Mr William Harmondsworth example essay topic

Mr William Harmondsworth: "Jane, thankyou for meeting with me. I trust you had a comfortable journey? I must say I am pressed for time this morning, shall we begin? There has been an acknowledged interest in your book and I have requested your presence here today to discuss the motif behind your story. There seems to be an almost exclusive focus on the gentry class in our society.

Why is that?" Jane Austen: "Yes, Emma is a novel directed toward the gentry class. The reason I chose this approach was based on the theory that the genteel have money to spend on books and the time you need to read and appreciate them. This particular novel not only provides entertainment to readers, but also serves educational purposes. It gives subtle insights into our current societal issues; the importance of marriage, attitudes towards and reasons for marriage, the status of women in society - with a dowry of thirty thousand pounds, Emma's success in finding a suitable husband should she pursue one ought to prove an easy task for her, whereas for an individual like Miss Bates, who has no fortune to her name and is a spinster, may find it close to impossible to find herself a gentleman willing to marry. Social structure is another important issue that ties in with marriage - while some characters try to improve their class, (Emma unwillingly accepts Miss Hawkins into the gentry after her marriage to Mr Elton) they would not willingly go down in class by marrying a person of lower social standing (Emma is mortified when Mr Elton suggests they get engaged - she is much wealthier than him and would never consider accepting his proposal).

Marriage is an important tool in maintaining the class system". Mr William Harmondsworth: "The storyline doesn't really move that much. The characters remain in Highbury for most of the novel. Why have you restricted yourself to such a small territory?" Jane Austen: "It is not uncommon for families in the situation of those at Highbury to remain within their surrounding neighbourhood for most of their time, with occasional trips to London, Box Hill, Bath etc.

But the reason I have deliberately kept them in a restricted area was to accentuate the complexity and complications of their relationships. Mr Harmondsworth, my book is not an action novel, but more a reflection of upper-middle class everyday life". Mr William Harmondsworth: "Emma's personality appears uninteresting. Explain why you chose this approach with a main character". Jane Austen: "At the beginning of the novel Emma is a very confident and rather spoilt young woman. Through her matchmaking experiences, (Harriet and Mr Elton, Harriet and Frank Churchill) her mistakes (humiliating Miss Bates at the Box Hill picnic) and her inability to judge others (being immediately prejudiced against Mr Martin simply because of his social status), she learns to recognise her faults.

She becomes concerned about people other than herself and, as a consequence, is a far more appealing person by the novel's conclusion. Through such experiences her character grows and develops, becoming more appealing to the reader". Mr William Harmondsworth: "Discuss the use of satire in your novel". Jane Austen: "Emma is a satire of vanity and self- deception as reflected in the character of Emma herself. Yet the tone is not overtly moral; the way I try to portray satire is to use humour to highlight the misconceptions of Emma. Mr Woodhouse is seen satirically, and a perfect example is his comments on Emma's portrait of Harriet: 'The only thing I do not thoroughly like is, that she seems to be sitting out of doors, with only a little shawl over her shoulders- and it makes me think she must catch cold.

' Other examples of satire in this novel are Miss Bates and her verbal stream, and Mrs Elton's snobbery- she acts as though her blood is well bred, yet trips up on her etiquette once by referring to Mr Knightley as 'Knightley'. Emma is naturally disgusted at this; 'I could not have believed it. Knightley! - never seen him in her life before, and call him Knightley! - and discover that he is a gentleman! A little upstart, vulgar being, with her Mr. E., and her caro spo so, and her resources, and all her airs of pert pretension and her under-bred finery. Mr William Harmondsworth: "You previously explained that the characters are kept in such a confined area due to their complex relationships, so why is there no climax?" Jane Austen: "I empathize with your perspective, but must argue that the proposal towards the end of the novel by Mr Knightley to Emma is the climax. Knightley's comforting of Emma is done charmingly, and her honesty of response in voicing truth equally so.

I want to make a point of the warmth between them and the truthful responsibility of Emma's utterance with regard to Frank Churchill: 'It was merely a blind to conceal his real situation with another". Mr Knightley is constrained to speak enviously of Frank Churchill, and again Emma misunderstands, thinking that in being somewhat jealous of Frank's future married state he is wishing himself married to Harriet. The misunderstanding is compounded when Emma, out of fear of what he is going to say, tells him not to speak. Mr Knightley, about to propose to her, is mortified, but the proposal is not long delayed. When it comes it is warm, impassioned, tender; Emma is overcome. Although it is not incredibly dramatic, this passage is of huge significance as it is long awaited".

Mr William Harmondsworth: "Do you think readers in one hundred years time will find it possible to relate to your book?" Jane Austen: "Yes I do feel readers in time to come will relate to this book because most of the chief themes are those which have existed over the sands of time; status of women in society, social structure, personal relationships and there complexity, social values, vanity and deception". Mr William Harmondsworth: "Give examples of the use of irony in regard to Emma". Jane Austen: "Emma's ironic qualities are visible in chapter one, - spoiled; used to having her own way; somewhat self-willed; failure to see anything through; awareness of status; immediate prejudice towards Mr Martin etc. But throughout the entire novel Emma expresses irony through her personality. Some examples of this are Emma and the unsuccessful match-making of Harriet and Mr Elton; Emma misreading Mr Elton's intentions (the framing of the portrait); Emma contriving to leave Harriet and Mr Elton together; Emma watching Mr Elton's interest in Harriet's illness which is really his fear that she (Emma) will catch it; leading to Emma trapped in the carriage and having to listen to Elton's proposal. More examples of irony is Emma's relationship with Frank Churchill and her imagining him in love with her when all the time he is interested in Jane Fairfax.

Emma also makes a mistake involving her conversation to Harriet; she (Emma) encourages Harriet to pursue the man she desires, (Emma thinks the subject is Frank Churchill) only to find that Harriet's intentions are towards Mr Knightley. This is a turning point in my book, because it is in this passage where Emma realises her love for Mr Knightley- 'it darted through her, with the speed of an arrow, that Mr Knightley must marry no one but herself!' Mr William Harmondsworth: "Thankyou once again Miss Austen for travelling to make this appointment. You shall receive a letter regarding the future of your novel on Wednesday this week". Jane Austen: "Thankyou, Mr Harmondsworth for asking me to speak about my novel, I am ever so grateful for the invitation.".