Emma (novel) facts for kids

Emma is a famous book written by Jane Austen. It was first published in 1815. Jane Austen once joked that she was writing about a main character "whom no one but myself will much like."

The story is a funny one about a rich young lady named Emma Woodhouse. She lives in a made-up town called Hartfield in England during the 1800s. The book shows the funny problems Emma creates when she tries to set up her friends to get married.

The Story of Emma

Emma Woodhouse is a wealthy and pretty young woman. The book begins with her governess, Miss Taylor, getting married to Mr. Weston. He is a happy neighbor.

Emma quickly becomes friends with Harriet Smith. Harriet is a sweet girl who does not know who her parents are.

Main Characters

Emma Woodhouse

Emma is the second daughter of Mr. Woodhouse. Jane Austen describes her as "handsome, clever, and rich." She has a "comfortable home and happy disposition." Emma has had "very little to distress or vex her."

She is graceful, friendly, and cares about her friends. However, Emma can also be proud and a bit too sure of herself. For example, she stops Harriet from marrying Robert Martin.

Sometimes her kind feelings and her pride fight each other. Emma thinks about how upset the Martins would be. She also knows how much Harriet would suffer. She wishes the Martins were richer. Then she could have let them marry. But she feels she could not have done anything differently.

Emma also loves to guess and plan things. She tries to set up the people around her. But she thinks she will never marry. Mr. Knightley warns her not to interfere. He tells her she is more likely to cause harm than good.

He also tells Mrs. Weston that Emma is spoiled. This is because Emma is the cleverest in her family. Since she was twelve, Emma has been in charge of the house. Later, Emma sees her mistakes. She then has a happy marriage with Mr. Knightley.

Mr. George Knightley

Mr. Knightley is the brother of Mr. John Knightley. He is Emma's brother-in-law and an old family friend. He is a "sensible man" about 37 or 38 years old. He has a "cheerful manner."

He is one of the few people who can see Emma's faults. He is also the only one who ever tells her about them. He gets jealous when Frank Churchill flirts with Emma.

Mr. Knightley is not as proud as Emma. He knows that Harriet would be very happy if she married Robert Martin. He is kind and generous. He is also respectful to people like Miss Bates.

Frank Churchill

Frank Churchill is the son of Mr. Weston from his first marriage. He is a "very good-looking young man." His height, manners, and face are all perfect. He has a lot of his father's spirit and energy.

Mr. Knightley seems to dislike him. He calls Frank a "silly young fellow." Everyone expects Frank Churchill and Emma to fall in love. At first, Emma likes him a lot. She thinks she loves him.

But soon, she realizes her feelings are just friendly. She decides to try and set him up with Harriet. Emma does not know he is already secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax. She is very surprised when she finds out.

Jane Fairfax

Jane Fairfax is a quiet young lady the same age as Emma. Emma is secretly jealous of her. This is because Jane can do many things better than Emma. For example, she plays the piano very well.

Jane is very beautiful and "remarkably elegant." She is also gentle, kind, clever, and polite. However, she is not as open or warm as Emma. She is secretly engaged to Frank Churchill. She becomes very unhappy when he keeps flirting with Emma.

Harriet Smith

Harriet is a seventeen-year-old girl. She is the daughter of a tradesman (someone who sells things). She is a "very pretty girl." She is "short, plump, and fair." She has "blue eyes, light hair, regular features, and a look of great sweetness."

Harriet is not very clever. But she is thankful, nice, and humble. She loves Robert Martin. But because of Emma's advice, she turns down his offer to marry her. She then falls in love with Mr. Elton instead.

Emma is very surprised when she finds out Mr. Elton loves her! Harriet is very sad. But Emma soon wants her to marry Frank Churchill instead. Emma is shocked when she realizes Harriet does not love Frank Churchill. Instead, Harriet loves Mr. Knightley. In the end, Harriet marries Robert Martin. She has a happy life with him.

Mr. Woodhouse

Mr. Woodhouse is Emma's old father. He loves his daughters very much. But he is also a little bit selfish. He does not want his daughters to get married. This is because he does not want them to leave him.

Mr. Woodhouse is very careful about illness and disease. He is sweet-tempered. He also likes to eat gruel, which is a thin porridge.

Movie Adaptations

• 1996: Emma - This movie stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma.

Images for kids

• 

  1898 illustration of Mr. Knightley and Emma Woodhouse, Volume III chapter XIII

See also

In Spanish: Emma para niños