ELLEN: " I dislike aspects of Emma's character as realized by Jane Austen
and in some ways strongly because I feel Austen doesn't find these as
harmful and unjustified as I do."
Ellen, I believe Austen 100% meant for her closest readers to see Emma in a
very negative light, even at the end of the novel, when she is convinced
that she is no longer so selfish but instead has become empathic toward
those less fortunate. Just under the surface, this is a devastating
portrait, of a privileged, rationalizing, selfish being - very much like
Jane Austen's niece Fanny - a person who never reaches self-awareness. The
characters in Emma whom Austen cares for most are Jane, Harriet, and Miss
Bates - the underdogs.
NANCY: " Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that many people who
say they love Jane Austen either love Pride and Prejudice or the movies
and TV shows. They haven't always read all her books or studied her life.
That's a good insight, Nancy, I'd say the latter group is no more than
10-15% of the total.
NANCY: "Those who have read all of her books quite often state that they
hate either Emma or Fanny Price In some cases , the person hates both.
hates character in a book? Why? Usually because the character isn't
Elizabeth Bennet or doest fit the reader's idea of a heroine of a story."
In many cases, that sounds like a good guess, but not all.
ARNIE
Arnie Perlstein