Jane Austens Emma Essay -- Jane Austen Emma Essays

Jane Austens EmmaJane Austen does indeed present a picture of a community who look toeach some other for pastime as well as support, and are content withtheir limited outlook. The story never leaves the close surroundingsof Highbury and there is no desire to do so. When the troupe goes toBox Hill, away from Highbury, there is tension and the trip is notenjoyed. It is interesting to note that the three characters that comeinto Highbury, are those which have the potential to ruin the tensecommunity Mrs Elton and her vulgarself-important, presuming,familiar manner, and the deception of Jane Fairfax and FrankChurchills secret engagement.The community in Highbury are very close and every unrivalled knows eachothers business. This is represented through the amount of gossipingthat occurs throughout Austens novel. Even small matters, for examplethe mystery of Perrys carriage is discussed with great enthusiasm,and she mentioned it to her in confidence, she had no objection toher telling us, of courseGossiping demonstrates the topics that enthral the community inHighbury are certainly limited in outlook. They are interested in thehappenings of their world, and this is the most important thing. Withgossip being spread quickly, it is clear why neither Jane Fairfax norFrank Churchill told anyone of their engagement, which they wanted toremain private. To a modern reader, this is trivial, but a reader inthe eighteenth century would understand the harm that this deceptioncould have caused, had it not been in a satirical novel. The societythat Austen has created depends on institutionalise and functionsinterdependently, which fits in with the view of an inward-lookingcommunity. This is w... ... very pretty young man to besure, and a very good young mangreat regard for him. Here, Austenreflects one of the many good attributes that knightly has that hecan see past status.I think that in Emma Jane Austen does present an inward lookingcommunity, limited in outlook to a cert ain extent. If you look atEmmas society as a microcosm of eighteenth Century society as awhole, which had a strict class etiquette, then this opinion is true.However it also represents hope for the ignorance of this etiquettebecause the reader sees Emma on her journey of self discovery andrealisation of mans worth. Nonetheless, the community are not allinward looking as they regard others of a lower class with respect.With this respect comes a close community, who believes Highbury to bethe beginning and end of their lives which makes them limited inoutlook.