Emma
Jane Austen
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
Handsome, clever, and rich
What does Emma's comfortable life give her, and what does it keep her from seeing?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does she take such pleasure in matchmaking?
- Did you like Emma at the start, and did that change?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What does Emma's comfortable life give her, and what does it keep her from seeing?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does she take such pleasure in matchmaking?
- Did you like Emma at the start, and did that change?
Is Emma's friendship with Harriet a kindness or a kind of vanity?
Keep the conversation going
- Was Emma right to persuade Harriet to refuse Robert Martin?
- How does Harriet change once she stops following Emma's advice?
What does the Mr Elton episode teach Emma, and does she learn it?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you read the scene in the carriage?
- What does the woman Mr Elton marries reveal about him?
What did you make of Frank Churchill's charm, and of his secret?
Keep the conversation going
- Was his flirtation with Emma harmless?
- How does the truth about him and Jane Fairfax change your view of earlier scenes?
Why does Emma find it so hard to like Jane Fairfax?
Keep the conversation going
- What does Jane's position, facing life as a governess, show about the choices open to women without money?
- Did you sympathise with Jane's silence?
Why does Emma's remark to Miss Bates at Box Hill matter so much?
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- What does Mr Knightley's rebuke show about him?
- How does Emma try to make amends?
When did you realise Mr Knightley loved Emma, and when does she realise it herself?
Keep the conversation going
- Is their marriage one of equals, given their age and history?
- What makes him the one person who tells her the truth?
What does the small world of Highbury, with its gossip and visits, add to the novel?
Keep the conversation going
- How does Mr Woodhouse's anxiety shape Emma's life?
- Is Emma's happy ending also a happy one for everyone around her?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.