In defense of my girl Emma Woodhouse: a thread https://twitter.com/HarperCollins/status/1228723145215029248

To start with, we're going to dismiss out of hand the claim that Emma is possibly not the heroine of EMMA because she's of a different temperament and social standing than Austen was

Okay? Austen was a novelist. Exploring other experiences and POVs is our literal job

Austen finished FIVE novels about women who are relative financial and social outsiders. That she wanted to explore the constraints faced by a woman who was born to financial and social advantage as well, seems entirely natural

So let's talk about Emma. Emma is not unlikable when compared with Austen's other heroines--in fact, she possesses a LOT of the trademark Austen heroine traits

She's headstrong, a bit clueless about romance, interested in the lives and affairs of others, and sensitive despite a veneer of restraint (that last characteristic is my favorite standard Austen trait--women who feel things deeply but keep their emotions under wraps)

But Emma is born to advantage, so all these things play out differently than they do in Austen's other heroines

For instance--we all love Lizzy Bennet *because* she's sharp-tongued and says it like it is. That's because Lizzy's humor is used, for the most part, to punch up

Lizzy lives close to the bottom tier of her particular social set, so more or less everyone is free range for her caustic humor

Emma has the opposite problem

Emma is equally witty, equally sharp-tongue, equally frustrated and bored at times by the narrowness of her life, but she operates in the top tier of her social set

ANY teasing she does is necessarily punching down

Is that great? No. Is it entirely understandable in a bored, high-spirited young woman who's fully thrown herself into the life of her community and who functions very often as a generous and warm patroness?

YES

Emma isn't sitting in an ivory castle refusing to interact with the people around her because she's above them

She's fully involved and invested in the lives of those around her, and in the absence of a mother, lacks any real guidance as to how to use her social power for good

She's *still doing it though.* She recognizes and embraces her responsibility to the community. And gosh darn it, despite not having any sort of education into how to act as a patroness, Emma Woodhouse is giving it her all

People (*coughKnightley*) hold her to incredibly high standards as far as her behavior goes too. And instead of flouncing off or cutting ties when she's called out, Emma *makes things right and tries to do better*

When she's harsh or petty, she eventually realizes that, corrects course, and learns from her mistakes. She's rich, she's young, she's a bit silly sometimes, but she's working so hard, and she's incredibly un-snobbish all things considered

Obviously she stumbles on that last when it comes to Harriet, but only because she has big dreams for her friend. And she realizes what will make Harriet happy, it's not as if she cuts her off for choosing a lower status spouse. You know they're going to maintain their connection

In fact, I would say Emma's instinctive dislike of Elton and later, his wife, stems directly from the fact that she *recognizes* snobbishness in them, and it's not something she wants ruining the social dynamics in Highbury, which are quite open and congenial

In conclusion: Emma is young, she's clever, she's in an awkward position as the social pinnacle of her set, and she's lacked any sort of real female guidance in how to serve as the patroness she's meant to be

In spite of that, she's doing her absolute best, so don't slight her

Okay, I'm not done so you get a postscript

Emma's "meddling" that is so often seen as distasteful is one of the truly meaningful ways that she actually has to better the lives of the people around her

She can't just dump money on people--it wasn't the done thing. Presumably her family and the Knightleys are doing well by Highbury, though. The church, which served as a bulwark against poverty at the time, is well-kept, the Eltons' position is seen as secure and enviable

There's even a school for disadvantaged young women in the environs of Highbury--the sort of place that ABSOLUTELY DEPENDED on the financial investment of well to do patrons. I guarantee you the Woodhouses and Knightleys were bankrolling that place

But on a case by case basis, Emma can't throw money at the people she wants to assist. She can, in some instances, offer them practical help, which she DOES (we see her bringing socially acceptable gifts of food and other necessities to villagers in need)

Other times, the thing Emma has to offer is the social boost of her own company, and the advantages that being with her can provide. And she's generous with her time and company

She cultivates a host of relationships with people "beneath" her social standing. She attempts to better Harriet's circumstances in a number of ways. And she spends time with individuals she doesn't find congenial because she's knows it's her duty and a help to them

Is Emma a charming, meddling gossip? Yes

Is she also keeping her ear to the ground and a finger on the pulse of her community so she knows where to dispense help and support as needed? YES

They *kind of work together with her*

Time, undoubtedly, will provide her with wisdom and mellow her disposition, and she'll likely raise some kids with Knightley who are an absolute credit to the community, given the well-developed social consciences their parents possess

I'm tentatively done now, but make no promises not to add to this as I think of things