The Cambridge Companion to ‘Emma'

This essay collection by leading scholars provides a comprehensive guide to Jane Austen's Emma, one of the greatest English novels.

Peter Sabor (Edited by)

9781107442993, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 25 August 2015

243 pages, 6 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.37 kg

'In The Cambridge Companion to Emma, Peter Sabor brings together twelve insightful essays that will appeal to first-time readers as well as to re-readers, for each author presents a detailed analysis that contributes to a deeper appreciation of Emma. … The essays in The Cambridge Companion to Emma form a supplement that will sit comfortably on the shelf next to Austen's novels.' Laurie Kaplan, Newsletter of the Jane Austen Society of North America

Thanks to its tightly paced, intricately plotted narrative and its astute psychological characterisation, Emma is commonly thought to be Jane Austen's finest novel. In the twelve chapters of this volume, leading Austen scholars illuminate some of its richest themes and topics, including money and rank, setting and community, music and riddles, as well as its style and structure. The context of Emma is also thoroughly explored, from its historical and literary roots through its publication and contemporary reception to its ever-growing international popularity in the form of translations and adaptations. Equally useful as an introduction for new students and as a research aid for mature scholars, this Companion reveals why Emma is a novel that only improves on re-reading, and gives the lie to Austen's famous speculation that in Emma Woodhouse she had created 'a heroine whom no one but myself will much like'.

Preface Peter Sabor
Chronology
1. Composition and publication Jan Fergus
2. The literary context Bharat Tandon
3. The historical context Jonathan Sachs
4. Money and rank Robert D. Hume
5. Contemporary responses Edward Copeland
6. Style, structure, language Linda Bree
7. The heroine John Wiltshire
8. Setting and community Janine Barchas
9. Music Ruth Perry
10. Games, riddles and charades Jillian Heydt-Stevenson
11. Translations Gillian Dow
12. Screen versions Deidre Shauna Lynch
Guide to further reading.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK], Literary studies: general [DSB], Literature: history & criticism [DS]