Emma读书报告.doc

EmmaA Novel More than MatchmakingEmma was completed in 1815 by Jane Austen, who first gave the novel its modern character through the treatment of everyday life. The copy I read was published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press in Beijing, 2006. For those who are woefully bored with heavy ornate words, those who are filled with nausea at the pungent sarcasm or those who take keen interest in feminine writing styles or matchmaking, those who want to have a peep at the English country life in the 19thcentury, the novel Emma is qualified to serve as the best choice. In the novel, the vivid depiction of contemporary English country life and repetitious matchmaking attempts, the fully embodiment of exquisite observation, subtle irony, comic tone and flashing wit enable Emma to become one of Jane Austens most brilliant works and the expression of an artist at the height of her powers, which is destined to instill some fresh air into the literature. Moreover, such writing skills endow Miss Emma with tremendous charm and shape Emma to become a name with a large following, although Austen herself described Emma as a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.From the view of setting, the novel is rooted in middle-class provincial life of England in the 19thcentury. Minor landed gentry, country clergymen and their families resurface in the book with easy-to-understand language that seems phonographic. There is no denying that the setting of the novel is closely related to the authors personal experience. Austen was active in social life and enjoys social events. Moreover, she was well connected with the middling-rich landed gentry which set the tone for the common life she portrayed in the novel with her exquisite observation. The character is well shaped in the novel. With a wide range view of the work, the whole book is mainly concerned with a country lady living in Regency England that is Miss. Emma Woodhouse and the book even be named after her. Different from other five heroines in Austens works whose chances for making a good marriage depend greatly on financial issues, Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her., whats more, “Emma, who is spoiled by being the cleverest of her family, has been mistress of the house. In her mother she lost the only person able to cope with her.” There is no doubt that such living conditions are destined to provide hotbed for Emma to contract privilege and overconfidence. Just as Alix Wilber mentioned, “Of all Jane Austens heroines, Emma Woodhouse is the most flawed, the most infuriating, and, in the end, the most endearing.” Her charms maybe no where but just exist in such imperfection, which leads to series of comedies in matchmaking attempt but cannot cover her shining kindness to the vulnerable groups.From the standpoint of content, the whole story centers on the theme of matchmaking. Fueled by her feeling of superiority, Emma fancies herself a master-matchmaker and is engaged in plotting and planning marriage for her friend Harriet Smith again and again. Whats worse, driven by the power of overconfidence, Emma mistakes her fancy as the truth unwaveringly and stubbornly turns a deaf ear to the exhortation and warning of Mr. Knigntley. Naturally, every match-making is proved to be a wretched business and spirals out of control. There is no exaggeration to say in the matchmaking it is the overconfidence or rather the fancy that plays the leading role from the very beginning. The curtain rises as Emmas rich fancy on Harriet Smiths birth, and theres no doubt that it serves as an appropriate example. Putting aside the fact that “whoever might be her parents,” Emma fancies the natural daughter Harriet Smith as “no doubt a gentlemans daughter” and persuades her that “she must support her claim to that station by everything within her power”, whats more, “Emma couldnt feel a doubt of having given Harriets fancy a proper direction” and “she was quite convinced of Mr.Eltons being in the fairest way of falling in love with Harriet”. As a result, all these pave way for her series of ridiculous match-making. In the following scenes, Emmas overconfidence is weaved in whole story. The most typical and ridiculous scene in this case is Emmas misunderstanding of the charade from Elton. “I cannot make a question, or listen to a question about that. It is a certainty. Receive it on my judgment” and she arranges that “Leave it to me. You do nothing” to add certainty to her overconfidence.The influence of overconfidence is proved to be disastrous. Under the power of overconfidence, Emma sticks her gun and puffs Harriet up with such ideas of her own beauty and of what she has a claim to, but the result is that her overconfidence brings nothing but the severe pang and humiliation on Harriets heart and the deep regrets rooted in Emmas own mind that “had she never brought Harriet forward! Had she left her where she ought, and where he had told her she ought!” According to the novel, the overconfidence of Emma is strong enough to draw her to fall into mistake. In this case, overconfidence is not different from the hotbed for prejudice. It occurs to me another masterpiece of Jane Austen that is Price and Prejudice. Elizabeth, the heroine, is pretty confident and proud of her ability of perception; but it is also her such “merits” that lead to her misjudge on Darcy and mistakenly view Darcys confidence as conceit. It certainly plays a negative role in their love and lays numerous obstacles in their way along with her overconfidence. No matter Emma or Elizabeth, they all lost their way in overconfidence, which causes unnecessary troubles on intimate friend or on herself. However, as for the theme of the novel, it maybe far from only criticizing the flaw related to the character that is the overconfidence. Matchmaking is not only the simple matchmaking, what is also extended from it is the deep reflection of social hierarchies and the interaction between various social classes attached to the 19th century. No matter Ms .Knightley who can keep reasonable from A to Z or Miss. Emma Woodhouse who is the representative of fancy, they both pay stress on the rigid class loyalties. In the novel, Ms .Knightley mentions that “he (Robert Martin) is not her (Harriet Smith) equal indeed, for he is as much her superior in sense as in situation.” “The advantage of the match I felt to be all on her side, and I had not the smallest doubt that there would be a general cry out upon her extreme good luck”, and the match is no doubt “a bad connection for him”. At the same time although Emma tries her best to make a good match for her imitate friend, yet all these are only based on her fancy that Harriet is “no doubt a gentlemans daughter”. In this case, the novel adequately serves as the reflection to the principle at that time that is “ let beggars match with beggars ”to add dimension and depth to the story. Emma is written in a comic tone, which greatly contributes to its popularity. The whole book is immersed in the humorous tone which can be embodied by the wording. For example, as to describing the improvement of Emmas emotion after a whole night, Austen narrates it as “To youth and natural cheerfulness like Emmas, though under temporary gloom at night, the return of day will hardly fail to bring return of spirits. The youth and cheerfulness of morning are in happy analogy, and of powerful operation; and if the distress be not poignant enough to keep the eyes unclose, they will be sure to open sensations of softened pain and brighter hope” ,which tickles the readers funny bones and arouse their interest with certainty. Related to the comic tone, the mild irony and sparkling wit are prevalent