Emma: 200th-Anniversary Annotated Edition (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
As whimsical as it is thoughtful, Jane Austen’s Emma tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a young socialite whose charms, confidence, and beauty have absolved her of her ignorance thus far. After boasting the success of her “matchmaking skills” on behalf of her former governess, she attempts to arrange another match for a new friend of a lower rank. Her meddlesome and reckless behavior, however, seems only to serve one person—herself. In a society whose standards she sets, her only opposition comes from the kind and noble Mr. Knightley, and she’s not quite ready for his challenge to her character. Austen’s humorous and cautionary masterpiece draws attention to the aspects most important in our relationships to one another: respect, goodwill, and love. If only Emma cared.
— JenDescription
The culmination of Jane Austen’s genius, a sparkling comedy of love and marriage—now in a stunning 200th-anniversary Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition
Now a major motion picture starring Anya Taylor-Joy
Beautiful, clever, rich—and single—Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée, Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen’s most flawless work.
This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition celebrates two hundred years of Austen’s beloved novel. With a beautiful cover designed by illustrator Dadu Shin and comprehensive notes drawing specially from the Jane Austen Collection at Goucher College, this is an edition to be treasured by students and collectors alike.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
About the Author
Jane Austen (1775–1817) was the seventh child of a parish rector. The novels published in Austen’s lifetime include Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park. Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published after her death. Her juvenilia are collected in Penguin Classics asLove and Freindship: And Other Youthful Writings.
Juliette Wells is associate professor and chair of the English department at Goucher College. She is the author of Everybody's Jane: Austen in the Popular Imagination.
Praise For…
"Jane Austen is my favorite author! ... Shut up in measureless content, I greet her by the name of most kind hostess, while criticism slumbers." —EM Forster