Austen's Emma

(Hardback)

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Description

Emma is one of Jane Austen's most popular novels, in large part due to the impact of Emma Woodhouse, the "handsome, clever and rich" heroine. This lively, informed and insightful guide to Emma explores the style, structure, themes, critical reputation and literary influence of Jane Austen's classic novel and also discusses its film and TV versions. It includes points for discussion, suggestions for further study and an annotated guide to relevant reading. This introduction to the text is the ideal companion to study, offering guidance on the literary and historical context, reading the text, the critical reception and publishing history, adaptation and interpretation and a guide to further reading.

Reviews

"Clueless about Emma This new student guide could be your best friend while reading the novel." - Laurel Ann, Austenprose, January 4, 2009
"It was the novel that made her truly famous. The reading public loved it, the critics approved, and even Jane Austin herself had a certain fondness for it. Independent scholar Hecimovich focuses not only on the crowd-pleasing elements of Emma, but also includes serious analysis of Austin's sophisticated language, style and form. Along with providing very helpful contexts for the modern reader, including a very objective treatment of the savage marriage market of the time, Hecimovich provides a full review of critical responses by such luminaries as Sir Walter Scott and a concise biography that reveals much about Austin's frequently needy but formidable family. Readers get a clear picture of Austen's motives in Emma, including her hope, just beneath the surface, that women would one day not need to sell themselves into marriage to survive." -Book News, February 2009
Hecimovich's guide is reader-friendly with clear prose and organization; it offers students insight into Emma in addition to way into the text if they are struggling with a research paper. -- Kathryn Stasio * ECCB: A Current Bibliography *

Author Bio

Gregg A. Hecimovich is Chair in the Department of English and Associate Professor at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA.