Emma Represents One of Jane Austen’s Romantic Works.

Jane Austen is an English novelist who wrote during the Romantic

Period and published all her novels between 1811-1818. One of her most
beautiful novels is Emma. The novel represents many elements of the
Romantic Period, such as nature, living in a rural society, using common
language to talk about common people, a new individual who has new
ways of seeing and the Internal journey or the spiritual experience that a
person goes through.
Nature is a major element of the romantic period. The description of
nature in Emma reflects the way the characters think or feel. Austen
highlights the importance of the walk in nature to the characters of the
novel, like Emma’s happiness of her new friend, Harriet : ‘’ as a walking
companion, Emma had very early foreseen how useful she might find her.
In that Mrs. Weston’s loss had been important.’’ Chapter 4. When a
character is happy, he/she recollects his/her feelings in nature rather than
talking about the beauty of it, ‘’Harriet was very ready to speak of their
moonlight walks and evening together.” Chapter 4. The landscapes and
nature in the novel play a huge role in the changes of the characters and
their minds. After the beginning of the novel, it moves in describing the
long winter nights during which Emma feels alone after the marriage of her
governess. At the middle of winter, Mr. Elton proposes to Emma on a
snowy evening with a strong wind, ” and of it still snowing fast, with a
strong drifting wind” chapter15. Such weather reflects Emma’s anger
because Mr. Alton does not propose to Harriet as Emma was planning,
and because he assures that it is impossible for him to marry such a girl
with a less level than him. It also reflects how the misbehaving of Emma by
her interference in the lives of others goes against her better nature, which
is kindness and loving. In the spring, Emma becomes more cheerful. The
day in which she realises her love feelings towards Mr. Knightly is on July.
The proposal of Mr. Knightly to Emma occurs on July in a garden at
Hartfield with a very delightful weather, as a sign of their beautiful affection.
Before Emma reaches her full change, she goes through loneliness and
melancholy in a cloudy and stormy day which reflects the change of her
mind. At the next day, the cloud were removed by the sun. Finally, the
most important marriages of the novel occur in October which is the time of
reaper . These sequences reflect the power of nature which Austen
believes in. Feelings also are connected to nature in the novel, Mr. Frank
Churchill for example, was living in Highbury but he left it and from the
death of his mother he “had never been there in his life” chapter 2
In the romantic period, people prefer to move from urban society to
a rural one. This theme is seen clearly in Emma. Emma ,the heroine of the
novel, her family, friends and acquaintances live in the village of Highbury.
Moreover, in chapter three it is mentioned that Mr. Woodhouse “ could
command the visits of his own little circle, in a great measure as he liked.
His horror of late hours and large dinner parties made him unfit for any
acquaintance ,but such as would visit him on his own terms”. So, this
family is also parted itself from the harm of societies which have unfamiliar
behaviours.
Another important element of the romantic period is to use common
language that is used by men to describe common human beings. In
Emma the reader realizes the human conditions of the 19thc. and sees the
influence of the cultural and social conventions on the people at that time.
Austen focuses on the lives of her ordinary characters, and on introducing
them as they exist in their world. She does not perfect these people, and
this is good, because a perfect human being wouldn’t be a human at all.
That is why everyone in Emma is so likeable. It is also full of ordinary
incidents and places. The reader of this novel has this feeling that he/she
already met these people , and that he/she goes through these
landscapes. The way Austen uses fiction to describe the reality of her time
in England is so acceptable. The social life that the characters go through
are similar to our own. Moreover, any reader might encounter the
relationships which Austen introduces in this novel. All of us encounter the
dread of a new love, the beauty of meditation at night and the effects of a
dominating friend.
Women who lived during Austen time were facing many oppressive
issues by instructed them to accept their roles as only children rearing,
housekeeping and seeking a good marriage that gives them financial
stability and social respect in their society. In Emma, Austen individualizes
her female characters and makes them different. She names this novel
after its heroine, gives this wide spaces for women to speak their minds
and to express their feelings and fears. Many practices of the 19th c. are
criticized by Jane Austen, such as women who are playing music or
drawing in order to attract a noble man. Emma is essentially an
independent single woman. She refuses to marry Mr. Elton who likes her
for her beautiful drawings. She tells her friend Harriet that she should only
marry for love , ” I have none of the usual inducements of women to
marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing.” We see
Emma at the end of the novel makes it clear that she loves Mr. Knightley
and that is why she accepts marrying him. Austen also satirizes Harriet,
the intimate friend of Emma, who is not clever, submissive and guided by
anyone.
According to the romantic writers, the Internal journey or the spiritual
experience is but a must that every individual has to go through to be a
new individual with a new ways of seeing. Throughout the novel Emma
becomes a new individual. Readers can clearly see the mental and
emotional transcendences that has happened within Emma. At the
beginning of the novel, Emma describes herself as “ such a troublesome
creature.” Chapter1. She is spoilt, proud and arrogant. ‘’Emma’s freedom
and her disposition to think a little too well of herself, were disadvantages
which threatened the alloy to her many enjoyments.” Chapter 1. She
believes that her good role in life is to try to arrange other people’s
marriage. Then, as the events go on, we start to see the two sides in
Emma’s personality. Sometimes she acts foolishly ,but she at the same
time know that she is misbehaving. As when she says about her attempt to
unite Elton and Mr. Elton: “Does my vain spirit ever tell me I am wrong?”
“they cannot forgive me,”. Then, Emma starts knowing herself. she realizes
the bad consequences of her interference of the live of Harriet and she
realizes that she herself loves Mr. Knightly. Her knowing of such facts
contains a transcendent process in her soul and mind: “A mind like her is
opening to suspicion, made rapid progress.  She touched—she admitted—
she acknowledged the whole truth.” The thing that lead to humiliate her.
Then Emma starts to get rid of the vain side of her own character. By her
spiritual transcendence, Emma has grown up. She goes through a change
like the changes of the season. She experiences new things, makes
mistakes, learns from her mistakes, goes through spiritual changes and
finally rebirths again as the new reasonable and rational Emma.
On the other hand, some readers see Austen as a less romantic
author than other romantic writers. They believe that Emma has a degree
of scepticism about romantic love. They say that Austen changes the idea
that women are sentimental, and in her novel, a marriage or a love match
is to create the happiness of a female rather than a marriage of
convenience. They add that ,unlike many romantic works ,Emma is not
about adventures, gothic or supernatural things and that the novel has no
details about the French Revolution, fighting Napoleon’s armies or the
industrial revolution that were happening in England during the time of
writing it. Instead, Austen indicates the social changes that occur during
her time such as the changes of power, values, customs and beliefs.
Finally, I cannot but recommend people to enjoy reading this novel
and to feel the beauty of Austen’s writing which gives fertility to it. I hope I
will be a great author one day and to be able to affect readers positively
just as Jane Austen does.

AYAH NAIM ABDULKHALIQ 0130532

1- http://www.austen.com/emma/

2- Austen, Jane.  Emma.  Ed. R. W. Chapman.  3rd ed. London: Oxford

UP, 1969.

3- Emma.  Dir. Douglas McGrath.  Perf. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy

Northam.  Miramax, 1996.

4- https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/jane-austens-social-
realism-and-the-novel

5- Emma.  Dir. Diarmuid Lawrence.  Perf. Kate Beckinsale, Mark Strong. 

Meridian-ITV/A&E, 1996.

6- http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol28no1/stovel-b.htm