Jane Austen's Emma: A Casebook

Although Jane Austen famously referred to Emma as a heroine "whom no one but myself will much like," the irony of her remark has been obvious since the first appearance of her novel in December 1815. The central character may have attracted diverse reactions, but there can be no doubt about the endless enjoyment afforded to generations of readers. The essays in this collection demonstrate the varied delights of reading Emma. Most have been written in the last twenty years, but each draws on the cumulative body of scholarship and critical analysis that has built up since the novel was first published. The purpose of the collection is to introduce readers of Austen to new ways of interpreting her most substantial and rewarding novel. Each essay engages with Emma, but there is considerable dialogue taking place between the different approaches, which collectively contributes to the enriched readings of Austen's work. The collection opens with an introduction encouraging readers to re-read Emma, and to find its pleasures magnified by the critical interpretations and scholarship represented in this casebook.

Fiona Stafford is a reader in English at the University of Oxford and a Fellow and Tutor in English at Somerville College, Oxford.