Christine Branton

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Assignment for narrative and

adaptation

well on her way to developing the

superior character necessary to accord
with her high position on the social
ladder. (Moore et al. 2016)

Jane Austen. Classroom Bore or Still

Worth Reading Today?
So many of us have only read Jane
Austens books at school or higher
education as a compulsory text to
study which inevitably affects how we
feel about it! She wrote six books,
mainly romantic, some longer than
others, and even today has a huge
following of fans and there are fan
clubs too. There are Jane Austen
societies in England and worldwide.
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/ and
http://jasna.org/ for example.
Okay, so I haven't convinced you that
her writing is still relevant today?
Please try to bear with me a little
longer while I get onto the more
exciting stuff! The book I intend to
review is Emma, one of her longer
books. One of her reviews, this one
out of the Guardian, says:
1 loved Emma, as I have done with
every other novel by Jane Austen. In
my opinion she was a genius!
I find her style of writing enjoyable to
read; her plots are funny and full of
wit. She uses irony to ridicule the
upper classes of her time and also
paint a vivid picture for how the
women of that class led their lives
(Lattice.2015. The Gazette).

I am also going to be comparing the

book of Emma with the ITV studios
DVD adaptation and see how it differs,
by an adaption.

Emma was written in 1816, the year

before her death. Pride and Prejudice
was up to then her most popular novel
but Emma was considered her
greatest by many people. According to
an article written by Moore, Catherine
E and com, Emma can be viewed as a
bildungsroman, or coming of age
novel. (2016). The story reflects
Austens maturity with Emma changing
from a spoilt, selfish young lady to be

Adapting is a bit like redecorating

so quotes Alfred Uhay, in the preface
of Linda Hutcheons book The Theory
of Adaptation.
Adaption is simply taken a novel, or an
idea and creating in a different format.
The Victorians excelled at this,
adapting theatre or anything else they
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wanted! Nowadays we have far more

mediums to play with, and we hear
comments and probably even thought
ourselves that it was not as good as
the original!

Miss Harriet Smith first enters the story

when she is pointed out by the school
mistress as a returned boarder at the
school.

So onto this adaptation of Emma,

unfortunately the only reviews I can
find are on the Amazon website where
they all seem quite positive. I
personally enjoyed it and would
recommend you see it!

From this clip from the DVD, Emma is

most prominent in the frame, to give
her a sense of having power over
Harriet, there is also a sense of much
more space behind her, whilst there is
a pole behind Harriet, not only making
her look smaller but also emphathising
how few choices she has in her life.
Another part of the mise en scene is
how different their clothes are,
Harriets are typically working class,
simple and well-worn whist Emmas
clothes are much more styled and
colourful.

(Emma.2007)
As I mentioned at the beginning my
main interest lies in the lesser
characters, who in themselves and
their reactions to Emma tell us much
more about the character of Emma.

Harriet is eager to please Emma, as

Austen writes about their first
introduction, the humble, grateful little
girl went off with highly gratified
feelings, delighted with the affability
with which Miss Woodhouse had
treated her all the evening, ad actually
shaken hands with her at last.
Austen has used words that paint the
picture in our mind, humble, grateful
little girl, to convey not so much her
physical age of seventeen but her
naivety and simple mindedness.
In her prelude to her book Emma
Austen writes that she will create a
heroine that no one but myself will
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much like, and there are times in the

book and the adaptation that the
reader feels annoyed and impatient
with her, and Austen lets Knightly, a
close family friend tells her off quite a
few times.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/158/15
8-pdf.pdf

This following quote from Emma

shows that although she is born into a
high social class she has not yet
learned that with that class comes the
obligation to have respect for and
kindness to everyone. (Moore,
Catherine E etc.) which Knightly has in
abundance and chides her for it.
Emma shows this side by manipulating
Harriets feelings about marriage to her
own class.

Although there is only Emma framed in

this scene, her point of focus is Harriet
who is out of the frame. It is a very
close up shot. This scene is not in the
book but I think it is well done, we can
tell by her body language and the
expression on her face that she is
planning to do some more match
making!

Here are seven of you, besides

myself, (who, she is pleased to
say, am very entertaining
already,) and she only demands
from each of you either one
thing very clever, be it prose or
verse, original or repeatedor
two things moderately clever
or three things very dull indeed,
and she engages to laugh
heartily at them all." "Oh! very
well," exclaimed Miss Bates,
"then I need not be uneasy.
'Three things very dull indeed.'
That will just do for me, you
know. I shall be sure to say
three dull things as soon as
ever I open my mouth, shan't I?
(looking round with the most
good-humoured dependence
on every body's assent)Do
not you all think I shall?" Emma

The next secondary character I want to

talk about is Miss Bates, She was a
great talker upon little matters . . . full
of trivial communications and harmless
gossip. (Austen, 2007)
Miss Bates was a spinster who had not
had a very exciting life, and was now
dedicating herself to caring for her
deaf, frail mother. Miss Bates led a
lonely life and loved to be in company,
although Emma considered her very
boring, as Austen narrates the event of
the Box Hill Picnic. Emma was aware
of tension between the group and
Frank Churchill was trying to cheer
everyone up.

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could not resist. "Ah! ma'am,

but there may be a difficulty.
Pardon mebut you will be
limited as to numberonly
three at once." Miss Bates,
deceived by the mock
ceremony of her manner, did
not immediately catch her
meaning; but, when it burst on
her, it could not anger, though a
slight blush shewed that it could
pain her. "Ah!wellto be
sure. Yes, I see what she
means, (turning to Mr.
Knightley,) and I will try to hold
my tongue. I must make myself
very disagreeable, or she would
not have said such a thing to an
old friend.

Her niece, Jane Fairfax,she was the

only child of Mrs Bates daughter, she
should have been brought up in the
same society as Emma but instead at
the age of 21 she needs to find herself
a job, and as she had had been given
a good education a governess was the
only job she felt she could do.
(Haker.2002)
Emma dislikes Jane before she even
meets her because Miss Bates is
continually reading her letters to
anyone who comes and praising how
much she has achieved in her life.

In this snapshot from the film Miss

Bates has trying to understand why
Emma should insult her so, and trying
to hide her hurt. Behind her Knightly is
looking straight at Emma with disbelief
and disapproval.

"That sweet, amiable Jane Fairfax! it is so

long since I have seen her, except now
and then for a moment accidentally in
town. What happiness it must be for her
good old grandmother and excellent
aunt, when she comes to visit them! I
always regret excessively, on dear
Emma's account, that she cannot be
more at Highbury; but now their
daughter is married, I can suppose
Colonel and Mrs. Campbell will not be
able to part with her at all. She would be
such a delightful companion for Emma."
(Emma Adaptation.3/11/16).

Mrs Bates was the wife of a clergy

man and had once being a prosperous
family and of the same social group
but life had not been kind to them. The
third and last lesser character I want to
mention is Miss Bates niece, Jane
Fairfax

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Up unto now I have only shown you

the negative side of Austens Emma,
now I will show how each character
has played a major part in Emma
becoming a much nicer and more
lovable character.

And Miss Bates? After her thorough

scolding by Knightly Emma was
overcome by remorse and went the
next day to humbly apologize to the
lady.
But what about Jane Fairfax who
Emma disliked even before she met
her. Through it must be said that Jane
appeared to dislike Emma and friends
equally so!

Emma did her best to match-make

Harriet off with first Elton and then
Frank Churchill. She manipulated her
into turning down her marriage
proposal to the farmer by suggesting
that if she married him she would
never be able to visit Emma again nor
she her.

Thanks to Knightleys intervention

again, Emma realized how childish she
was being and when she realized that
Jane was actually ill went over to see
her in a bid to bring her some comfort
and nice food, and to bring her back to
her home for a change of scene.

Emma was genuinely delighted when

she learned that Robert Martin had
proposed to Harriet a second time and
this time she had accepted!

Unfortunately, Jane did not return

Emmas change of heart but that isnt
the important part.

"I am perfectly satisfied," replied Emma,

with the brightest smiles, "and most
sincerely wish them happy." (Project
Glutenberg.2016).

Austens Emma, the heroine whom no

one but myself will much like, (Dr
Nicola Bradbury, 2000. Preface to
Emma.Austin) becomes a character
who is very likeable and brings a lumb
into the throat of many readers. It is
easy to see why Emma is still a
favourite on many book shelves.
I hope you have enjoyed your quick
tour through Emma. I will let you make
your mind up about my original
question.
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EmmaBoring classroom read

Reference Page

Or Still a very good read!

Theory of Adaptation Hutcheon L

London. Routledge.

(http://www.elegantextracts.com/

Lattice (2015). Emma by Jane AustenReview. London: The Guardian.

[Online]. Available from

http://austen.com/emma/index.html

Emma (2007) directed by Diarmuid

Lawrence. 107 minutes. ITV studios
(Video:Dvd)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/158/158
-h/158-h.htm

Christine Branton

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