Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstructed romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively comedy of manners among her characters.
Before she began the nove, Austen wrote, ‘I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will match like.’ In the very first sentence she intoduces the little character as ‘Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich. ‘ Emma, however, is also rather spoled, headstron, and self-satisfied; she greatly overstimates her own matchmaking abilities; she is blind to the dangers of meddling in other people’s lives; and her imagnination and perceptions ofen laead her astray.