Emma is one of many novels written by the famous British author, Jane Austen. This book was published in 1816 and is considered to be the author's greatest masterpiece.
One of the things that Austen does especially well in her fiction is to create characters that practically come to life on the pages of the book. They are believable, complicated and full of individual flavour. Emma, of course, is no exception.
Austen was once quoted expressing the concern that Emma would become 'a heroine that no one but myself will much like'. Ironically, over the years Emma has become one of the most well-known and discussed female figures in literature.
But, what is it exactly about Emma that has held readers' attention and interest over all these years? To understand the whole of this novel, you must have good insight into the protagonist. The book was given her name for a reason, after all.
FOUR FEATURES OF EMMA
1. Emma is clever. We see examples of Emma's intelligence throughout the novel. Emma is said to be the smartest of her family - though, because of this, it would seem she is more spoiled than well-studied.