My First Jane Austen! Show v Tell, Flawed Characters and More in Emma

I was delighted to discover just how much I LOVED this book! I hadn’t read Austen before but now I’m hooked. I think she is a true genius when it comes to the “show don’t tell” writing technique. In Emma, with characters like Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Bates and Mrs. Elton, you learn about their eccentric natures not through Austen telling you about them, but through their dialogue and behaviors. It’s never said outright “Mrs. Bates is boring and annoying,” but her long, rambling stories show you exactly that.

I loved the character of Emma too. In Emma, Austen did a great job of creating a lovable character with flaws. Emma is smart, caring, rich, and beautiful, but she’s also snobby, self-centered, and too often only able to see what she wants to see.

Another character I loved in Emma is Mr. Woodhouse (Emma’s dad) because he reminds me SO much of my grandpa. The similarities are uncanny. When Mr. Woodhouse laments “poor Isabella” and “poor Miss Taylor” getting married and leaving Hartfield for new homes, I was reminded of when I was applying to colleges and my grandpa encouraged me MANY times to pick a school close to home. There’s a scene when Mr. Woodhouse worries about Emma adding one additional guest to a dinner party because it’ll make their table too noisy — my grandpa always made us avoid restaurants that he deemed too loud. Mr. Woodhouse eats gruel after dinner, my grandpa always had Wheat Thins.

I find it fascinating to read older books and to recognize and relate to characters and dynamics we experience in our modern world! I had to imagine that Jane Austen must have known a man like Mr. Woodhouse who she based his character on. And it makes me happy to imagine an early 19th-century version of my grandfather pottering around worrying about his children and commending the veritable benefits of gruel.

As I was reading this book, I discovered an awesome podcast called Pod & Prejudice — they are currently going through Emma chapter by chapter. Hearing their discussions has been a great addition to reading and I’m excited to listen to their other seasons when I read the rest of Austen’s books.

I was sad when the story ended and can’t wait to read more Austen! Check out this stunning Jane Austen set my sisters got me for my birthday from the Penguin Clothbound Classics collection.