Chapter 1: In chapter one, twenty-one year old Emma Woodhouse is introduced. She is the younger of two daughters, but as her mother died long ago and her sister has already been married, she has been the mistress of Hartfield for some time. Her father, Mr. Woodhouse, had hired Miss Taylor as Emma's governess, and the two became more like sisters, Emma being allowed to have things her way most of the time. At the beginning of the novel Miss Taylor has just been married to Mr. Weston, making what was a suitable match for both, and Emma is wondering how she will bear the change of not having Miss Taylor around. Her sister, Isabella, is too far away in London to be a companion, and Highbury, the small village that Hartfield is a part of, does not really offer any other options, as the Woodhouses are the most important family there.
Jane Austen, Watercolour and pencil portrait by he...
English: Back View of Jane Austen, Watercolor
Harriet Jacobs MarkerLuckily Mrs. Weston will only be a half-mile away. Mr. Woodhouse requires much consolation on the marriage of Miss Taylor, as he does not approve of change of any sort, so marriage was always disagreeable to him. Emma tries to make him happier. Mr. Knightley, the thirty-seven or thirty-eight year old intimate friend of the family (and the elder brother of Isabella's husband) visits, and he cannot agree that it is a sad thing that Miss Taylor has married, as now she will have more independence and will not have to spend so much time humoring Emma. He is one of the few people who find fault with Emma, and the only one who ever voices her faults. Emma agrees that the match is good, especially since she believes that she caused it to happen. Her father is sorry to hear of it, but Emma promises him...