Irmo Branch Library - Multimedia Book Club discussion

This month, we’ll take a look at the far-reaching influence of Jane Austen through her beloved but “clueless” heroine, Emma Woodhouse. You can find "Emma" on Hoopla, along with the 1996 film version and a comic adaptation by Nancy Butler and Janet Lee. As you begin reading and watching, please take a minute to let us know you're here in the comments!

Discussion Questions
1) Hello! If you're new to this group, how did you hear about it? Tell us something about yourself so we can get to know each other.
2) What was your first encounter with a Jane Austen story? Do you have a favorite adaptation?
3) Jane Austen is said to have thought that Emma would be “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like."* What is your initial impression of Emma Woodhouse, whether having met her first in the pages of Austen or through an adaptation?

*source: http://jasna.org/publications/persuas...

1) Hello Multimedia Book Club group! My name is Kyland and I am a new admin who is happy to dive into these novels and films with you all. I love historical fiction novels, fiction and nonfiction books. Recently, I have grown a love for audiobooks and this is the way I have been reading "Emma." I love hearing vocal inflections to understand the feelings of the characters. As an added bonus, it's like having a bedtime story read to you, or even like having a conversation with a friend on a long trip! I would recommend the BBC 4-Part dramatization version of the audiobook, you will thoroughly enjoy it!
2) Other than an introduction to Jane Austen in previous English courses, and a film based on her life; I am not as familiar with her works. "Emma" is the first Jane Austen novel I have read and I recently viewed the 2020 film adaptation. From what I have heard so far in the audiobook, the film was produced quite nicely and accurately. It presented a lighter tone that I picked up from the audiobook.
3) Austen and I are actually on the same page. Emma is headstrong, sure of herself (even at times when she probably shouldn't be), confident and concerned for those around her. She may appear as a busybody and a meddler, maybe even a bit condescending when it comes to certain couples she does not approve of; but I feel that her heart and desires are in the right place even though her actions may not be. Overall, I took a liking to the protagonist.

1) Hi, this is Laura! I'm going to add my answers to the discussion. There's still plenty of time to join in if you're new to the group and we'd love to hear from you!
2) I think my first encounter with Jane Austen was when my older sisters watched "Sense & Sensibility," the 1995 version. It was a little hard for me to follow the plot then, but I remember it seemed like one of the main characters was sick all the time. So many pretty dresses, romantic sighs and meaningful looks, and the like... That said, I have come to enjoy Austen adaptations in my adulthood. Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice" is divine.
Confession: I wasn't one who took to Austen early like some girls. In college I picked up a few of her books for class but never got very far. I think "Emma" will be the first one I've fully finished, but I am enjoying it very much. It has made me want to revisit the Austen novels I've started and come back to finish them, too!
3) Realizing that Cher Horowitz from "Clueless" is a modern version of Emma Woodhouse has helped me understand how to read "Emma" this time around. Since it's classic literature, I've been inclined to see all Austen's characters as so sophisticated, when really she is often commenting on the culture of the time through her characters in not very flattering ways! Emma is an unreliable narrator, so caught up in her own interpretation of what is going on, that she needs a reality check from time to time, which she gets when the Elton match turns out so far afield of what she had in mind. Realizing that she's unreliable and that her self-awareness is limited has helped me read her with more empathy this time and enjoy the clever story Austen spins.