On the evening of December 10, Professor Lu Jiande, chair professor of CFLC and professor of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, presented the sixth of this series lectures on British literature, entitled “Fiction as a Means of Moral Exploration – A Discussion Starting with Jane Austen’s “Emma”.
As Professor Lu explained, marriage and social status are the two foci of “Emma”. Most of the drama in Austen’s novel revolves around who loves whom and what that means, given their social station. Social status in 19th-century England was determined by a confluence of factors, including, but not limited to, family name, sex, birthright, reputation and wealth, and it dictated much about the course of a person’s life. Members of the higher social classes were not expected to intermarry, let alone interact, with members of a lower class. In fact, in some cases, such marriages were considered inappropriate.
Through “Emma”, Austen subtly satirizes her society’s obsession with social distinctions. At the beginning of the novel, Austen’s heroine is confident she knows who “the chosen and the best” are in Highbury and who constitutes the “second set.” Keeping with her social code, Emma discourages Harriet from pursuing a relationship with Robert. As Emma explains, Robert is not a “gentleman.” He is therefore destined to become “a completely gross, vulgar farmer, totally inattentive to appearances, and thinking of nothing but profit and loss.” Emma is similarly appalled when Mrs. Elton presumes to call Mr. Elton and Mr. Knightley “Mr. E” and “Knightley.”
Mr. Knightley challenges Emma’s notions of class distinction, pushing her to contemplate whether such distinctions truly matter. When Emma criticizes Robert for his ungentlemanly demeanor, Mr. Knightley impassionedly defends Robert, claiming that he “has more true gentility than Harriet Smith could ever understand.” After all her attempts to make suitable matches fail, Emma finally begins to realize that social distinction does not equate to a constitutional difference in character.
In terms of its subject matter, “Emma” was by no means revolutionary: Austen herself described the novel’s subject (“Three or four families in a country village”) as an ideal subject for any novel. However, “Emma” was revolutionary in terms of its form and style. Before Austen, novelists generally used either first- or third-person narration to tell their stories. Austen combined the two styles, first in “Sense and Sensibility” and then again in “Emma”. From the outset, Austen characterizes Emma as a self-deluded young woman. Austen’s style of narration allows the reader to share in Emma’s delusions.
Austen did not expect readers to like the protagonist of “Emma”. About her, Austen famously said, “I’m going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” Generations of readers have proved Austen wrong. “Handsome, clever and rich,” Emma is undoubtedly one of Austen’s most beloved characters. Modern readers have by and large embraced Emma and her flaws. Feminist critics have identified her as an archetype of the modern woman, whose prospects and future happiness do not depend on marriage.
Austen’s novel continues to be tremendously popular with modern audiences. “Emma” has been adapted for the stage and screen several times.
