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solouncapitulomas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness and Racism
Minor: Death, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
hannahbailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Jane, I'm so sorry I didn't like this. I just visited your house and loved it. You're a feminist icon! But wow, this book is long and boring. I did enjoy Pride and Prejudice though, so I'm not an Austen hater. This book just wasn't for me.
People that know me know I hate long sentences. Punctuation is free to use guys, you don't have to fill a whole page with your monologue. Taking a breath is ok. Letting someone else speak every once in a while is ok. What's not ok is saying something in five paragraphs that could be said in one line! The way this novel was written combined with the very dry subject matter made it an absolute SLOG to get through. If it wasn't a renowned and popular classic written by a woman, I would've dnf'd. I like to support women where I can 😌
I would say that some parts were enjoyable and it did feel ahead of its time. The women were often outspoken and sometimes cheeky and unafraid to turn down a marriage proposal. Most of them showed independence of thought and self, which was quite refreshing. Some of the characters were endearing and likeable, but most of them were snobby and uptight. Every new character introduced was more boring and annoying than the last. It's a surprise that I managed to get through the whole thing. Emma was especially judgemental and liked to categorise people by their class, which was always lower than her own. The Tory party would love her!
I can appreciate this was a gentle critique of marital arrangements and women's place in society at the time, but Austen could not keep me engaged nor interested in what was going on. Which, to be fair, wasn't much, given that rich people back then seemed to do nothing other than visit each other's houses and look down upon the poor. And if it was bad weather, write to each other instead. Rather similar to now I suppose.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, and Classism
eggsoap's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The biggest point in Emma's favour is that her character growth is mainly self prompted. She doesn't really need any prompting beyond Mr Knightly telling her how much she hurt Miss Bates on the Box Hill trip to begin her self-reflection and attempts to repent. She has a lot of loyalty for the people in Highbury, but it is only once she actually sees just how arrogant she has become and reflect on rhe damage that it has done that she really is able be properly generous and display the care to the people around her that she should. Due to her own guilt she does develop and become kinder and stops treating the lives others as her entertainment.
Ironically, it is her arrogance makes Emma's romance with Mr. Knightly so satisfying to read. They know each other so well and they care about each other so obviously, that Emma's willfull blindess his and her own feelings and complete resolution to never marry, make the payoff that much better in the end. They might be my favourite couple, if I could get over Mr Knightly admitting to Emma that he fell in love with her when she was 13. Yuck.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Addiction
emhunsbaker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, and Classism
lovelyannalee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Death and Death of parent
cornustella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs and Death of parent
anna_wa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dashwood: Who cares? Girls want to see women MARRIED. Not CONSISTENT.
[...] Jo: Fine.
(Little Women 2019)
Out of all the Jane Austen books I read this semester, this one was my favorite. Why? It's hard for me to say exactly. By all accounts it should be my least favorite, since it is the most conservative book she ever wrote: with everybody marrying in the same social class they were born into, and nobody rising above said social class (which is what Elizabeth Bennett, Marianne Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Catherine Morland all did), and also way less subtle political commentary than other books of hers.
A lot of that conservativism has to do with 1. the fact that she was begged into dedicating the book to the Prince (whom she did not like, but could also not refuse) and 2. the fact that this book was actually published by a big publishing company, as opposed to self published.
So yes, why /was/ Austen's most conservative novel my favorite of all her novels? I'm still trying to figure that out. If I had to guess though, it's because of the main character. When Austen was alive, she said of Emma: "I'm going to create a heroine whom nobody but myself will like". Yet, I and my classmates loved Emma.
Emma is just so amusing and I found it fun to laugh at how absolutely clueless she was in the beginning of the book, and yet how simultaneously endearing she was. I loved her desire to be a spinster (which, of course, got broken at the end, but whatever) and her love for her father/putting her father before anybody else in her life. I loved her character journey and how she learned to admit when she was wrong and make amends.
I loved the other characters too. I loved Mr. Woodhouse, who was also adorably clueless and reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. I loved Mr. Knightley
It has been an honor to work my way through Jane Austen's bibliography this semester
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
G slur (against Romani people), anti-Romani stereotypes, F slur (used to mean 'exhausted'?)xphilphil's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Chronic illness
water_violin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Bullying and Chronic illness
chalkletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent