A-Z Challenge: E is for Emma

Day 5 of A-Z means we are just shy of being 1/5 of the way done. Yesterday I wrote about Downton Abbey, connecting it to my "All Things Grad School" Theme by showing you wonderful readers how the television series is similar to Jane Austen's (that's who I will be doing my grad school Master's thesis on) novel, Pride and Prejudice. It was a little bit of a stretch, but watching all three seasons of Downton Abbey got me even more excited to start my Master's so I figure it's completely relevant to my theme.

Today I'm going to discuss something a little more directly related to my upcoming studies. Austen's novel, Emma, was originally published in 1815 making it her fourth published novel. The most recent television adaptation was produced and aired by the BBC in 2009. The version that most people are likely aware of is the 1996 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma.

I don't want this post to get too extensive so I'll just say that Emma, like all of Austen's novels tells the story of a strong female character, in this case Emma Woodhouse. In brief, the novel showcases Emma's meddling as a matchmaker for her friends and has her inevitably fall in love with a man who has been a close friend of hers for the extent of her life, Mr. Knightly.

If I was ranking Emma among Austen's novels, I'd have to say place it in third, after top ranked Northanger Abbey and second place Sense and Sensibility, and followed by Pride and; Prejudice, Persuasion, and then Mansfield Park. If I was ranking Emma Woodhouse among Austen's leading female characters, I'd place her in second, after my (and most people's) favourite, Elizabeth Bennet.

People who read Emma tend to either love or hate the novel's title character. Have you read Emma? Did you love or hate Emma Woodhouse?