Emma: Introduction by Marilyn Butler

Emma (1816) is Jane Austen’s most characteristic work. Convinced that she understands the world, Emma rules over her invalid father and the small social circle of Highbury with well-meaning tyranny. But she is highly fallible where love is concerned, and her failings there cause many misunderstandings – as well as giving the reader much enjoyment as order is restored. In her new introduction to this edition Terry Castle examines the pleasure given by Emma’s reassuringly stable world and by its comedy, and examines the relationships, imagery, and continuing power of Austen’s perhaps greatest novel.