Emma represents a great writer at the height of her genius. It is Jane Austen’s fifth novel, the last work she published before her death. Its humorous depiction of a young woman coming of age within the constraints of 19th-century English society is fascinating and timeless.

 

Emma is a delightful bundle of contradictions—at once clever and foolish, self-aware and self-deluding. She is the consummate matchmaker, yet believes herself immune to romance. Ultimately, she is the devoted daughter who takes her social responsibility most seriously.