This essay shall explore Jane Austen's novel, Emma. Jane Austen's writings were greatly influenced by the society she came from. She grew up in the Victorian era whereby the status of women was very limited. Women could not vote, they received inferior education to their male counterparts and were limited to domestic occupations (Williams in Marshall & Williams 2002:5). This is the context in which Emma was written. Emma highlights the idea that women have only two good choices in society – to get married or become a governess (Parkinson in Cookson & Loughrey 1988:24). This essay shall examine the character of Emma with particular reference to the idea that Emma has 'a mind delighted with its own ideas' (Austen 1994:19). The characters of Harriet and Jane will be used to show how Emma's ideas are often not based on reality but on her own preconceived ideas. This essay will also show how Emma later matures into a more unassuming and thoughtful woman who is able to love.
             Emma is a novel about the "social significance of courtship and marriage" (Schorer in Lodge 1978:173). The novel revolves around Emma, a clever, handsome heiress who lives with her widowed father. Emma goes against the preconceived notions of women in the Victorian times in that she does not need to marry or become a governess because of her social class (Neale in Cookson & Loughrey 1988:60). Throughout the novel, we see that Emma 'has a mind delighted by its own ideas'. She will thus get an idea in her head and will try and make it a reality despite contradictory evidence. She also does not consider the consequences of her actions. As argued by Parkinson (in Cookson & Loughrey 1988:23), she makes "categorical statements based on very little evidence" and "tailors her arguments to her own wishes". She thus arrives at conclusions based on what she believes rather then on reason or knowledge (Jones...