Summary: Chapter 1
The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation
were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition
to think a little too well of herself….
(See Important Quotations Explained)
The narrator opens the novel by introducing us to Emma
Woodhouse, a girl endowed with “some of the best blessings of existence,”
including good looks, intelligence, riches, and an affectionate father.
Emma’s only disadvantages are that she is slightly spoiled and that
she thinks “a little too well of herself.” Emma’s mother died before
Emma could form many memories of her, but her gentle governess,
Miss Taylor, provided a motherly love. After Emma’s older sister,
Isabella, was married and moved to London, Miss Taylor and Emma
became best friends.
As the novel begins, Miss Taylor has just left Hartfield,
the estate of Emma and Mr. Woodhouse, to marry a widower named Mr. Weston,
and Emma is left without a companion. She attempts to comfort her
despondent father, who hates change, with the thought that they
will see the new Mrs. Weston often, but Emma only partially succeeds
in comforting herself. At this moment, neighborhood resident Mr.
Knightley, the brother of Isabella’s husband, pays a visit, having
returned from visiting their mutual relations in London. He affirms
the appropriateness of the match between Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor
and gently chides Emma when she claims credit. Emma declares that
she will repeat her matchmaking success by finding a wife for Mr.
Elton, the village rector.
Summary: Chapter 2
The narrator recounts Mr. Weston’s history. His first
marriage was to a woman named Miss Churchill, who came from a higher
class than his. They had a son, named Frank, but the marriage was
overshadowed by the disapproval of Mrs. Weston’s brother and sister-in-law,
Mr. and Mrs. Churchill. When Mrs. Weston died after three years
of marriage, Frank was essentially adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Churchill
and made their heir. Mr. Weston, left impoverished by the expectations
of his first wife, spent the next twenty years of his life rebuilding
his fortune. He eventually purchased Randalls, the small estate
where he lives with the second Mrs. Weston.
The village has always been curious to see Frank Churchill,
who writes a kind letter to Mrs. Weston indicating that he will
pay a visit to his father and stepmother.
Summary: Chapter 3
The Woodhouses give a small dinner party, to which they
invite other members of their social circle: the widow Mrs. Bates;
her single, middle-aged daughter, Miss Bates; and Mrs. Goddard,
the mistress of the local boarding school. Mrs. Goddard brings one
of her boarders, Harriet Smith, a girl whose parentage is unknown.
Emma admires Harriet for her beauty and for her respect of Emma
and Hartfield. She resolves to pursue friendship with Harriet, and
to improve the naïve girl by detaching her from the inferior acquaintance
of the farming Martin family. She plans to introduce Harriet to
higher society.
Analysis: Chapters 1–3
The narration of these opening chapters creates a complicated
portrait of Emma as a young, beautiful, clever, and confident character who
exercises her influence in a constricted and complex environment
and has much to learn about friendship, love, and the ways of the
world. Emma’s affection for Miss Taylor and her kindness to her foolish
and somewhat tiresome father reveal Emma’s capacity for true warmth
and generosity. But, at the same time, the narrator quickly alerts
us to the ways in which Emma is spoiled by her advantages and blinded
by her own self-regard. Most explicitly, we are told at the novel’s
beginning:
