Emma

I enjoyed Emma much more than I thought I would. It’s usually a hit or miss with classics to me so I was crossing my fingers, hoping that I would like this novel, and I did. It wasn’t the romance that captured my attention and received my praise but the protagonist. That should be easy to guess, though, because Jane Austen while, a master at creating interesting stories, is even better at character writing. I found all of the characters rich and intriguing but none more so than Emma Woodhouse. Emma is a 21-year-old girl who prides herself on her intelligence and matchmaking abilities. Her flaws are present throughout the whole book and her inability to realize that she’s being selfish, stubborn, or rude almost ruins things for her best friend Harriet, a beautiful, delightful, and somewhat dim girl who despite being Emma’s best friend, is still below her in class. Despite all of her flaws, Emma is a well-rounded character who is given leeway for her mistakes and is never written to be the bad guy. I feel certain in saying, I’m sure that if she was in the hands of any other author they would simply write her as a “mean girl’ I also find, that despite some of Emma’s more elitist behavior, she is one of the more relatable protagonists I have read. At 21 she has a high opinion of herself, loves to meddle in others' affairs, and enjoys a good round of gossip. I would be lying if I said that I was similar at that age.