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Unit 8: Jane Austen—Emma

After her father’s death in 1805, Austen and her mother and sister were left in an unstable Notes
financial position and had to move in with her brother Francis. In 1809, they moved to a
cottage at Chawton, where her wealthy brother Edward had an estate. Life in Chawton was
much quieter than it had been in Bath, which gave Austen the opportunity to write more
often. While living at Chawton, Austen also saw the anonymous publication of four of her
novels: “Sense and Sensibility” in 1811, “Pride and Prejudice” in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814,
and “Emma” in 1815.

Did u know? In July 1816, Austen completed the first draft of her next novel, titled “The
Elliots,” which would later be published as “Persuasion.”
In early 1816, Austen suffered an onset of illness that culminated in her death the following
year. Most biographers believe that she suffered from Addison’s disease. Despite her illness,
Austen continued to work on her writing, revising the ending to “The Elliots” and starting
work on “Sandition.” She died on July 8, 1817, leaving “Sandition” unfinished, and was
buried at the city’s famous cathedral. The two novels “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion”
were published posthumously as a set in 1817.
Austen’s novel, focusing on courtship and marriage, remain well-known for their satiric depictions
of English society and the manners of the era. Her insights into the lives of women during the
late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century Regency period –in addition to her
ability to handle form, satire, and irony – have made her one of the most studied and influential
novelists of her time. In 1833, publisher Richard Bentley published the first collected edition
of Austen’s novels; since then, her works have been continually in print.
As with many great authors, however, Austen’s death preceded her renown. Although her
novels were fashionable with prominent members of British society, including Princess Charlotte,
the daughter of the Prince Regent, they were largely ignored by critics. In the twentieth
century, Austen’s novels began to attract attention from literary scholars who approached the
texts as serious academic studies. There have been more than 200 literary adaptations of
Austen’s works in the twentieth century, as well as numerous film versions.

8.1.2 Introduction to the Text
“Emma” was first published by John Murray in December of 1815. It was the last of Austen’s
novels to be published before her death, and, like her earlier works, was published anonymously.
Shortly before the publication of “Emma,” Austen was invited to meet with the Prince Regent’s
librarian, who encouraged her to dedicate her next novel to the Prince Regent a great admirer
of her work. Although Austen was not particularly fond of the Prince, she chose to follow the
librarian’s suggestion and later satirized her meeting with him in “Plan of a Novel, according
to hints from various quarters.”
There were two thousand copies of “Emma” printed in the first edition, but more than a
quarter remained unsold after four years. The novel was generally well-received by the public.
Unfortunately, Austen earned very little from its publication: most of the profits were used for
the ill-timed printing of a second edition of “Mansfield Park” a few months later, and she
ultimately only earned 40 pounds from the novel in her lifetime.

“Emma” was a departure for Austen because, unlike her other novels, the work focuses on a
wealthy and beautiful heroine with no financial concerns or need to marry. The quest for
financial security and an appropriate husband is central to her other works and adds a serious
element to their narrative structures. “Emma” has a generally lighter tone because it lacks this

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