S04E09 Emma, Chapters 42 to 45

Reading Jane Austen

In this episode, we read chapters 42 to 45 of Emma. We talk about the dropping of clues about Jane and Frank, Donwell Abbey and Mr Knightley’s arrangements for the strawberry picking, how nobody is enjoying themselves at Box Hill, and the pressures on Jane.

The character we discuss is Emma, and in the historical section Ellen talks about watering places. In the popular culture section, Harriet reflects back on the screen adaptations of Emma, considering her favourite moments from each version, and then how they dealt with some of the major characters.

Things we mention:

General and character discussion:

• Richard Cronin and Dorothy McMillan [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Emma (2005)
• Pod and Prejudice podcast
• John Sutherland, Is Heathcliff a murderer?: Puzzles in 19th-century fiction (1996) and Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?: Further Puzzles in Classic Fiction (1999)
• ‘The Thing About the Irish Car Party‘, The Thing About Austen podcast, Episode 70
• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)

Historical discussion:

• Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase (1932)
• Beau Nash (1674-1762), well-known dandy and Master of Ceremonies at Bath
• ‘The Thing About Weymouth‘, The Thing About Austen podcast, Episode 45
• Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons (1930)

Popular culture discussion:

• Adaptations:
  • BBC, Emma (1972) – starring Doran Godwin and John Carson
  • Miramax, Emma (1996) – starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam
  • ITV, Emma (1996) – starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong
  • BBC, Emma (2009) – starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller
  • Working Title Films, Emma (2020) – starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn
• Modernisations:
  • Paramount Pictures, Clueless (1995) – starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd
  • YouTube, Pemberley Digital, Emma Approved (2013) – starring Joanna Sotomura and Brent Bailey

For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.