Jane Austen’s literature, until the publication of Emma (1815), consistently delivered novels that contained similar series of events, societal norms, ideologies, and depiction of women throughout the Austenian era. The release of Emma challenged the traditional depiction of Austen’s heroine because now the heroine, Emma Woodhouse, is allotted enormous wealth which provokes and exudes her source of agency throughout the progression of the novel. This is a unique and uncommon characteristic, in contrast with past Austenian heroines—for example, Franny Price (Mansfield Park) or Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice). Austen utilizes her innovative heroine, Emma, to emphasize three callous realities that women of the eighteenth and nineteenth-century
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Before Emma, Mansfield Park (1814) was published and is set within the countryside. Fanny Price, heroine of Mansfield Park, presents the catastrophes occurring in the urban settings of London and how “London [is] very much at war” (chapter 45, paragraph 12); Fanny Price’s recognition of London’s current state of affairs (e.g., war) illustrates the severity and interconnectedness London’s urban affairs have on the countryside. Although there may be clues and indications that help contextualize Mansfield Park, in regards to Emma, there appears to be no clues nor indications that help contextualize its settings. The only indications that are given is that the novel is set in the close niche country side community of Highbury—isolated from the events that occur outside its parameters. By utilizing Mansfield Park’s publication year and the historical events discussed in conjunction with Emma’s publication year and characterization of Highbury; we can infer that Emma is set in a transitional period (1814-1815) where war is in the past and society is now recuperating from the horrors of war. This inference is supported when Emma narrates that Mr. Frank Churchill has “gone off to London, merely to have his hair cut” (142). Frank Churchill’s ability to travel between London and …show more content…
Emma’s personal development under these conditions of independence and power helps cultivate her understanding and perception of the world; causing her to formulate notions against the traditional institution of marriage—withdrawing herself from participating in marriage. By Emma being an individual who does not need nor seeks the security of a man by the means of marriage, it offers an alternative reality for women that contrasts with the previous depiction of heroines who sought out marriage as a means to gain upward mobility and financial security. It is important to note that Emma is only allowed to maintain her independence and non-participatory stance on marriage due to her family’s wealth. Although Emma presents a potential idyllic reality for women, it also points identifies the bleak and horrifying reality women face if they do not share the same socio-economic or education background as Emma—women being forced as commodities in the marriage market or governess trade. Jane Fairfax, Miss Bates, and Harriet Smith are women in Emma who fall into this bleak and horrifying sphere that pushes them towards one of the two markets. Thereby allowing us to infer that the realities women in Emma face are also the fears women during the eighteenth and nineteenth-century
Before Emma, Mansfield Park (1814) was published and is set within the countryside. Fanny Price, heroine of Mansfield Park, presents the catastrophes occurring in the urban settings of London and how “London [is] very much at war” (chapter 45, paragraph 12); Fanny Price’s recognition of London’s current state of affairs (e.g., war) illustrates the severity and interconnectedness London’s urban affairs have on the countryside. Although there may be clues and indications that help contextualize Mansfield Park, in regards to Emma, there appears to be no clues nor indications that help contextualize its settings. The only indications that are given is that the novel is set in the close niche country side community of Highbury—isolated from the events that occur outside its parameters. By utilizing Mansfield Park’s publication year and the historical events discussed in conjunction with Emma’s publication year and characterization of Highbury; we can infer that Emma is set in a transitional period (1814-1815) where war is in the past and society is now recuperating from the horrors of war. This inference is supported when Emma narrates that Mr. Frank Churchill has “gone off to London, merely to have his hair cut” (142). Frank Churchill’s ability to travel between London and …show more content…
Emma’s personal development under these conditions of independence and power helps cultivate her understanding and perception of the world; causing her to formulate notions against the traditional institution of marriage—withdrawing herself from participating in marriage. By Emma being an individual who does not need nor seeks the security of a man by the means of marriage, it offers an alternative reality for women that contrasts with the previous depiction of heroines who sought out marriage as a means to gain upward mobility and financial security. It is important to note that Emma is only allowed to maintain her independence and non-participatory stance on marriage due to her family’s wealth. Although Emma presents a potential idyllic reality for women, it also points identifies the bleak and horrifying reality women face if they do not share the same socio-economic or education background as Emma—women being forced as commodities in the marriage market or governess trade. Jane Fairfax, Miss Bates, and Harriet Smith are women in Emma who fall into this bleak and horrifying sphere that pushes them towards one of the two markets. Thereby allowing us to infer that the realities women in Emma face are also the fears women during the eighteenth and nineteenth-century