Emma by Jane Austen is another novel which gets rescued by the strong use of witty language and offers us nothing more than a typical Jane Austen set-up around marriage hall and women looking for perfect grooms and men looking for perfect brides and moving ahead in their quest. Are we being honest here?

I personally loved reading Emma but just loved reading it. I did not very much like the concept of a matchmaking woman being presented as a perfect and unmovable lady who cannot even identify what her personal needs are. Other than that, this novel does not seem to be fitting in the context of the day – Emma is outdated as a novel. We can certainly admire the novel for the artistry of Jane Austen of making a simple issue into a whole novel. However, we cannot carry the burden of admiring it for so long because somewhere, we need a break, don’t we?

The story of Knightley and Emma, one being more than 15 years elder to another and still managing to make a match, does not lure me anymore. If you ask me to read this novel and offer me another contemporary jargon, I would love to explore the latter because I need to know what else is being done today instead of reading an age-old narrative where women are busy attracting capable men and somehow getting into a house with ‘safety’ and dignity.

So, my experience with Emma isn’t as charming as it was with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I will only recommend it to the readers who have more than enough leisure to spend reading the age-old novel which has gone outdated just in the name of ‘reading a classic’. Better find some other books which will offer you something beyond marriages and courtships and confusions around them all.