Jane Austen's *Emma*

Many readers consider Emma Austen’s most perfect novel even though she declared the protagonist the “heroine whom no one but myself will much like”. Analysing characterisation, themes and her style in key scenes of this work, we shall also glance at extracts from some of the film adaptations to reach our own verdict.

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Enable you to gain a critical appreciation of literary and social contexts.
2. Investigate themes and novelistic technique through close textual analysis.
3. Encourage you to articulate an informed response to the text and some of the issues covered on the course.

Content

Like her other novels, and even though she thought her protagonist a “heroine whom no one but myself will much like,” Austen’s Emma has proved to have universal appeal, inspiring numerous popular film and TV adaptations especially in recent years. As her readers had come to expect by 1815, she presents us with lively characters and witty dialogue, but this is also the work in which she perfected the technique she is widely credited with pioneering, free indirect style. As a result her readers see events from the heroine’s point of view while at the same time being able to judge Emma’s self-deception and snobbery. We shall analyse examples of Austen’s narrative style.

Setting Austen into her literary and social context, we become aware of her concern with women’s 
education and their limited options in a patriarchal society, and her perceptive analysis of the relationships between generations and between marriage partners. She knew that money and social status were determining factors in most people’s lives and that this could lead to a conflict between duty and inclination when choosing a partner in marriage. While accepting that social conventions mattered, in this novel, too, she demonstrates that there may be a great disparity between manners and morals. Contrary to those views of Austen’s novels as no more than romantic marriage plots, Emma is a vehicle for the discussion of the social and moral problems of her society as well as perhaps the greatest example of her art.

Presentation of the course

The course will consist of informal lectures and some close analysis of extracts from the text with an emphasis on class discussion.

Class sessions

1. Introduction: Austen’s letters and the social background
2. The social world of the novel
3. Mysteries and clues: how Emma and the reader are deceived
4. How does she do it? The achievements of free indirect style
5. Some adaptations

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. To develop students’ confidence in their own critical ability through taking part in discussions of texts they have read and reflected on independently.
2. To encourage students to express responses to the text, making use of other readers’ interpretations where appropriate.
3. To encourage students to demonstrate an analytical, literary-critical approach to reading this novel.

Required reading

Jane Austen, Emma - many paperback editions

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.