Jane Austen’s novel featuring Emma Woodhouse is “Emma.” First published in December 1815, the novel follows its clever, wealthy, and self-confident heroine as she interferes in the romantic lives of people around her.
Emma lives at Hartfield near the fictional Surrey village of Highbury. After her former governess, Miss Taylor, marries Mr Weston, Emma becomes convinced that she has a talent for matchmaking. Her attempts to arrange a suitable marriage for Harriet Smith lead to misunderstandings, wounded feelings, and a painful recognition that her judgment is not as reliable as she believes.
The novel is a comedy of manners, examining class, marriage, money, social reputation, and personal self-knowledge in Regency-era England. Emma’s closest critic is George Knightley, her neighbour and longtime family friend; by the end, she realises that her feelings for him are deeper than she understood. “Emma” is sometimes confused with Austen’s other novels, especially “Pride and Prejudice,” but Elizabeth Bennet—not Emma Woodhouse—is the heroine of that story.