Question

Is Emma a realistic novel?give your opinion and justify it.20 marks​

Answer 1

Answer:

Realism is one of the most important modes seen in 19th century literature, and Austen’s Emma exhibits qualities that place it among other realist novels. Through the character of Emma, we can see where Austen adds realist elements to the novel.

In “Realism,” George Levine argues that “no definition of realism can be quite satisfactory” (8). However, Levine attempts to describe realism and its qualities, claiming that, “despite its appearance of solidity, realism implies a fundamental uneasiness about self, society, and art” (12). Emma’s character best shows the implications of each of these qualities through her wishy-washiness.

At the beginning of Chapter 8, Volume 2, Emma, through indirect discourse with the narrator, contemplates her opinion of Frank. In the first sentence of the paragraph, she “continued to entertain no doubt of her being in love,” but by the end of the paragraph, “it struck her that she could not be very much in love.” Emma changes her mind so quickly that, although she has appeared to favor Frank up to this point, she is not as firmly planted in her opinion of him as she might have thought.