austen created this character, he seemed to make him an idol that women admired and admired and men were ashamed of.
Reading Notes: Emma by Jane Austen
After you understand yourself, read other people's stories. Otherwise, it is easy to take people who are closer to the imagined people, but they are actually dealing with their own problems in other people's ways. The inevitable failure of imitating Steve Jobs is the truth. Every unique life cannot be duplicated.
The magic also happens to be here, every life has its own confine, and there is just another life among all living beings to refine his confine!
Does love make sense? Maybe not. If two individuals can produce love, it is likened to whether two people can have a chemical reaction. Start with how many system variables there are. Unfortunately, there are too many variables to be exhausted.
Status, talent, wealth, origin, taste, appearance, family education, childhood trauma, parental emotional demonstration, parental character, and so on. What's even more frustrating is that the weights of each variable are arranged differently in everyone's mind!
The conclusion is how can a chemical reaction be derived by finding a formula and inputting the above variable logic?
So clever chemists invented catalysts to help two individuals that do not react or react relatively slowly to react. Seeing this, you have to sigh, there is a medium word. The chemical reaction between the material world and the spiritual world requires a medium.
What would the incomparably complex spiritual world look like? Look at Austin's Emma for a good example.
A smart Emma seems to have all the advantages, status, talent, wealth, birth, taste, etc. It is especially rare that Emma has kindness, compassion, and love for the poor at the same time.
It seems to be close to perfect, but from her jealousy towards Jane from time to time, it can be seen that she has a kind of confinement in her heart, but she doesn't notice it, but who can help her refine it? There are answers at the end.
If there are any deficiencies, for example, the school playing piano, reading, and painting skills make it difficult for her to touch the pure essence of beauty, pure is a natural one. And this happens to be the reflection of Emma's inner confined on the outside.
But that didn't stop her from being confident that she knew what kind of man all the girls in town should be looking for! So this appearance looks very much like Miss Bai Fumei Emma in the current society and hopelessly fell in love with the matchmaker.
why? In her opinion, every pair of men and women needs a "catalyst" to develop love. The chemical reaction is called "catalysis", and she happens to be a smart bystander. Conditioning variable for the female smith, she even has a feeling that she can have chemistry with all the men in town! ridiculous!
But the subtle thing is that Mr. Knightley, played by Jeremy Northam, an absolute standard British gentleman around Emma, points out that Emma is wrong every time.
It was at this time that she made a new friend—the beautiful and gentle Miss Smith. Miss Smith was an illegitimate daughter who didn't even know who her biological parents were.
In the society at that time, such a woman had no status. Miss Smith and Farmer Martin had fallen in love with each other. But Emma, because of her love for Miss Smith, decided that Miss Smith must be the daughter of a gentleman, and kept instilling this idea in Miss Smith so that Miss Smith also thought that Martin, a farmer, was not worthy of her and that she should Marry a gentleman, and reject Martin's proposal.
Seeing this, perhaps most people will hate Emma a little - why are you so self-righteous, look down on the farmer, and break up other people's marriages. But if you think about it carefully, on the one hand, as a young lady from a wealthy
family, Emma has been pampered since childhood and looked down on farmers. On the other hand, although she broke up with Miss Smith and Martin, she had no malicious intentions, and her intentions and wishes were actually good - hope that her friends would get a better home.
That's why I have always liked Emma. She is kind because she has a lot of shortcomings in coddling. She is a very real character, and when she knows she is wrong, she will try to correct her to make up for it.
I believe that many girls are in her. and will see their own shadows. Going back to this episode - when Mr. Knightley learned that Miss Smith had rejected Martin's marriage proposal because of Emma's influence, he was very angry, thinking that Emma had made Miss Smith lose a perfect chance to be happy, so he was very angry. Argue with Emma.
I really like Mr. Knightley in this scene, calm, rational, and analytical - although I think he's also a bit too demeaning to Miss Smith, I have to admit he's telling the truth. I really like Mr. Knightley's unsmiling expression.
After seeing such an expression, when I look back on his kindness, I realize that he was actually equally charming at that time. I also like Emma's dress-up in this episode. It seems to be the prettiest and cutest time in the whole play.
And I also have to admit that in terms of visual effects, such as character costumes, surrounding environments, etc., the 96 version seems to be a little more attractive than the 97 version.
There is also an interesting detail: Emma told Mr. Knightley that Miss Smith had rejected Martin. At first, Mr. Knightley was a little disbelieving, so Emma said that she had seen Miss Smith's reply to Martin; hearing this, Knight Mr. Leigh stared at Emma and said, "Emma—" So Emma was like a child whose lies were exposed immediately, and did not dare to look Mr. Knightley in the eyes.
I couldn't help laughing when I saw these two shots, Mr. Knightley knew Emma so well that he knew it was Emma's good work—she must have written the reply for Miss Smith; and to Mr. Knightley, Emma looked like a young man child. "
What's even more exciting is that the famous book is really a famous book. Under the seemingly natural plot, there are a lot of refined Emma's efforts hidden!
I really applaud the author's good intentions but it seems that he doesn't focus on it! Good work is really a complete and rich person. I suspect that Austin perfectly interprets her own inner confine, otherwise, it would be impossible to write other people's stories so seamlessly. What's under the iceberg is what matters, not what's on the water!
This smart girl, Emma, of course, understands what kind of man she needs. This person is by his side, but compared to Emma's unrestrained childhood, he has created a cute naughty, including the process of matchmaker, which seems to be rationally analyzed, but the results are all in vain.
I muttered to myself, every time I matchmaker, I seem to lose something! Fortunately, Mr right Knightley has insight into Emma's mind, and every time she points out that she is doing a ridiculous thing.
Every time the matchmaker fails, it happens to be the process of the chemical reaction between Emma and Knightley. This process is natural, and the love of the two is revealed in every detail. Ironically, there is no catalyst for this process.
True love happens, but it doesn't need catalysts. hint an interesting thing, every individual has a confine until meeting MR.RIGHT in her life to helping her refine. The one who understands one's own heart can be someone else, but the perfect one who helps oneself must be the other half of the soul.
"Emma": See these 4 truths about marriage
In the UK, Jane Austen is everywhere.
The 19th-century female writer who never married but wrote about love all her life was evaluated as: "If Shakespeare is the sun, then she is the star."
However, what this legendary female writer dreamed of most was the woman in her writing who was " dignified and refined, quick-witted, happy in nature, and well-off, as if God had concentrated the best gifts on her ".
This woman's name is Emma.
She is the protagonist of Jane's last novel before her death.
This arrogant and conceited Bai Fumei will use her growth history to tell all girls that true love is related to money and self.
1
You can be single, but you have to be rich
Some people say that in a woman's life, she will either have a lot of love or a lot of money, or at least occupy one of them, and then she will live a comfortable life.
Our protagonist, Miss Emma Woodhouse, has lived in this world for nearly twenty-one years and rarely encounters distress or sadness. The biggest reason is money.
She is the daughter of the richest man in Highbury. She has no worries about food and clothing and has many servants. Although she lost her mother at a young age, her father spoiled this little daughter.
When the girls of the same age were anxious to find a sweetheart, Emma was strolling leisurely between the ball and the garden, and she clearly stated that she liked being single and did not want to get married. The reasons were clear and profound:
"I don't need property, I don't worry about having nothing to do, and I don't worry about being looked down upon by others.
I believe that few married women have half the authority in their husband's house as I have in Hartfell's house, and in the eyes of any man I am not like my father's perpetual first place, which is always correct. "
Facing the exclamation of her friend Harriet: "In the end, you will become an old maid, which is really scary!"
Emma threw out a famous quote that has been regarded as the "Bible" by many girls until now:
"A wealthy celibate woman is always respected, as rational, and as pleasant as anyone. Only poverty makes a celibate subject to public contempt!"
Emma's confidence is given by her family's wealth of 30,000 pounds a year, and she is also given by her well-informed heart. She doesn't need to be tied to others, or to be married to help make it easier or better.
In this world, how many women are looking forward to marrying in love, but in the face of the risk of being single, the pressure of life, and the public opinion of society, they have lost the determination and casualness of being single when they want to be single and getting married when they want to be married.
Too late to wait for true love to come, and hurriedly bury love into the upcoming marriage.
But Emma has long since released her personal hobbies and emotional sustenance from her marriage. She can make her life always rich and vibrant:
"I'm a flexible, brainy person with a lot of ways to deal with it."
It is a joy to be alone like this.
When money is enough to pay for your hobbies, it can offset the fear of growing old alone.
We always think that there are many possibilities in life, but in fact, these possibilities will only exist when we have money;
Our love will often encounter some choices, but the cruelty of reality will make us "have no choice".
Therefore, the richer a woman is, the freer she can live, and the ability to always put herself at the top of making money can make her more confident no matter how she lives.
2
It's a disaster to put your feelings on others
Of course, Harriet could not have imagined the happiness of Emma being rich and single.
Because Miss Harriet Smith was a lowly-born bastard.
Rich women choose love, and poor women are chosen by love.
For Harriet, "marriage is the second reincarnation".
She is obedient and grateful, looking forward to Emma, who is at the top of Highbury's social circle, guiding her in life.
Emma is very happy. Emma, who grew up in a greenhouse, naturally thinks that marriage is a transaction. Although she is not married, she likes to be a matchmaker and even enjoys saving a poor girl as a savior and introducing her Upper class.
When Harriet received a letter of proposal from Martin, a tenant who truly loved her, she hurried to ask Emma's opinion: "Please, dear Miss Woodhouse, tell me exactly what to do."
Seeing Harriet's complete lack of opinion, Emma hits the nail on the head: "If she hesitates when she says 'yes', she should just say 'no'. It's dangerous to go into that attitude with suspicion."
Harriet relied on Emma to make decisions for herself, and Emma rejected Martin without hesitation, and instead strongly recommended Elton, the handsome pastor.
Emma, who is dispensable for marriage, believes that love is just the weight of marriage.
If you can't overweight yourself, it's better to find a good marriage and live a better life.
Emma tried her best to match Harriet and Elton and even went too far. She guided Elton to do some things to express her love, while she kept saying good things about Elton to Harriet.
Harriet completely listened to Emma, nothing happened in reality, her heart was already turbulent, and she indulged in the fantasy of marrying Elton all day long, but it turned out to be an unrealistic dream.
In fact, all Elton did was covet the rich Emma, and he bluntly stated that his status was far from Harriet:
"I don't have to despair enough to think I can't find the right match, and I have to lower myself to accept Miss Smith."
Immediately after being rejected by Emma, she chose another rich woman.
"A weak mind and vanity can only lead to all kinds of misfortune."
This humiliating relationship, on the surface, seems to be Emma's mess, but the root of the failure is that Harriet's inferiority and timidity almost make her unable to think independently, and she completely entrusts her marriage expectations to others.
But different classes and environments made Emma a natural barrier between her and them, so how could she consider her situation?
Love, or life, has always been fought and fulfilled by oneself.
It's not other people who really make you fail, it's your dependence on others.
3
Emotions can't be rational, but introspection makes people grow
Before this matchmaking, Emma had always believed in her own vision and mind.
When she was only one year old, she was able to answer the questions that stumped her sixteen-year-old sister. After her sister got married, at the age of 12, she assumed the role of the mistress of the family.
She's a savvy reader, an avid socialist, and has the confidence to take control of her life.
It wasn't Emma's intention to ruin people's marriages, but the whole thing started because of her, which made her reflect on herself for the first time—
"It's too risky and self-righteous to see things that should be serious as insignificant and things that should be simple as tricks."
In fact, the eldest lady who has never been in contact with the poor and has never really been in love, how can she understand the situation and troubles of ordinary people?
Love seems to come to the door quickly, and Frank, who is humorous, handsome, and rich, suddenly appears in Highbury.
His cheerful and active disposition is likable everywhere, and he is the Prince Charming that everyone praises.
Emma enjoys Frank's flirtation very much. She regards the ambiguity with Frank as an affirmation of her own charm and confidently regards him as a potential suitor. She also stands on the height of sympathy and "kindly" wants to "let" him to Ha Ritter.
This time, however, it was Emma herself who fell into a fantasy.
In fact, Frank and Miss Jane Fairfax had long been secretly engaged, secretly engaged, and carefully concealed everything because of the objection of the Frank family.
His affair with Emma is nothing but a shield to hide the secret, and the truth of the relationship is revealed after the death of the opponent.
Emma, who always prided herself on being sober, couldn't see any clues in her self-righteousness, and she was the object of everyone's sympathy in an instant.
After learning the truth, Emma regained her lost sanity, reflected on her enjoyment of ambiguity, and made arrangements at will, probably because Frank satisfied his vanity:
"I was too frivolous and indulgent because I was proud of myself because I was young and beautiful, and I was very smart. I was careless about people's hospitality, I didn't pay attention to the hidden relationships around me, and I didn't analyze everything rationally and carefully.
Just like this, I threw myself into it and enjoyed the pleasure of being used. "
Heine said:
"Reflection is a mirror, it can clearly reflect our mistakes so that we have the opportunity to correct them."
Projection is the same emotionally.
Every failed relationship means not only the experience of paying for the impulse but also the process of recognizing ourselves.
Introspection is the only way to grow.
Only by recognizing yourself in introspection time and time again can you gradually gain the ability to judge and master your emotions, and finally find the most suitable emotion for you.
4
There are thousands of loves in life, and the most difficult to understand
Emma grew up in frustration and self-reflection. There was a person who seemed to be watching from the sidelines but kept quietly guarding her side.
He was Mr. Knightley, brother-in-law of Emma.
Knightley, who has watched Emma grow up, is familiar with her personality, not only understands her independent and confident thoughts but also sees the shortcomings of her willful self.
While Emma whimsically pointed fingers at Harriet's marriage, Knightley objected and warned against Emma's triumphant matchmaking:
"If you teach her that she can only be satisfied by marrying a powerful and rich man, she might spend her life as a boarding student at Mrs. Goddard's school."
When Emma casually calls Miss Bates an "old girl," Knightley will criticize her bluntly:
"I see you doing something wrong, so I can't help persuade you.
How can you be so arrogant and rude to a woman of her character, age, and situation? "
Emma, who was accustomed to thousands of pets and flattery, thought to herself, "I'm conceited by nature, will I admit that I've done something wrong?"
But when he went his own way and got into trouble, Knightley dotingly helped her clarify the facts and help Emma avoid embarrassment and difficulties:
"It's not your conceit, but your seriousness.
If your former nature leads you astray, your latter spirit will point you in the direction. "
Tagore once said, "Love is another name for understanding and consideration."
Love is not a random encounter, but finding someone who knows how to tolerate oneself.
What moved Emma most Knightley was her spiritual concern. This was a lack in Emma's life no matter how much material was given, it was a love that could not be exchanged even with her father.
This made Emma feel like a spring breeze, and it also allowed her to regain her self-confidence and introspective growth despite her setbacks.
Emma finally realized that she had fallen in love with the mature and stable Knightley.
Finding her own mind, she began to panic, afraid of being replaced by others, she even said in a small voice: "No one can marry Knightley, only me!"
And this time, the right love really came. Knightley confessed to Emma loudly. He, who has always acted as Emma's "life mentor", said the most touching love words:
"Emma, I have my faults too.
Always pick your faults.
And you can bear my accusations. Maybe we all have flaws that make us a better fit. "
Love is tolerance rather than indulgence, caring rather than obedience.
Knowing each other is undoubtedly good medicine for catalyzing love.
People who know themselves are mostly people who are evenly matched with themselves. Only by standing side by side with themselves in the same line of sight can they know their strengths, accept their weaknesses, appreciate everything about themselves, and let their body and mind be able to land softly.
Fortunately, Emma and Mr. Knightley met each other, and they not only matched each other but knew each other better.
Such a congenial love lets two people who used to believe in singleism join hands in marriage.
5
Some people say that Emma, who has the identity of Bai Fumei, will have a perfect love ending no matter what she does.
Even Jane Austen once said: Emma is a heroine no one will like but myself.
Emma has everything that all girls envy, but she is not perfect. Her selfishness and conceit, her prudence, and cleverness make her frequently embarrassed and regretful, and she is also criticized from time to time.
But it is undeniable that her perfect love has never been to find or wait for Prince Charming's rescue, it is to always remain independent, kind, and sober, and then join hands with people who suit her as she matures.
So in real life, every girl has the potential to be Emma, and she doesn't have to be perfect in her growing up, and she should be allowed to make mistakes.
But more importantly, to take the future and happiness into your own hands, you have both the confidence to be single and the courage to get married.
In the end, I still hope that everyone can meet someone who understands themselves and have their own warmth in this lonely life.
Muhiuddin Alam is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GeekBookReviews.com. He serves as a consistent contributor to various websites and publications, including Medium, Quora, Reddit, Linkedin, Substack, Vocal, Flipboard, and Amazon KDP. Alam personally read numerous books and, for the past 10 years, has been providing book recommendations and reviews. Find Me: About Me & Google Knowledge Panel.
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