August Travels: Emma – Going Nowhere Fast by Mary Simonsen

Disclosure: I am not an Emma scholar. I have read the book only once. Even though some of Jane Austen’s best lines are in Emma,* I have a hard time liking a heroine who cannot understand, no less accept, the opinions of others. (Even Jane Austen anticipated my reaction.) However, I have seen the various adaptations, and I am particularly fond of the Emma with Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley (mostly because of Jeremy Northam), and Gwyneth Paltrow did a great job of capturing Emma’s evolution from a self-centered, meddling young woman to a more fully realized person who is capable of recognizing her own shortcomings.

When the theme of “Travels” was chosen for August by Austen Variations, the first thing that popped into my head was not Elizabeth Bennet touring Derbyshire or Anne Elliot going to Lyme or Catherine Morland visiting Bath. Instead, it was Emma Woodhouse not going anywhere! She had the money, the carriages, the time–definitely the time. Then why doesn’t she travel? The reason is simple: Emma will not do anything that would distress her father, and it seems that almost everything, from eating cake to a sneezing child, distresses Mr. Woodhouse. Even though his older daughter Isabella lives in London, he never visits. If his daughter and son-in-law want to see him, it is incumbent upon Isabella and John Knightley to come to Highbury:

Mr. Woodhouse: “Ah! my poor dear child, the truth is, that in London it is always a sickly season. Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be. It is a dreadful thing to have you forced to live there! so far off!– and the air so bad!”

John Knightley: “No, indeed—we are not at all in a bad air. Our part of London is very superior to most others! You must not confound us with London in general, my dear sir. The neighbourhood of Brunswick Square is very different from almost all the rest. I should be unwilling, I own, to live in any other part of the town. There is hardly any other that I could be satisfied to have my children in: but we are so remarkably airy!”

Mr. WoodhouseMr. Woodhouse: “Ah! It is not like Hartfield. You make the best of it—but after you have been a week at Hartfield, you are all of you different creatures; you do not look the same. Now I cannot say, that I think you are any of you looking well at present.”

That in a nutshell is why Emma never leaves Highbury. Her father, whom she adores, would not survive the journey from Hartfield to the county line—or so he believes.

Throughout the book, people are constantly on the move. In addition to the John Knightleys, Frank  Churchill tells Emma that he must go to London “to get a haircut.” (I assume the person cutting his hair is Jane Fairfax.)

Mrs. Elton insists that a visit to Bath would make all the difference in Mr. Woodhouse’s health, but Emma refuses to consider the idea: “‘My father tried it more than once, formerly; but without receiving any benefit; and Mr. Perry, whose name, I dare say, is not unknown to you, does not conceive it would be at all more likely to be useful now…,’ their going to Bath was quite out of the question; and Emma was not perfectly convinced that the place might suit her better than her father.”

Mrs. EltonThere will be no Bath for Emma because her father would never consent to go.

When the odious Mrs. Elton insists that Surrey is the garden of England, Emma’s response that many counties lay claim to the title is weakened by the fact that she hasn’t seen any of these other counties. Having silenced Emma, Mrs. Elton presses her advantage: “When people come into a beautiful country of this sort [i.e., Surrey], you know, Miss Woodhouse, one naturally wishes them to see as much as possible… You have many parties of that kind here, I suppose, Miss Woodhouse, every summer?”

“No; not immediately here. We are rather out of distance of the very striking beauties which attract the sort of parties you speak of; and we are a very quiet set of people, I believe; more disposed to stay at home than engage in schemes of pleasure.”

This is a rather sad situation for a woman in her early twenties. As a result of her father’s limitations, Emma’s world consists of Hartfield and Highbury. Is it any wonder that she finds amusement in meddling in the affairs of others? Mr. Knightley, understanding the limitations placed on Emma by her father’s hypochondria, gently teases that he knows how she loves “news,” aka, gossip. Of course she does! Although she is financially well off and belongs to the landed gentry, her world is smaller than that of Jane Fairfax.

I believe Emma does wish to get beyond the confines of Highbury, but even a proposed honeymoon trip to the seashore, upsets her father, and by the time Emma becomes Mrs. Knightley, it appears that, as long as her father is alive, Hartfield and Highbury it is.Emma

By placing her father’s well-being above her own, Emma becomes a sympathetic character, and Mr. Knightley a saint, as he has agreed to make Hartfield his home as long as Mr. Woodhouse lives. Let us hope that once Mr. Woodhouse goes on to his reward that the pair will be able to travel or, at the very least, eat a piece of cake!

So, what do you think? Will Emma get to see her sister in London and visit the seashore? Is it necessary for her happiness and Knightley’s sanity? I would love to hear from you.

*One of my favorite Emma quotes: “Never mind, Harriet, I shall not be a poor old maid; and it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible.”

17 comments

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    • Kathy Berlin on August 17, 2016 at 12:25 am
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    Like you, I only read Emma once. I just don’t like her. The Paltrow production was good,though.BTW,I thought Churchill’s first name was Frank, not John.😊

    1. It is Frank Churchill. My mistake. It’s interesting that JA knew people wouldn’t like Emma, but stuck by her character.

  1. You both have me beat. I started Emma, put it aside, and never finished it. She just annoyed me so!

    1. What helped me with Emma was watching Clueless. The character was obviously a conceited teenager, but she grew, as, hopefully, most teenagers do. If Emma were living today, she would be in college. Thanks for commenting.

    • Stephanie L on August 17, 2016 at 9:33 am
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    Emma has always been among my favorites of JA’s novels. I would prefer Mr. Knightley to Mr. Darcy (…and now despise me if you dare… ;-)). All that said, I had to just laugh loudly at your last statement. I think Emma herself would be glad when her much loved father went on to his reward and she got to do the things that she and her “caro sposo” would desire. But on the other hand, I don’t think she minded as long as her father was comfortable. I don’t think I could have said no to Mr. Knightley in favor of my father and then hoped he had enough love and the patience of a saint.

    1. What strikes me about Emma is that she isn’t the dutiful daughter, exclusively. She takes great joy in being with her father. Although Persuasion is my favorite, I find I like Emma more the older I get. Thanks for commenting.

    • Carole in Canada on August 17, 2016 at 11:30 am
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    Mary, you have made me a little sympathetic towards Emma which Gwyneth Paltrow couldn’t do! I loved Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley though. I think Ms. Paltrow was just too whiny/nasally in her speech and it was annoying for me. The book…dare I say I have yet to read it! Though I do own it. I think the embarrassment aspect for Emma was also my issue. Her consideration and love for her father does speak well of her. I do enjoy the different characters within the book, so I may yet read it!

    1. When I think of how the “mean girl” Emma denigrated her friend, Miss Bates, and then rose above it, I find that this very young lady has great capacity for growth. I read Emma during a snowstorm when I couldn’t get out of the house. 🙂 Thanks for commenting.

  2. The only way in which I can remotely stomach Emma is via Clueless. I’ve watched the movies and have read the novel more than once, flummoxed regarding how I could possibly not adore a Jane Austen heroine. I had to read it again a few years later to make sure. Yep, still couldn’t stand Emma….

    Thanks for a wonderful exploration of the heroine who goes nowhere, Mary! BTW, I just finished reading Darcy Goes to War this week, and it was stunning; I couldn’t put it down (so my teaching prep took the hit, I’m afraid). Thank you for writing an amazing book!!

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    1. I think I was less sympathetic to Emma when I read the book because I was so shy as a teenager that Emma seemed to be a “mean girl” to me. As I got older, I cut her more slack b/c, after all, she was only about twenty-one. That’s pretty darn young.

      I am so glad you enjoyed Darcy Goes to War. I always wanted to write a WWII book, but never thought it would involve an Austen character. I was concerned that in doing so, I would trivialize the subject. I think it worked out okay. Thanks for letting me know.

    • Regina C McCaughey-Silvia on August 17, 2016 at 1:51 pm
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    Your description of Knightley as a saint is so very apt, Mary! I have always admired Mr. Knightley, though how he retains his patience and good humor, seeing beyond Emma’s self absorption and conceit, never ceases to amaze me. What I do like in Emma’s character is her potential for growth and development, a theme seemingly dear to Jane Austen’s heart.

    1. I agree. The key here is “growth.” But I have to admit that, other than a physical attraction, I don’t know what Knightley saw in Emma. But then age differences in Regency times didn’t yawn wide like it does now. Hopefully, Emma kept on getting better. Thanks for commenting.

  3. I have the same problem with Emma as a character. When people ask me to write an Emma variation, I cringe at the very thought of having to think about Emma every day for months! But I hope she does get the chance to travel someday.

    1. My big problem with Emma is her treatment of Harriet Smith. Emma’s arrogance could have cost Harriet any chance of happiness in her impoverished life. And then there’s Miss Bates. I could never write an Emma sequel, but I did enjoy Clueless.

    • Janelle Wintersteen on August 21, 2016 at 1:34 pm
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    Emma is one of my favorite of Jane Austen’s novel. I particularly enjoyed this post because it was so very right on. I say that not because I agreed with the writer on Emma as much as I enjoyed that it was fact based, true to to the words that Austen wrote. There are a couple of Austen sequels, one in which Miss Bates come to live with the Woodhouses, Mrs bates having died. Misss Bates presence enables the Knightly to get away on a honeymoon, and eventually Mr Woodhouse marries her, allowing Emma and Mr Knightly go live at the Abbey

      • Mary Simonsen on August 23, 2016 at 1:35 am
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      Hurrah! Mr. and Mrs. Knightley get to go on a honeymoon together. I am very happy for the couple b/c I think Emma will continue to grow with her husband their to make sure of it.

    • Sheila Majczan on August 26, 2016 at 12:41 pm
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    I have read Emma twice: once for a JA reading group so we discussed it at length. I have also watched all the movies based on this book. I am amused that only one version shows the age difference in the choice of actors. Emma is mettlesome but her world was so limited, as you said, that I can imagine how she had few diversions. Too bad she never took up reading that list, as Mr. Knightly recommended or practiced her piano. One variation shows how deficient her accomplishments were in comparison to Jane Fairfax. (Joan Aiken’s Jane Fairfax) Jonny Lee Miller’s Mr. Knightly did take her to the seashore in that movie version for their honeymoon. Thanks for sharing.

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