Emma

Rating:
Summary: Marriage as a Reflection of Social Status
Review: Emma Woodhouse, the heroine is endowed with wealth, good-looks, prestige and is well aware of how clever she is. Anne Taylor, who had been extremely close to both Emma and her father, moves out to live with Mr.Weston. Emma looks for a new friend and becomes acquainted with the 17-year old, illegitimate girl Harriet. Emma attempts to aid Harriet with a series of disastrous schemes to prove the girl to be of worthy parentage and deserving of a good man. In doing so, Emma prevents Harriet from marrying Robert Martin who despite being an eligible farmer is deemed by young Woodhouse to be beneath Harriet. Emma is the story of a self-styled protagonist's who lacks self-knowledge. Along the way during the novel there is much in the way of heartbreak, romance and detail about subtle character. There are many themes and symbols characterized in this novel including Marriage as a reflection of Social Status in where Emma is structured around a number of marriages recently completed in each case. Another theme is the confined nature of women's existence, and Self Interest as a cause of Blindness. The novel offers critical illustration of the ways in which personal biases and disires blind objective judgment. The novel is a very amusing and wonderful depiction of the workings of a selfless precocious twenty-year-old.

Rating:
Summary: Prunella Scales if fabulous
Review: This is the audio tape to buy. Unless, you dislike Mrs. Bates in the 1997 adaptation of Emma (with Kate Beckinsale)-then you may not like it as the same actress (Prunella Scales) read the entire text. In my opinion she does an excellent job. Of course, you have to really appreciate Jane Austen to want the unabridged version-but presumably you do if you are considering this purchase. It is very entertaining and energetic. You don't find you mind wandering as you might with other more dull readers. I highly recommend it!